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.