David, Tiffany And Our Journey: Berlin

Friday,
March 16, 2012

It was a trip we had been planning for a long time, one I was very excited about. We were going to Budapest....until we weren't. Two cancelled flights, on two different airlines and suddenly we realized that this weekend in Budapest wasn't meant to happen. So friends of ours who we had planned the Budapest trip with (Pete and Elizabeth) came up with the idea to check out Berlin. We hadn't really thought much about Berlin. It never really made the top 10 cities to visit list. But we figured a weekend there last minute wasn't a bad idea and getting to travel with new friends would be a fun adventure. It turned out that Berlin would be a much cooler city then we imagined.

We started out at noon. A Volvo xc90 full of bags,food and friends. The 5 1/2 hour trip wasn't a bad drive. Even with traffic we had fun cruising north east across the country. Arriving in Berlin just after sunset, we could see the sights of the big city alive at night. We found our apartment for the weekend and after a little work, got the doors opened and found our way to the unit. Our host was away for the weekend, so we found our keys, let ourselves in and soaked in the surroundings. We had a loft apartment for the four of us to share. There was a cd and vinyl album collection that would rival most radio stations. We dropped our bags and headed out to an Indian restaurant we saw on our way in.

The restaurant was quiet but warmly lit and smelled of rich curries and spices. With beer or beverage in hand, toasted to our arrival and our first trip with our friends Pete and Liz. Our dinner was delicious and the company was lots of fun. We hadn't had Indian food in a long time and it was a welcome meal. After our incredible meal, we walked back in the cool nights air to our apartment. It was time for a few drinks, some UNO and relaxation. Our next day we planned to start early in the morning.

Saturday morning began with a breakfast in the apartment that consisted of coffee and (my favorite) chocolate chip banana bread homemade by Tiffany. We then left our apartment for a day of exploration. We walked through our new neighborhood and found the train station. We hopped on the train and made our way to the Zoo, to meet up with our tour group. Pete found a free tour of the city.
(Isn't that cool?) We met our tour guide for the ride to the Brandenberg gates and the beginning of the tour. The large group was almost 200 strong. We were divided into four groups for our free tour of the city. Our group almost didn't get to go, but our hippy guide made sure we would get our tour ( and in turn assured himself a solid payday!) For a free tour ( or any tour for that matter) our guide was very knowledgeable and had a lot of great stories for each stop we made along the way.

At the square that was home to the gates, the Hotel Adlon ( where Michael Jackson held his kid out of the window) sat along with the American and French embassies. We started out through the gates and past the Reichstag, home to Hitler's famous Nazi regime during World War II. We then walked down to the Holocaust memorial. The 2711 stone rectangles stand at different heights on the uneven ground. Below them is a museum that pays tribute to those who lost their lives during the Holocaust. Walking through the rows of stones and history you could almost feel those who lost their lives.

Leaving the memorial our next stop takes us to the parking lot of some apartment buildings. Below us was the location of Hitler's secret bunker where he lived out the last few months of his life as his regime came crashing down and the allied forces beat back the German troops. Unfortunately the bunk was destroyed after the war so all that remains is a mess of concrete and steel. The apartments look like something from a past century. They were the houses of the communist party leaders during the Cold War and before The Berlin Wall fell in 1989. They look small and identical to one another. It was rather depressing....just like communism at that time.

From there we moved past a building that was part of the Nazi regime and along side it, lots of modern street art. The city seemed to be an excellent example of the bending of the modern and historic. Just past that, we came up to our first siting of a very large section of the still standing Berlin Wall. We heard stories of the "no mans land" between sections of The Wall that divided West from East. We also saw monuments to communism and monuments in support of those who gave their lives in the rising against communism.

Next, we were on to checkpoint Charlie. The famous border crossing that separated East Germany from West Germany. The large signs with pictures of an American soldier on one side and a Russian soldier on the other each facing their respecting adversaries. The area has been restored much to the same way it looked during the period of East and West Germany, including guards dressed in period uniforms.

We then approached our next point of interest which was Gendarmen Markt Platz. This was a large open square flanked by two famous churches. As always, our guide was a wealth of information at ever site we passed. The sun was shining and the beautiful weather lit up the churches from every direction. Pete and I raced to the top of some museum steps for a quick photo making sure not to be left behind.

Next stop was Frederich Strasse. The main street of Berlin and a historically famous street for its clubs, shops and, at one time in history, very forward thinking places. There we had a quick break for the bathroom, bubble tea and on with the tour! We were shown the site of the famous Nazi book burning that took place outside of the university in the center of Berlin. Just below the street is a monument that can only be seen through one foggy piece of glass. Below the street are rows and rows of book cases, enough space to house all of the books that were tragically burned by the Nazi regime.

This led us to museum island. Not actually an island, but rather a large group of museums clustered together. We stopped by one monument to remember those who gave their lives during the wars that led to the current free state of Germany. Leading us past the other museums, we crossed the beautiful river and came to a final museum with a garden out front. There our tour came to a close with a final story of how the Berlin Wall came to an end and how the West and East were reunited in the fall of 1989.

From there we ventured on our own in search of food. We found a cafe along the river banks and set down in front of a large picture window for some burritos and relaxation. Following lunch it was back to exploring! Only after Tiffany and Liz posed with a few nude women along the river banks. We decided to head back to the Holocaust Memorial, so we could check out the Jewish Museum. We traced our steps backward as the sun made its way towards the horizon.

We arrived at the memorial and museum just before the sun set and managed to take some amazing pictures. We checked out the museum and somberly walked through the exhibits. The museum was informative and powerful. In my opinion, an excellent tribute to those which lost their lives.
After the museum, we made our way through the now-illuminated Brandenburg gates. After a few photos, and Pete sneaking his way into the Hotel Adlon for a map, we hopped back on the subway and headed home.

Back at the apartment we kicked off our shoes, and poured a few drinks after a long day of exploring the city. Out came the speed UNO and after a few drinks and games we were ready for dinner. It was Saint Patrick's Day! So a pub was definitely fitting for dinner. We found a British pub around the corner and found out that every table was reserved except one outside. We pulled up a bench and ordered a beer in the cool nights air. We all dug into huge delicious burgers, something that isn't a commonplace menu item in Germany. (At least where we live.) As the night drew to a close, we headed back to the apartment for a good nights rest.

The next morning was one of packing up and driving home across Germany. We had a great trip with our friends Pete and Elizabeth and there will surely be more group trips in the future. Berlin proved to be a very cool city with lots of things to see and do.

Until our next adventure!

David, Tiffany and Oliver

American Embassy

British Tour Guide

Leveled parking lot where Hitlers underground bunker was and where he killed himself.

Old building - you can even see where WWII bullet holes have chipped away stone.

We were informed the city likes to put up temporary water lines above ground while renovations are made.....but never actually budgeting for them to be taken down after renovations are completed. They are all over the city with vibrant neon colors.