On our first day in Berlin, we were met by our wonderful friend Johannes, who had spent a year volunteering in Nashville in 2012-2013. Johannes took a train to come show us around Berlin. We thought he was coming from Magdeburg, his home town, but he was coming from much farther away, Gottingen. What a nice guy. Johannes treated us to a Berlin special, the currywurst, for lunch. Then he took us on a walking tour of the city through all the major sights. We walked past many different places, the highlights of which are: bear statues (the symbol of Berlin), the Berlin Dome in Museum Island, the plaza where the huge book-burning took place, the Brandenburg Tor/Gate, the Parliament Building, the Holocaust Memorial, and Potsdamer Platz.
Just next door to the Brandenburg Tor is the American Embassy, where the guards allowed me to take a picture of this particular Berlin Bear.
We had a wonderful dinner with Johannes, trying Berlin beers like Paulaner. Thanks for a wonderful day, Johannes!
The next day, we caught a "free" city walking tour. (The guides work for tips.) It started at the Brandenburg gate, so we got some additional information about it. For instance, the statue on top was stolen by Napoleon, and now looks menacingly at the French Embassy.
Our guide turned out to be from the great state of Missouri, name of George. He did a great job running us through Germany history, incorporating facts and history from the home countries of many of the tour-goers, and reflecting on how these events are similar to or pertain to current events. Alan answered a question correctly early on. Upon finding out that Alan hails from the same place, George informed the group about the excellence of the Missouri state public school system.
We walked through the Holocaught Memorial again. I am glad that we spent more time at this Memorial (actually called the Memorial to the Murdered Jews. There are Memorials to each targeted group throughout the city, which speaks to Germany's aim to remember their history and to also respect and honor those who suffered.) When walking through the Memorial, one enters, and quickly feels the megaliths overwhelm and and dominate, feels alone, feels lost. And from the outside, one can't see the other side, can't see that the ground slopes down and terrain in not flat, but pitches. The stones, of course, look like graves.
Our tour took us through a parking lot, under which Hitler's bunker once existed. We walked past the German Air Force Building, somehow still standing. We saw a section of the Berlin Wall, also marked on the ground throughout the city. At this corner, there is a museum called the Topography of Terrors, describing the actions of the Gestapo and Secret Police. We came back later to walk through this museum.
Last we went by Checkpoint Charlie (Checkpoint C), a gate for passing between East and West Berlin.
Our guide, George, then stopped by a photo at one of the displays near Checkpoint Charlie. The photo showed Churchill, Stalin, and Harry S. Truman. "What does the S stand for?" George asked. "I bet this man knows." And he pointed to Alan, who of course knew that the S doesn't stand for anything. "That's all," said George. "I just wanted you all to know about the president from Missouri."
On our third day, we returned to the Holocaust Memorial a third time, this time to go underground to the Museum. The exhibits here were letters from those in concentration camps, pictures of families, and displays tracking their forced march from camp to camp, telling of their deaths. This museum aims to acquaint you with the individual Jews who were victims of the Nazis.
That afternoon we visited another existing section of the Berlin Wall, called the East Side Gallery. At one point, artists from around the world were asked to paint sections of the wall. Some of these seem to have prevailed, though a lot of the wall was covered in graffiti and tags.
Before heading back towards our hotel, we sampled a brew at a microbrewery called Hops & Barley. I have to say that my apple cider was excellent.
One last thing from our tour guide George. There is an artist who marks the homes of WWII victims that were deported, forced to emigrate, or killed. There are plaques in the sidewalk, letting you know the names of those who once occupied the space you are passing. This was their home and they had a life. And this isn't just in Berlin. I am almost sure I saw these in Prague, and we have definitely seen them since leaving Berlin.
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