As this was my fourth time in Berlin, the boy decided that it was time to show me the historical delights of Berlin Olympiastadion. Famed as the home of the 1936 Olympics, the 2006 World Cup and the place where Usain Bolt broke the 100m and 200m world records in 2009, this was somewhere I was eager to see. John had been numerous times before and with his keen interest in history, he was the perfect tour guide.
(This is the third instalment of my Berlin tales, you can find day two here and day one, well, here.)
Arriving early, it was the perfect autumnal day: warm, clear and bright. This was the first day that I would find just the right light for using Instax film with my Diana F+ camera. Coincidentally, it was the first day that I wouldn’t need a coat…nor a jumper, as it turned out. I’d chosen to dress in skinny jeans, a tartan YMC blouse and a fine knit jumper. Unbelievably, even that was too warm!
(I’ll mention here that I am a woman who takes no interest in sporting events. However, I am a woman who likes to take an interest in buildings of architectural merit (read: nosey))
When you enter the Olympiastadion, you can’t fail to be struck by its sheer size. If you’ve ever visited, I’m sure you’ll agree that reaching the top seats can leave you with a slight sense of vertigo. The height is breathtaking. However, it was well worth the climb just to sit and spend a moment or two pondering times gone by.
Art Deco in style, the stadium oozes elegance. We happily spent an hour photographing and exploring the inner stadium, making sure we paid a visit to the place where the first Olympic flame was lit. Our historical tour was not quite complete without a visit to the Bell Tower.
Standing at 77m, the Olympic Bell Tower boasts the best views of Berlin…stretching from Spandau to Alexanderplatz. The glass elevator allows you to admire the inside of the tower from all angles. Arriving at the viewing platform, we certainly weren’t disappointed. The view was astounding, well worth the white knuckle elevator ride.
After much persuasion from the boy, we climbed higher and admired Teufelsberg. Standing on Devil’s Mountain, Teufelsberg is an abandoned spy station. As we stood basking in the sunlight, John recounted tales of his previous visit… making me eager for more urban exploration.
As we had travelled far from the inner metropolis of Berlin, on our way back we decided to stop by Charlottenburg, a small town west of Berlin. It seemed Charlottenburg had been bitten by the Halloween bug. We strolled the town’s streets, enjoying the delights of a Halloween grotto accompanied by festive music before ducking into Starbucks for a well-deserved Pumpkin Spiced Latte.
Have you ever visited the Olympiastadion?
Are you tempted by Berlin yet?
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