With many visits to Germany under my belt, I had never visited the East nor the Capital. So, Berlin was yet another city on our 'must see' list. As we continued our zigzag through Europe, we drove to Berlin and stayed two glorious nights at the Westin Grand on Friedrichstrasse right around the corner from the Brandenburg Gate and Unter den Linden. We were in walking distance of everything, which was great because once we were finally able to access the hotel and valet the car, we weren't about to get it out until we left for Poland.
Who would have guessed that Berlin would still be rebuilding after all these years? There are blue water pipes running all through the city. One day this city will be the European capital of its former glory, but that day won't be anytime soon.
Our first stop was Checkpoint Charlie. The Wall Museum is across the street from here on the East side. The museum was done very nicely and included some great photos and pieces of the wall.
Our two days in Berlin were very educational. Maybe contemporary history is more relevant to us than medieval times? The wall came down 24 years ago when I was graduating from college. Surprisingly it stood for almost 30 years until 1989. It is impossible to imagine in today's times that a physical wall could encircle half of a city and entrap the other half for that long.
The wall surrounded West Berlin but was designed to keep the East Berliners on the outside, yearning to get in. One large section of the wall still stands. There is a controversy over taking it completely down to make way for development vs. persevering it as a relic of sorts. I'm not sure how I would vote?
The Brandenburg Gate is the most iconic symbol of Berlin to me. Built in 1791 and after World War II, it is the only remaining gate to the city still in tact. The gate was in no-man's-land between the walls of East and West. For this reason, the underground station for the Brandenburg Tor was completely off limits at the time. It has been preserved in it's 1960's state ever since.
We really loved the cool green subway tiles. These would look good on a kitchen backsplash, right?
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| Ampelmann |
We bought into the hype and purchased gifts for all of our family in the store. Capitalism at its best!
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| The Holocaust Memorial |
The grey color of the 2711 concrete columns that make up the installation are supposed to be in remembrance of the ashes of the Jews who were cremated. The museum is located sort of around the corner from the Brandenburg Gate. To me, it is located too central to the city and would be more meaningful if it were off on its own somewhere? Even still, you can easily get lost in the maze and the sad history.
