Questions about visiting Berlin (Blu Rays and other stuff)

[GlacierTuba]

No not these guys:

Berlin - Take My Breath Away (Official Video - Top Gun) - YouTube

I mean Berlin, the place.

I'm heading there soon and had a couple of questions someone might be able to help answer.

1) Is there anywhere in Berlin airport (when leaving Germany) to buy Blu Ray/4K discs at all? Just wondered if it's worth a browse. Also I'm looking for a few SanDisk 1tb microSD cards (Extreme Pro) for my Steam Deck and DAP, does Berlin airport have a good tax free shopping area in the airport?

2) I'm in the middle of Ironman triathlon training for my next race, so I'm hoping to get a run in at some point before I have to leave. I was hoping to run through the Brandenberg Gate, because that's once in a lifetime stuff and such a historic site. Is the gate shut off at all or is there a toll to pay or some sort of fee to get through? Is it only open at certain times? I was hoping to run through early morning (say 5 or 6am-ish). I've about an 8km, maybe 10km run loop planned which passes through it and hope it's possible!

3) Where is the museum with all the Fritz Lang stuff in it? I would LOVE to see the Metropolis robot costume. I've heard it's there on display. Is it far? Easy to get to? I won't have a great deal of time, but hope I can get to see it.

4) I think I am not going to be far from Checkpoint Charlie, so I hope to see that. Is it easy to get to any fragments of the Berlin Wall? I'd like to see it if I can. I remember watching live on telly when the wall came down and people climbed over.

5) Any tourist traps to avoid?

6) Best places to get proper, decent coffee (no, not Starbucks, Costa, Nero or any other mainstream garbage) and not a cup of loose, watery stools?

7) What time is best to put my towel on a sunlounger by the pool? 12:01am? 12:00:01am?

The Funniest Sun Lounger Dash Video You'll Ever See - YouTube

Thanks!

[civiclx]

Hi Glacier, just out of curiosity but where are you from and what are you going to Berlin for? I went to Germany and Austria back in 2015 and Berlin was my first stop. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to answer any of your questions

I actually would have liked to have gone through the Brandenburg Gate but I never did. I can recommend this great walking tour called Insiders Tour. They have a few different kinds of tours. I did their basic walking tour that covers the general stuff in Berlin. I don't know about hours for the gate but I would imagine you should be able to stroll right through. You might find some nice jogging in the Tiergarten. I wandered through it, and nearly got lost, while making my way to the German Resistance Memorial which I would suggest visiting if you get a chance.

How long will you be in Berlin for? I don't know of any places to get your movies or microSD cards but I do remember going into one electronics store near Alexanderplatz. I forget the name of it but I think it was one of their main electronics stores. I just did quick Google search and I think the store that I went into is called Saturn.

Look forward to hearing more about your trip!

[GlacierTuba]

Originally Posted by civiclx

I actually would have liked to have gone through the Brandenburg Gate but I never did. I can recommend this great walking tour called Insiders Tour.

I don't know about hours for the gate but I would imagine you should be able to stroll right through. You might find some nice jogging in the Tiergarten. I wandered through it, and nearly got lost, while making my way to the German Resistance Memorial which I would suggest visiting if you get a chance.

How long will you be in Berlin for? I don't know of any places to get your movies or microSD cards but I do remember going into one electronics store near Alexanderplatz. I forget the name of it but I think it was one of their main electronics stores. I just did quick Google search and I think the store that I went into is called Saturn.

Look forward to hearing more about your trip!

Thanks a lot for the good information! I didn't think anyone would find this post, I was just trying my luck to see if anyone may stumble on it who may be able to offer nuggets of information. Thanks again!

I am not staying in Berlin long, for work not leisure but I'll have some (limited) time to myself, mostly at night or early morning. My last day I'll have more time hence I'm hoping to see the Fritz Lang stuff but I've no idea where the museum is.

I did have a look at the Brandenberg Gate on street view maps. It looks doable to me on my planned run. By the looks of Street View maps I should be able to just run right through it? I thought the gate may be closed at some point, or there may be a small toll fee perhaps (I doubt there is but thought to ask, maybe a maintenance fee toll or something or maybe city tax covers that?).

I'm all good for navigation on my run as I use a Garmin GPS watch (mine is AMOLED with full detailed maps for Europe and RoW). I think my run will go through the park you mentioned!

Thanks for the tips on walking tours. Usually I just explore myself, or get a hop on hop off bus ticket on those tour buses. Those are usually good value on city breaks. Or a metro ticket usually works too when I'm in cities etc.

EDIT: This is the museum I think. It has everything in it. Fritz Lang, Marlene Dietrich and (I hope) Pabst! The thing I want to see most is the prop android outfit from Metropolis. I was lucky enough to catch the film on the world tour about 14 years ago when it was screened with the found footage from South America and with a live orchestra just like the 1927 original screenings were. It was just amazing, one of my favourite films ever.

https://www.deutsche-kinemathek.de/e...t-exhibition#3

EDIT 2: Just checked the web site again and G.W. Pabst IS featured! So I would like to think there is some stuff there from Kommeradschaft etc because that double feature from Eureka is mind-blowing!

[GlacierTuba]

So as this is now going to morph in to some sort of very amateur travel blog, I made an amazing discovery about another museum in Berlin.

https://www.budspencer-museum.com/Englischer-Titel

The most impressive thing about this is that it appears to have the ACTUAL DUNE BUGGY from Watch Out We're Mad! as an exhibit!!!

So in summary, YES. I WILL BE VISITING THIS PLACE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.

EDIT: Ticket now booked for a visit. I've booked the Fritz Lang one too. Can't wait to see the dune buggy and Metropolis stuff too!!!

[civiclx]

I hope you have a good time Glacier and happy to pass along what little advice I could. I've been to Ireland and Austria also and I think Berlin might be the place I'd go back to first. I had three days there and it wasn't nearly long enough. Where is your hotel going to be at and what airport are you flying into?

I flew into Tegel I believe, which from a quick Google check, appears to be permanently closed now. But coming from California and having a layover in Amsterdam, the arrival to Berlin could not have been any easier. I cleared customs in Holland since that's where I entered the EU so Berlin was a charter bus right to our baggage carousel, walk a short ways and go out some like side door and then bam, there's all the cabs.

One story that's only amusing to myself and I'll try and keep it short. So I'm planning to go on the Insider Tour that I mentioned on my first day there. I'm thinking I won't have much jet lag and as long as I don't fall asleep and sleep the day away (like I did when I arrived to Dublin, Ireland), I should be ready to go. I'll shower and then I know where the meeting point for the tour is in West Berlin.

I shower up, get dressed and I'm out the door. I come out of the hotel and I take a left and I'm looking for the train station. I'm walking and I'm in kind of a residential area. There's some apartment buildings and some restaurants and I'm enjoying the walk but I don't ever find the train station. So I turn around and I walk back to the hotel and up ahead like 50 yards, there's the S-Bahn station Had I just come out of the hotel and hung a right, I would have found it very quickly haha

Anyway, in regards to Checkpoint Charlie, I think I might have gone there or near it but I can't remember to be honest. I believe there are still parts of the wall up that you can visit.

Two sites that I would suggest checking out are Fodors.com and TripAdvisor.com. I haven't been to either site in a couple years probably but both have/had really good forums where you can ask questions and get a lot of info and advice.

And in regards to the gate, I want to say that I'm positive that you'll be able to go right through and there won't be any kind of fee. I still don't know why I didn't walk through myself. I had met a Kiwi on the tour (we might have been the only two that spoke English) and when the tour ended at the gate, we just went back and caught the S-Bahn to Alexanderplatz and got something to eat. I guess I'll just have to go back someday and walk through.

And I'm not sure if you will have the free time to do it, and even if you did, it sounds like you have other interests, but here is the link for Insider Tours. I'd definitely do another one of their tours in a heartbeat.
https://insidertour.com/

[GlacierTuba]

Sadly I won't really have time for any tours etc as I'm on a tight schedule for the days I will be there.

Things I am definitely going to do are:

1. Metropolis museum place thing, Pabst, Deitrich exhibits etc. Already booked my ticket.
2. Bud Spencer museum and Dune Buggy. Already booked my ticket.
3. 10km run round Berlin including Brandenberg Gate. Garmin route mapped out.
4. Go to Saturn and find some polizio mediabooks. I need to find the nearest Saturn shop now.
5. Checkpoint Charlie visit.
6. Berlin Wall. Find a piece of it if nearby.
7. Buy a Tefifon.
8. Buy a TED player (TED came before CED, VHD and LD and was invented in Germany).
9. Reserve a poolside sunlounger with my towel before the Germans wake up!
10. Find a REALLY good coffee shop.

Carling Black Label sunbeds - YouTube

[GlacierTuba]

Had a look at Saturn. What a letdown. Nothing decent there and all full RRP. Hoped to get some Bahnhofs Kino stuff or some Polizio discs, but they had sod all. Walked out empty handed.

Checked out the Brandenberg Gate. That's quite something. Bucket list item done.

Still have Checkpoint Charlie, the wall and two museums to see before I leave!

[GlacierTuba]

As promised, here's some snaps from the Deutsche Kinotech and Bud Spencer museums in Berlin. I haven't posted all my snaps here, these are just some of the ones I found the most interesting. I hope you enjoy them too.

NOTE: Images are not in any form of order. Oh, and please don't be a robbing bastard. If you are going to take these images, give some bloody credit please and thank you!



This is a set photo from the amazing Pabst film, Kammeradschaft. You can see here how realistic the film is trying to be and the cramped spaces the actors had to work in.




Another still photo from the set of Kammeradschaft. It's noted in the Eureka booklet that sets were painstakingly built for the film. You can clearly see how much work has gone in to it from this surviving set photo. What a film!




This is an actual, genuine invitation to the premiere of Kammeradschaft from 1931. The invitation is a lot more sparkly in real life. It has a sparkling silver foil effect and looks amazing. So little exists from this film so it was a treat to see such an object preserved all these years.




This is a replica of a gold medal award that was awarded to Seymour Nebenzahl for 'The Greatest Film Of 1931', Kammeradschaft. Rightly so as well, it's brilliant. I don't know if the original medal/award has survived and is in an archive vault somewhere, or if alas it has been lost to time. I couldn't find out any answers to this, sorry.




An amazing replica diorama of one of the model sets used for the incredible Fritz Lang masterpiece, Metropolis. I tried my best to get all of the model in to the photo.




I 'think' this is an original 1927 premiere poster for Metropolis. Pretty certain it is. It's just amazing to see and absolutely HUGE.





An original script for Der Blau Engel (aka The Blue Angel), signed by Marlene Dietrich.





The original casting for the death mask for F W Murnau. As the information panel states, this cast was originally owned and kept by Greta Garbo for a very long time. I wasn't able to find out how the museum came to obtain such an item.





The only 2 surviving original pages from the script for Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari. One is typed, the other handwritten. They are from the same specific scene.




This is the ORIGINAL sash worn by Asta Nielsen on April 2nd, 1912 at the premiere in Bremen for a film with Urban Gad. I 'think', given the date on the sash, it may have been for either Die Macht des Goldes (1912) or Poor Jenny (Die arme Jenny) (1912).

Poor Jenny was released on March 2nd, 1912, so a good month before the date of this sash. Die Macht des Goldes was released in June 1912 so perhaps could be more fitting for an early screening/premiere? If it was worn for that film, it would have even more historical importance because the film is sadly presumed lost. I wasn't able to find out any more information from the museum.

[GlacierTuba]

These snaps are from the Bud Spencer museum in Berlin.








This is of course, the legendary dune buggy from Watch Out We're Mad! (1974). It is a replica of the famous dune buggy. Two were made by (now defunct) Italian car manufacturer Puma for the film. Both were destroyed for the making of the film (if you've seen the film you will, or should be, nodding in approval at this stage!). It's as near accurate a coach-built replica as possible.




The famous funfair game from Watch Out We're Mad! (1974). This is also a replica, the original model has not survived but this replica is very accurate. The guy in the museum told me they sometimes have movie nights and this game is played during intermissions. The current record is 3 laps!




ORIGINAL scripts for Bud Spencer, plus some annotations done on set, for the films They Call Me Trinity and Trinity Is Still My Name!





ORIGINAL, genuine directors chair for Bud Spencer (I did sneak a quick feel of it when noone was looking!).





ORIGINAL, set-used 1984 Moto Guzzi motorbike used by Terence Hill on the 2008 film L'Uomo Che Cavalcava Nel Buio (aka The Man Who Rode In The Dark).




Something you don't see too often these days, German Laserdiscs (and Terence Hill & Bud Spencer Laserdiscs for that matter). This is for the film Blackie The Pirate. I love Laserdiscs and collect some from time to time, hence I lost it when I saw this on display!




The entrance walkway from Deutsche Kinotech museum. It's a bit disorienting but looks great in person.


I have a few other photos but those have people in them etc so I can't put those online. I'm sure you'll find other photos people have posted if you search online. I hope folks enjoy these ones anyway. I strongly recommend visiting both museums.

[StarDestroyer52]

Thanks for sharing, GlacierTuba.

[ronand]

Thanks for the info. I'm heading to Berlin to do the half marathon next weekend. But it looks like Berlin is nearly as bad as Ireland for buying 4k discs.

[GlacierTuba]

Just for completion sake, I can now answer my original questions if it helps anyone else (answers in GREEN ):

1) Is there anywhere in Berlin airport (when leaving Germany) to buy Blu Ray/4K discs at all? Just wondered if it's worth a browse. Also I'm looking for a few SanDisk 1tb microSD cards (Extreme Pro) for my Steam Deck and DAP, does Berlin airport have a good tax free shopping area in the airport?

Berlin airport Duty Free zone isn't the best imho. I did find 1tb SD cards but the prices even ex-VAT were no better than Amazon DE or UK so what's the point? Didn't see any Blu's or 4's at all. Very disappointing.

2) I'm in the middle of Ironman triathlon training for my next race, so I'm hoping to get a run in at some point before I have to leave. I was hoping to run through the Brandenberg Gate, because that's once in a lifetime stuff and such a historic site. Is the gate shut off at all or is there a toll to pay or some sort of fee to get through? Is it only open at certain times? I was hoping to run through early morning (say 5 or 6am-ish). I've about an 8km, maybe 10km run loop planned which passes through it and hope it's possible!

Absolutely no issues here. Just plan ahead and see if the area is shut off for any protests or political speeches, VIP visits etc. Otherwise just go on through. I went for an 8.5km easy run around 6am when the city was very quiet and passed all the sights on the way to the canal and on the roundabouts and back. Lovely place to run and see a bit of history. Highly recommended.

3) Where is the museum with all the Fritz Lang stuff in it? I would LOVE to see the Metropolis robot costume. I've heard it's there on display. Is it far? Easy to get to? I won't have a great deal of time, but hope I can get to see it.

Deutsche Kinotech can be booked in advance online. It's only 9 Euro entry and completely worth your time. I spent a couple of hours in there. If you love film, you NEED to visit this place. Put it on your list.

Also, if you like Terence Hill and Bud Spencer films in any way, shape or form, then you 100% HAVE TO visit the Bud Spencer Museum at Brandenberg Tor. It's small enough and is 15 Euro entry, but it's worth it if you are a fan. Also to support what they are trying to do in such an expensive location. Is it worth 15 Euro? Not when compared to Deustche Kinotech, no way at all. But it's a great project and worth supporting. Merch is VERY expensive here in the gift shop though.

4) I think I am not going to be far from Checkpoint Charlie, so I hope to see that. Is it easy to get to any fragments of the Berlin Wall? I'd like to see it if I can. I remember watching live on telly when the wall came down and people climbed over.

Saw Checkpoint Charlie. It's about 15 mins walk from the corner of Freidrichstrasse and Brandenberg Tor. Just keep walking up or take the S Bahn.

The best best place to see the wall is the part that has the no mans land area preserved. I forget which S Bahn stop you need for it. I went early in the morning and nobody was about. You can peek through the wall in to no mans land. It's quite surreal. What a strange bunch we humans are that we thought it was acceptable to divide a country in this way and kill people on sight for trying to cross a divide. Madness.

5) Any tourist traps to avoid?

Everything is expensive in Berlin.


6) Best places to get proper, decent coffee (no, not Starbucks, Costa, Nero or any other mainstream garbage) and not a cup of loose, watery stools?

I struggled with this one and just ended up in a Starbucks alas, for my sins.

Oh and not coffee-related but there is a GREAT place at Freidrichstrasse train station just under the bridge called Swing Kitchen. Its all vegan and vegetarian, so may not be for everyone, but I think it tastes fantastic. Free drink refills too.

https://www.swingkitchen.com/

7) What time is best to put my towel on a sunlounger by the pool? 12:01am? 12:00:01am?

12:00:01am!!!

[Aliados]

I was in Berlin last year and squeezed in an early morning jog through there—it felt surreal with the history surrounding me. You’ll love it, especially since you're into Ironman training; the area around the Gate is pretty flat and perfect for a good run.

As for shopping at the airport, I didn’t see much in terms of quality Blu-rays or SD cards when I browsed. If you’re exploring more of Germany, I saved big on Rhine Valley tours during my Germany trip using some discount vouchers. Definitely worth checking out for other activities!

[civiclx]

Originally Posted by wonderershane

How's there service? I generally book from https://gowithguide.com/ It's good to have some alternative good option as well.

I'm not the best at giving reviews on things as I'm generally not very critical haha I believe it was highly-rated on TripAdvisor which piqued my interest and I'm glad that I went. Our guide was an Irish lad so it was great hearing his accent during the trip.
It was a good 4 hours I think and we saw quite a bit and learned quite a bit. I'd be down to do the tour again.

One thing that I'm kind of disappointed in is that I never went into Berliner Dom when the tour took us to it. Even if I didn't have time to go in on the tour, I could have easily gone back and gone inside. I'm assuming that it was open during the time I was there. Also, the tour ended at Brandenburg Gate but I never walked through it. Looking at Google Maps, I guess that's Pariser Platz where we ended and it looks like going through the gate would take you to the Tiergarten which is a really big park.

I did walk through the Tiergarten on the way to the German Resistance Memorial Center which I would suggest visiting. I don't think this is a spoiler when I say that memorial is on the spot where Colonel Stauffenberg was executed and I believe the museum is housed in the government buildings that they occupied during the operation.