Bärehquell brewery

I visited Bärehquell brewery with my friends Hannah and Michelle. The brewery went out of business in 1994 as it couldn’t compete with the more popular beers from the west after the reunification of Germany. At the time of closure, the brewery had been in business for 112 years.

Hannah, Michelle and Ryan on top of Bärenquell brewery in Berlin

Out window of Bärenquell brewery

Stairs at Bärenquell brewery

View out window of Bärenquell brewery in Berlin

View out window of Bärenquell brewery in Berlin

View out window of Bärenquell brewery in Berlin

View out window of Bärenquell brewery in Berlin

Papers sprawled on floor of Bärenquell brewery in Berlin. Photo from Hannah.

Stairs in Bärenquell brewery in Berlin. Photo from Hannah.

Book photo courtesy of Hannah

Michelle in Bärenquell brewery in Berlin. Photo courtesy of Hannah.

Thanks to Hannah Jackson for the stairs and papers photos.

Giant Pacman

I went to the Computerspielemuseum (computer game museum) in Berlin. I got to play Pacman with a giant super sized Atari 2600 controller 🙂 Pacman on the Atari 2600 was the first console video game I ever played. In fact, I don’t even think I knew what a video game console was until my mum showed me how it worked :/

Giant Atari 2600 controller.

Me trying to play Pacman with a giant Atari 2600 controller.

They also have an Apple II signed by Steve Wozniak. This was the first desktop computer I ever used, way back in 1988. My school had two of them which we occasionally got to use.
Apple II signed by Steve Wozniak

Karl Marx Allee

I went for a wander down Karl Marx Allee in Berlin. Being named after the famous creator of communism, Karl Marx, it wasn’t too surprising to find some interesting cold war era features.

Karl Marx statue in Karl Marx Allee in Berlin

Since competition between companies was mostly pointless in communist countries, there was no need for public advertising in East Germany. But apparently advertising was seen as a sign of a modern competitive city in the 1960’s and so the East German government decided to pay for some advertising and stuck it on top of the building as you can see below. The advertising is for two different car manufacturers, but since the government had a monopoly on car sales, the advertising served no purpose other than for decoration 😛 The sign is now a protected monument in Berlin.

Communist era sign advertising car manufacturers in Beriln

A giant TV tower called the “Fernsehturm Berlin” can be seen from miles away. Despite the relative poverty of East Berlin in comparison to West Berlin, they were still able to erect the tallest structure in the whole of Europe.

Fernsehturm Berlin from Karl Marx Allee