I know I was exhausted, but I was feeling kind of weird that first day in Berlin. Coming from a vacation that seemed like Disneyland in comparison. Provence, Cannes, Nice, Monte Carlo, Barolo, Italy and then Berlin. The contrast was too great.
What the people of Berlin have endured in the past century is hard to fathom. I took a three hour walking tour to revisit the historical sites around the city including the Berlin Wall, Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag, and the Holocaust Memorial to name a few.
Brandenburg Gate
Our tour guide had pictures of the war torn cathedrals (big gaping holes replaced a domed cathedral) and we stood before the restorations. Some buildings had been bombed and restored two or three times. I wondered where they got their strength and motivation to continue. Bullet holes sprayed all over the facades of the buildings. Everywhere you turn there are major construction sites. It seems as if whole city is being restored. They are also planting thousands of trees. That should soften the look of the concrete and pavement.
The Brandenburg gate stands today as a symbol of reunification of the two sides of the great city of Berlin.
On May 12, 2005, the Holocaust Memorial opened to commemorate the murder of six million Jews during the Hitler regime. Our tour guide told us how differently people react to this memorial as they walk through. To me, it felt as if I were in a dark, confusing place. I could only imagine the terror they must have felt.
Holocaust Memorial
Berlin Wall
The Berlin wall divided East and West Berlin for 28 years beginning on August 13, 1961 to prevent mass defections from East to West Berlin. It was torn down on November 9, 1989. This piece of the wall is all that remains.
Lins & Me In Front Of Reichstag After Marathon
I came to Berlin to see my daughter run the 40th Berlin Marathon. And that was a real pleasure as the race was run through the city in a clover leaf pattern that allowed us to view the runners at 4 locations during the marathon (with a little creativity on and off the trains).
There was live music along the course and at many water stops they had oranges, apples and bananas for the runners. It was a very well-organized marathon with special events planned for the runners on the days before the marathon. (including a run into the olympic stadium)
Lindsey finished the marathon under 4 hours making it her personal best. She celebrated at dinner with her fellow runners from the Cambridge Running Club. They all did very well in Berlin and enjoyed the city, some taking an early evening cruise through the canals.
I went to a Vietnamese restaurant to celebrate. The food was a little spicy, but it was nice to have a meal with more noodles and vegetables than meat. The diversity of Berlin is definitely reflected in its many eateries. On our last day in Berlin we ate at the Augustiner, a wonderful German pub. The food was excellent. The photo says it all. How delicious does this look. I’m not really a beer drinker but I had a brew with lunch. And, it was really good!
Veal, Potato,Sauerkraut
We took the train back to the airport from Alexanderplatz, a square and train hub, located in the center of the city. It had an Octoberfest setup in the center of the square with picnic tables and lots of bratwurst, ham and beer being sold. There is a large clothing store with large food and wine sections in the square and the Park Inn Hotel where people base-fly from the roof (125 meters high). It’s not bungee-jumping. They use a winch rappel system. I was nervous just watching.
We saw some pretty views of the country as we moved further from the city. I realized that there is a lot more of Germany to be seen. But, for now, it’s back to France.
Auf Wiedersehen (goodbye)
Tschus (most common among friends)
{ 3 comments }
