Up at 5:15 am to have breakfast and catch a shuttle to the airport at 6:30 am. After several delays with getting the shuttle to arrive, we piled into taxis and headed for the airport at 7:15 am. We made it in time for our flight.
We arrived in Berlin before 11:00 am and went straight to the hotel. Fall has certainly arrived in Germany, with lots of leaves already on the ground. We headed out for our hop on hop off tour shortly before noon. We all added more clothes, but for me it was not enough. When we were in the wind it was downright cold. Because I was uncomfortable, I did not take many photos.
We hopped on the bus and took a turn around the city seeing the Brandenburg Gare, the Reigstag (Parliment) building, the monument to the Jews murdered by the Nazis, and parts of the Berlin Wall.
We stopped for lunch and rest rooms and appeared to be half frozen. We needed to have lunch inside. I found a place that sold a local favorite, currywurst. It looked pitiful but locals were buying it, so we did too, with some modifications. No curry for me. So, they take this longer than normal hot dog (for lack of a better word) and deep fry it in about an inch of oil. They put it on a paper napkin that is on a plate. Then they cut it into bite sized pieces. Next they smother it in a tangy catsup. I mean smother. Then they sprinkle (bordering on pouring) curry powder on the concoction. Next they stick a small (2 1/2 inches long) fork in one piece and serve it with French fries. It was either pretty good or we were really hungry. Those who had curry said it was good.
By now we are thawed out, but everyone was ready to go back to the hotel for a rest. Ron was not feeling too good, but I knew if we quit this early we would not go out later. Robbin and Cathy did, and Gerard and Maria went out for a little while. I really enjoyed the sauna.
Our second day in Berlin, took us to the same places, but this time, we were better prepared for the weather. We got off the bus and took pictures and read a lot of commentary. Sandra was not feeling chipper so she decided to stick around the hotel. We thought we would be back around 4 but we did not make it back until 6 pm.
Let me remind you that East Germany was Communist, and West Germany was free for many years.
Brandenburg Gate was in East Germany. It was built in the 18th century as a symbol of peace and entry into Berlin. During the Cold War, it was a symbol of a divided city. In the same vein, when the Wall came down, it was a symbol of reunification. The first 3 pictures are of the Brandenburg Gate.
We found a silver general and had our pictures taken with him. Notice the background. It looks almost unreal.
Notice the very nice man hole covers below, in Berlin.
The next few pics are in front of the Parliment Building.
We were so impressed with the Monument to the Murdered Jews in Germany. There are at least a thousand boxes all the size of a grave. No two are placed the same way and I doubt any are exactly the same height. Some are placed flush with the ground and some are taller than a man. It was a very moving place. The first picture was taken from the bus. This monument took up a whole, large city block.
We also visited some places around the wall. The first picture shows the unfinished wall. The second shows “no man’s land” where it was suicide to be caught in that area. It was probably 15 to 20 feet wide. It also shows some of the wrought iron used to reinforce the wall. We were surprised to see how much of the wall is still standing after 30 years.
This post comes to you after we have returned home. I would still like to add a post about Iceland, hopefully tomorrow.
That’s it for today. Early to bed for us.