Berlin, Germany

Berlin is big. It has a lot of people, it has much to see, and it has a ton of history. We knew that we were going to be busy coming to Berlin. It was nice, though, to have another place to stay. Gudi's sister lives in Berlin, so we were able to stay with her for the duration of our time in Berlin. She had brochures and pamphlets for us and gave us a wonderful tour of West Berlin by car, since most of our sightseeing was in East Berlin. West Berlin? East Berlin? Yes, that is a reference to the past divisions the city was under due to the Berlin Wall. It was very interesting visiting a city and learning about what it was like to be, in fact, two very different cities a mere twenty years ago. We realized that with any of the major points of history throughout the past one hundred years, Berlin was smack dab in the middle of any of them. WWI, WWII, the Cold War, and the end of the USSR - Berlin starred in all of these. Berlin was also a hub for the old Prussian Empire. Lots of buildings have to do with that era as well. Walking around some of the city, we noticed some bullet scarring on a few buildings. We were told that we would only find this on 10% of the city. Why? Because the other 90% was destroyed during WWII, either during the Battle of Berlin or previous city bombings. So, we saw evidence of history: the Brandenburg Gate of the Prussians, the rebuilt Reichstag after Hitler burned it down and framed it on the Communists, the Luftwaffe (Nazi Air Force), Holocaust Memorial and Museum, the parking lot above Hitler's bunker, the book burning square, sections of the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, the list goes on. We could have spent weeks trying to see everything and learn everything, but even what we did see and learn was a lot. We got a sense of what this city has gone through and how it is still a city today.

The Zitadelle in the Berlin area of Spandau. This is where we stayed (Spandau, not the Zitadelle) with Gudi's sister Karin.

The Reichstag, where German Parliament is seated. It was burned down in 1933 supposedly by the Communists which conveniently allowed Hitler, the elected Chancellor of Germany, to imprison his political opponents and rule unopposed. This is how he became dictator. The Reichstag has a glass dome on top that the public can walk up into and get a great view of the city.

The Brandenburg Gate, one of the structures that survived WWII. The Berlin Wall ran just west of this centuries old gate.

The Memorial for Murdered Jews of Europe, constructed about ten years ago in the exact middle of the city. The boxes do not symbolize anything in particular. There is a free Holocaust museum underneath.

Hitler's bunker, the one he committed suicide in, is buried below this unsuspecting parking lot.

The Nazi Luftwaffe, where much planning occurred during the war. Part of the movie Valkyrie was filmed here.

A section of the Berlin Wall still standing. There were four generations of wall over the years. This, with the pipe on top instead of barbed wire, is the last.

Checkpoint Charlie. Extremely commercialized, but still an interesting place to read and imagine days gone by. This is where the Allied military checkpoint between East and West Berlin was. A big tank standoff happened here in the 60s.

Gendarmenmarkt. A German/French square established in the 1800s. Basically a typical Berlin square.

The Bebelplatz, the primary site of the Nazi Book Burning of 1933. Over 20,000 books, written by all those considered inferior, were burnt here on that night.

The Berlin Dom with the East German TV Tower beside and behind it.

Chocolate sculpture of the Reichstag made by a terrific local chocolate store.

Us in the Berlin area of Potsdam. Behind us is some Prussian king's palace. Potsdam used to be the royal area of the city and so every street is very elaborate with a Prussian palace or structure on almost every corner.

Potsdam tower gate.

Some beautiful houses in Potsdam.

East Side Gallery. The longest stretch of the Berlin Wall still standing. It is over 2 km long and has been refurbished and painted by artists from 21 different countries.



Victoria Park.

We are now just under a month in and we are finally feeling like we are well into it. We felt like we were at the beginning of our trip in the UK, but now that we are in Prague, we realize that we are no longer just getting started. So we are becoming seasoned travellers and it feels good. We are really seeing and learning a lot and it's interesting to see what shapes each city and how each is just a little bit different. We do a lot of walking (sometimes too much), but it's good to be on the streets with people of many cultures in a city like Berlin, experiencing life in Germany.