Day 19: Berlin
Welcome
Yesterday we continued North and crossed into Germany for our show in Berlin.
Not a lot of the services advertised at Top Hotel were functioning during our stay but thankfully the breakfast buffet was up and running and I served myself a plate of salad, sauerkraut, bread, and an egg.
Tristan was the wheel-man for the day and drove us out of Prague on the E55 until we crossed the border, skirted around Dresden and hopped onto the A13 Autobahn for the remainder of the journey.
We caught a glimpse of the famous Fernsehturm (television tower) a bastion of 1960s modernist architecture which towers over the central district of Mitte, and the Alexanderplatz. The Fernsehturm was constructed between 1965 and 1969 by the goverment of the German Democratic Republic and was intended to be a symbol of Communist power and prosperity as well as to overcome transmission problems created by Berlin’s many small broadcast arrays.
At 368 metres it is the tallest structure in Germany and is even 40 metres taller than Auckland’s record breaking Sky Tower. As a broadcast platform it hosts 150 antennas for TV and radio transmission which covers a 20,000 square kilometre transmission area. You can get to the top by elevator or climb the 986 metal steps - not quite as many as the Sky Tower’s 1267 concrete steps. Like the Sky Tower the Fernsehturm features a revolving restaurant that revolves 360 degrees an hour, although the restaurant in the Fernsehturm sits 17 metres higher than the one in it’s sister tower, the Sky Tower.
The Fernsehturm visible behind this construction site.
At 3pm sharp we pulled up outside Lido, a 1950s East German theatre that since the early 2000s has been one of Berlin’s most popular concert venues. The interior is very beautiful and has been kept in it’s pristine 1950s state complete with wallpapers, light fittings, and other decor.
The team at Lido were a dream to work with and in no time we were set up and soundchecked enabling us plenty relaxation and leisure before the show.
Tristan helping to adjust Jon’s guitar in soundcheck.
Resting up before the show.
The room already looks stunning with it’s historic decor but it really comes alive under lights and with the enormous disco ball in the centre of the ceiling the atmosphere is quite magical.
Berlin were a particularly warm and appreciative crowd and for the first time we were asked to come back on even after we had performed our encore. All in all a moving and memorable night.
