A chance street encounter with Markus Wiehler and his trusty Trabant led to one of the undisputed highlights of our family's trip to Berlin.
A talented acrobat, who defected from East Berlin whilst representing the GDR in Paris, along with 3 of his teammates, Markus skilfully wove his fascinating personal history into his 3 hour driving tour of Berlin, almost as dextrously as he manoeuvred his Trabant throughthe Berlin traffic.
We were both educated and entertained by his energetic approach and irreverent take on life in the GDR, which colourfully brought to life the many museum exhibits we had absorbed in the days before. It was no mean feat maintaining the interest of a 17 year old student of German, a 50 year old with an interest in military history and my own interest in art and fashion, but Markus succeeded both in this and in delivering us back to Miniloft in one piece, as we uncoiled 6-foot frames from the minute vehicle to take in secret addresses as well as more recognisable sights.
Markus has lived in the neighbourhood of Miniloft for almost his entire life, so can also offer top tips for authentic watering holes and restaurants. He offers a flexible approach, has a second vehicle and tour guide at his disposal for larger groups and between them offer tours in French, Arabic, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish, as well as English and German.
Hauptstadt Trip
www.hauptstadttrip.de
* The blog was written by Catherine, a lovely guest that stayed with us recently and was so impressed by Haupstadt Trip that she wanted to tell the world!
Photos supplied by Hauptstadt Trip.