Berlin

So here is long awaited (long procrastinated) blog about my trip with my parents to Berlin. First off, let me say the public transporation in Germany is wonderful! We took the ICE train to Berlin; instead of driving we got to relax for five hours. We had more room than in a car or an airplane and even had a table between our seats!


Below is a picture of a remnant of the Berlin Wall. Most of the wall was destroyed and recycled within the first couple of years after the Wall was opened. However, some portions of it remain.



Though most of the Wall is gone, in many areas the pavements remains marked by bricks recognizing the prior demarcation of East and West Berlin.




Below is a portion of the exhibit entitled, Topography of Terror. This display was erected on the site of the Gestapo and SS headquarters during the Nazi reign. It describes some of the terrors orchastrated by the Nazis and discusses those convicted during the Nueremburg trials. All-in-all it was a very sobering experience.




We also went to Checkpoint Charlie which was the most well-known border crossing between West and East Berlin during the occupation of Berlin. It was also the scene of many demonstrations and face-offs between the US and Russia as well as the site for many escape attempts. A house just to the right of this picture houses the Mauermuseum (Wall museum) which recounts the history of the Wall and escape attempts, both successful and unsuccessful.






Here are the signs posted on each side of Checkpoint Charlie.

The one on the left sits in West Berlin.

The one on the right sits in East Berlin.



The Reichstag, pictured below, is where the German parliment meets. The globe in the background is actually part of the Reichstag. You can walk up a long circular ramp to the open air top and get a 360 degree view of the city.




You can also look down at meetings of parliment. Not sure if I was allowed to take this picture, but it's an interesting perspective.




On a different note, we also visited the Berlin Cathedral. It's enormous and beautiful! We couldn't actually go inside, but it made me feel very small.




A symbol of German reunification, the Brandenburg Gate, is shown below. It was constructed in 1791 and during the division of Berlin sat on the line of the Wall.




The American Embassy (just on the other side of the Gate) is below. This picture was taken thru the window of the Starbucks across the street.

Yes, I did make my parents go to Starbucks each day that we were in Berlin!

We also took in some of the more modern city sites.

Of course, we did have to go to the Christmas Market (Weihnachts Markt)! Don't worry; I refrained from spending too much. I did have to get chocolate covered strawberries though! They were delicious!

Below is the entry way of Kaufhaus des Westens (KaDeWe); this is Europe's largest department store. I have to say, I enjoyed going to the Christmas Markets a lot more than to this store, but it was impressive!

Apparently, Berlin is doing with bears, what Chicago did with cows a few years ago. Scattered throughout the city are bears, like the one below, with different names and sayings on them. You probably can't read it, but this is the Albert Einstein bear. It says "Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding." Very thought provoking.

Postdamer Platz is in former East German but now is host to new modern attractions. They have a huge Sony plaza with a movie theatre, restaurants, a Lego store and more. In the spirit of winter, they also had this sled hill. People could ride down the hill on inner tubes. I tried to convince my parents to go so I could get a picture of them. For some reason, they couldn't be convinced!

I continue to be amazed by the history in Europe. More to come later. Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!