Editor’s note: Jon Woodhouse, who writes regular arts and entertainment articles for The Maui News, is currently traveling in Europe and writing about his journey along the way.

Inspired by seeing a couple kissing by the Berlin Wall, rock legend David Bowie composed his iconic song, “Heroes.” “I can’t express the feeling of freedom I felt there,” he told a British music magazine.

You can still find remnants of the Berlin Wall in the city. The longest remaining section, almost a mile long, runs along the Spree River, featuring a series of remarkable vibrant murals painted by 118 artists from 21 countries. A tribute to freedom and resilience, it’s the longest open-air gallery in the world.

Some Maui News readers might be surprised to discover Honolulu Community College has a piece of the Berlin Wall. In 1991 professor Rick Ziegler spearheaded an effort to acquire a three-ton section to turn it into the Freedom Monument. It traveled 12,000 miles, first by barge down the Rhine River and then by ship across the Atlantic and Pacific.

Hawaii’s connection to Berlin includes musician Heinrich August Wilhelm Berger, born in the city, who co-composed the Hawaiian national anthem, “Hawaiʻi Ponoʻi.” On loan from the Prussian government to the Hawaiian Kingdom, Berger arrived in Hawaii in 1872, and was appointed by King Kalākaua bandmaster of the Royal Hawaiian Military Band. During his reign, Kalākaua visited Germany and stayed in Berlin.

The city even boasts a halau, Halau Hula Makahikina, led by Kumu Hula Monika Lilleike, who has a lieniage with Kumu Hula John Keola Lake.

Berlin continues to captivate the traveler with its varied historical past, rich contemporary culture, magnificent classic architecture, multi-cultural culinary delights and abundant green spaces.

Besides echoes of the Wall, you can visit the imposing Brandenburg Gate, once a prominent backdrop for Nazi propaganda, where Hitler passed heading to open the Olympic Games in 1936. Germany’s dark past is also represented by the city’s stark Holocaust Memorial to murdered Jews, where you walk among a massive labyrinth of 2,700 cube shaped concrete blocks.

For a peek into life under Soviet-style dictatorship, the DDR Museum located in the former governmental district of East Germany offers many interactive exhibits.

As you stroll the streets it’s hard to imagine that this thriving metropolis was once split in two and West Berlin was encircled by thousands of Soviet troops during the Cold War. After WWII, Berlin was located about 100 miles inside Soviet-controlled East Germany.

Featured in many spy films, the American-controlled Checkpoint Charlie was a border crossing between East and West Berlin. A replica of the border post is among Berlin’s most popular tourist attractions and photo ops.

Beyond the city bustle, Tiergarten Park is a marvellous green oasis offering over 500 acres of winding tree-lined peaceful paths, leafy groves and lakes right in the heart of Berlin. Originally a royal hunting ground, it even has a charming English Garden.

More tranquility can be found at the world-renowned Botanischer Garten (Botanic Garden), a 19th-century paradise of flowers and plants (over 20,000 different species) in the southwest of the city. The second largest botanic garden in the world, it includes a fragrant garden for the visually impaired, and a collection of 230 medicinal plants shaped in a human body.

In an area formerly known as the “death strip,” the popular Mauerpark is a 37-acre park located on land between where the Wall separated Berlin. It’s home to the popular “Bearpit Karaoke Show” in an open-air amphitheatre, where hundreds gather every Sunday afternoon to enjoy karaoke singers from around the world.

With its efficient, affordable public transport system of buses, U-Bahn subway system, trams and S-Bahn light-rail, it’s easy to explore the city, and if you get lost, most Germans speak some English. And with its numerous broad streets, Berlin has a highly developed bicycling infrastructure with abundant bike lanes where around 500,000 residents ride daily, and bike and scooter rentals are widely available.

For an out-of-this world shopping experience, the iconic Kaufhaus des Westens (KaDeWe) is one of the largest department stores in Europe. German for “Department Store of the West,” it’s similar to London’s famous Harrods, with 650,000 square feet of floor space. You could easily spend hours just wandering around the massive food court floor.

With a smorgasbord of daily cross-cultural entertainment to draw from, it was a delight to discover a Hawaii connection one night. As part of her 2025 Europe tour, ukulele virtuoso Taimane landed in Berlin for a club gig, joined by hula dancer Punahele DeSimone from Lanai. Gracing the city with aloha she awed her German audience.