Five things to visit when you go to the Berlin Wall

It's one of those world events that, depending on your age, you remember exactly where you were when it was happening. On November 9th, 2019, Berlin will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of the fall of the wall. The Berlin Wall divided east and west for 28 years before it came down in 1989.Berlin is marking the anniversary in a big way. A festival is taking place with 200 different events happening all over the city, and these include numerous concerts of various genres, workshops, film series, readings, contemporary witness talks and discussions with journalists, historians and politicians.Travel expert Loren Christie returns from Berlin to share the five places you need to visit if you go to the Berlin Wall.

Checkpoint Charlie

This was the border crossing assigned to foreigners and soldiers. It's actually a low key spot, but a neighbouring museum and plaques help tell the story.

Bernauer Strasse and the Berlin Wall Memorial

This spot is not to be missed! It's the only place to see a remnant of both sides of the wall with no man's land in between, and you'll really get a full picture of what it looked like. There are a number of other sites there too, including the subway station. The subway would travel with West Berliners on it by this East Berlin stop, but it wasn't allowed to stop. Armed guards would be on the platform making sure no one got on.

Mauerpark

This is a popular hang out spot in the summer with music, bands and a weekly flea market. It's next to a section of the Eastern Wall where, back in 1989, 60 guards were confronted by 15,000 East Berliners demanding to cross over. In the political climate of the day, they did, and the wall fell.

The DDR Museum

This is a great snap shot of life in East Germany.

East Side Gallery

Get your camera ready, because this is the perfect spot for photo opps. The 1.3km stretch of wall is protected with artists from around the world providing the colour, including Canadian artist Pier Paul Maillé.[video_embed id='1781175']The most spectacular places in Canada to check out fall foliage[/video_embed]