Verlassen in West Berlin

On Saturday we went on a roomie adventure. The plan was to explore some abandoned buildings on the highest hill in Berlin, Teufelsberg. To do so, we took the bus through West Berlin, along Kurfürstendamm (or Ku'damm), a long fancy shopping street. It was like being in a completely different city. Ku'damm is so commercial, so shiny and blank and character-less. It was really interesting to see a totally different side to a city that I thought I was really getting to know.
The bus continued west and eventually we passed outside the ring bahn (generally considered the outer limits of the city center) and into a quiet, green suburban area with lots of big mansions called Grunewald (green forest). We got off at the end of the line, then walked through the woods a bit before heading up the hill. Once at the top, we made our way into the broken-down and graffiti-covered building, heading slowly upwards until we reached the roof terrace, on which are two massive geodesic domes covered with ripped white fabric and a tall tower with another dome on top of it, also all covered in ripped white fabric, blowing in the wind. We kept heading up, stopping at every floor of the tower to explore the graffiti and check out the ever-more-terrifying (yet beautiful) views. Eventually we made it to the top dome, which is totally sealed to the outside except for one rectangular opening. The sound quality in there was very echo-y and eerie. We sat and took it in for a while before heading back down. Here are some pics of the place:







Apparently there are a lot of abandoned buildings in Berlin. Eric & Josh got a few of the apartment's accoutrements (including the ladder we use to get to the roof) from an abandoned hospital. They also once threw a party in an abandoned Iraqi embassy, and there's an abandoned amusement park not too far from our place. I can't wait to explore those places too.
Bis bald,
D.