Taking Our Time In Berlin

We had two full days left in Berlin after Marathon Sunday, which provided us with plenty of time to see some of the sites at our own pace. We decided to start with Check Point Charlie and the Berlin Wall on Monday. As I mentioned earlier, the checkpoint is now more of a stage prop than the real thing, but it does serve as a great marker for where it once existed. There is a also a great "museum" on the corner that explains the history of the wall and some those who did all they could to escape. The area is also surrounded by cheap souvenir shops selling replica uniforms, as well as some other museums. 

While at the checkpoint we discovered that there is a large expanse of the Wall still standing about a five minute walk from where we were. We decided to head over and were very pleased that we did. The entire length of the wall surrounds an open area that was once the Ally Occupied West. At the base of the wall is the story of the rise of the Nazi party and the aftermath of the war. Again, serving as a reminder of what happened so as not to be repeated. The language was very clear that nothing was being celebrated. 

(Two rows of bricks line the city where the wall use to stand)

We then made our way over to Unter Der Linden street to get a better view of Brandenberg Tor and then get a look of the Reichstad. 

(Our view of the Brandenberg Tor)

(Photo of the Brandenberg Tor in the 1950s)

A gorgeous building, the Reichstad served as the parliament building when the German states united under one county in 1871. It went unused in the Cold War.  

After sitting in the park in front of the Reichstad we went over to the Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas. The monument serves as the first formal government sponsored holocaust memorial the use of the word murder was very deliberate. It was completed in 2005. We walked among the concrete "caskets" taking in the power of the memorial. It is said that the artist left the meaning of the monument up to the visitor. 

We finished the day with a bite to eat on Kurfürstendamm street. 

Tuesday we decided to check out Museum Island, but first we stopped at an "American Diner" that Ashely found for breakfast. We ate eggs, bacon, toast and hashbrowns. Not a bad start to the day. We even got some cold brew coffee from a chain we discovered with Ali while chasing the marathoners. 

With all of the museums on the island it was tough to pick one, but we opted for the Pergamon Museum. 

This building houses rebuilt walls from Babylon, Rome, etc. It was a lot to take in for sure, but the audio guide was quite helpful. We spent about two hours walking around the different rooms. As the museum focuses on Middle Eastern exhibits, it was hard not to think about the fact that many of the structures similar to what we were seeing that are still in cites like Damascus are being destroyed and that one day they may only exist in museums. 

After our time in Pergamon we walked down Unter Der Linden street which was at one time the main promenade in Berlin, but ended up on the Eastern side of the wall after it's construction.  The museum must have taken a lot out of us because we were dragging as we walked down the promenade. 

We decided to take a break at a small little spot on Wilhelmstrasse for a beer and a currywurst. We then continued on to see the location of Hitlers Bunker. It is now a nondescript parking lot for an apartment complex, but there is a plaque to help visitors understand what once was. 

Finally we headed back to the hotel to pack up our bags as we had a 4:30 am departure to catch our flight to Amsterdam. We ended up ordering pizza from a place around the corner and it wasn't too bad. 

We watched some BBC and CNN then hit the hay. 

Our Weekend in Berlin

OK, we have fallen a bit behind on our blog posts. Here is the first of two to get caught up. 

We arrived in Berlin from Prague on Saturday around 1:30. We were excited to get into the city as we were meeting up with McD, Tina 2 (her name is actually Allison) and Tradelle. McD and Tradelle were running the Berlin marathon on Sunday and we had planned to meet up with them on Saturday when we arrived at our hotel (that's right... a hotel!). 

McD and Tina ran into some travel problems and ended up stuck in Oslo on Friday night. This put a slight wrinkle in their plans and had them fly to Latvia on Saturday morning before arriving in Berlin around 4pm. Luckily they had met a fellow traveler in their same predicament and he guided them to the Berlin Marathon Expo prior to it closing on Saturday night.

We had originally planned to meet up with the three around 2p, but with the extra time Ashley and I opted to check out the area around our hotel. We found an insanely large department store to walk around in and Ashley picked up a sweater and scarf. The department store KaDeWe was like a mix between the Herald Square Macy's and Bergdorf Goodmans. Basically it was as large (if not larger) than the Macy's, but with the high end brands of the latter. There were even people serving champagne or espressos to the clientele. It was fun to walk around a shopping area on a Saturday to watch what we felt were locals in action. I found a shirt jacket at a store just down the road from KaDeWe. With plenty of time before we had to meet McD and Co., we went to check out the Kasier Wilhelm Memorial Church. 

The Kaiser Wilhelm Church is more commonly referred to as the Hallow Tooth these days as it remains in the exact condition it did following its distraction in WWII. There are sections that had to come down for safety reasons and others that have been reenforced, but it is clear to see the damage that was inflicted. The massive stain glass windows have either been replaced with clear panes or left open. Massive wholes in the main bell tower remain visible and the pockmarked exterior walls as serve as a reminder of the cities past. 

Thanks to our pal Rick Steves, we learned that a lot of Berlin's history is meant to remember, but not celebrate the build up, time during and after WWII. Many of the original buildings from Pre Nazi Germany exist as well as more recent sites like Checkpoint Charlie (kind of a strange replica with people dressed in fake uniforms asking for tips if they are in your picture. Think Times Square Elmos) or the Berlin Wall itself. These monuments (not sure if that is the correct term) to history are also surrounded by plaques that tell the story of the city. 

Wow, went off on tangent there. 

We finally connected with McD and headed back to the hotel to grab a quick change of clothes before heading to their hotel. We met up around 7:30 and made for Postdamer Platz to find the runners some pasta. Tradelle had found a solid Italian spot the night before and we decided we should stick with what works. It was a great little family owned restaurant with everyone hailing from Italy. Nothing like being in Berlin and speaking Italian. We all had our fill and went back to our hotels to get some sleep for the big day. 

Ashely and I met up with Ali around 8:30 the next morning and we were off to the first stop on the course where we hoped to catch Ryan and Tradelle. Ashley had mapped out our routes the night before and we were planning to see them at the 10k, 20K and 38-40k marks. This would require a good bit of hustle on our part, but with Ashley's navigating we were able to see McD three times and Tradelle twice (he was too fast to the 20k). 

After seeing them at our last checkpoint we made our way over the finish line to meet up at the Family Reunion Area. As we arrived we realized that the runners were coming through Bradenburg Tor. This beautiful gate is the last remaining of the 14 that once surrounded the city. Victorious German/Prussian armies would march through this gate when returning from wars. The last army to march through the gates were the Soviets in 1945 when they took control of the city. Amazing to be able to run through such history. 

After a lot of walking we finally met up with the finishers and made our way back to their hotel. 

It was time for some quick showers and lunch before heading out to Mitte and the Prater Beer Garden. Prater is supposedly the oldest beer garden in the city, whether that is true or not, it was exactly what we were looking for. A place to sit outside, have a few beers, a Brezel (or two) and enjoy the weather. It was also nice to be at a real beer garden where families go to spend their afternoon. Much different that what have been recently popping up back home. 

After several hours at the garden we walked around for a place to grab dinner. Somehow we decided on a Thai restaurant and everyone had a nice filling meal before strolling to the Ubahn stop to find some fun on a Sunday night. 

Not knowing where to go in a big city on a Sunday can be tough so we grabbed a drink at the Catwalk bar and asked the bartender for advice. He basically told us Sundays are very quiet for the most part, but that the Kit Kat is always open (Google that one if you are brave).  We walked around a bit more and stopped into one more bar before saying our goodbyes. Ashley and I had two more days in Berlin, but the three amigos were off to Prague in the morning. 

It was great to see some familiar faces and catch up on news from back home.