. . . . Then We Take Berlin!

So, Berlin is the penultimate destination for this trip.  We arrived there Thursday afternoon following a four and one quarter hour journey from Prague.  Much of the trip was along the Elbe river and we actually got some glimpses of the famous rock formations near the Bastei in the region known as Sächsische Schweiz.  I visited this area which is also known as Saxon Switzerland a couple of times before.  It is is a hilly climbing area and national park around the Elbe valley south-east of Dresden in Saxony, Germany. Together with Bohemian Switzerland in the Czech Republic it forms the Elbe Sandstone Mountains.

For our stay in Berlin, we booked into a hotel which offers two bedroom suites with kitchens and a living room.  As we will be here for a week, this seemed like better option than two hotel rooms with just a bed.  It is in the Hackerschermarkt area which is within walking distance of many of Berlin's major sites.  As its name suggests, there is a market around Hacherschermarkt year round and, when we walked through it on our first evening, there were not a lot of Christmas-themed stalls and rather ones selling food and regular goods.  The area also has lots of restaurants and bars and we quickly decided to have dinner in one of them called Restoration 1842.  It was a typical German restaurant and had Christmas decorations plus a giant TV screen with the World Cup game on.  It was perfect for what we wanted.

Hackerschermarlt is very close to Alexanderplatz, a large square where the famous Fernsehturm (the TV tower which dates from the communist days and one of the iconic) and a large commercial shopping centre are located.  One of Berlin's larger Christmas markets is located in Alexanderplatz.  So, for our first morning here - and it was a very chilly one - we made our way to the Christmas market after we'd gone to the shopping centre.  I have not purchased much at any of the other markets we have been to so far but I did find a couple of "treasures" in this one.  So, I marginally help stimulate the Berlin economy.  

We had planned to go to another of the bigger markets in the afternoon but the chilly weather seemed to get right to our bones so we retreated to our suite to warm up.  Charlottenberg would have to wait!  Later that evening, our Canadian friends who live in Alsace joined us and they will be exploring Berlin with us for the next 5 days.

We began the following day with a 4 hour walking tour of Berlin.  I have already done this tour 3 times and it never disappoints.  Berlin Walks is the name of the company and it is well worth checking out.  The big change this day was that it had been snowing lightly and the temperature was very cold - -2'.  So, by the end of four hours we were quite chilled!

The tour begins in Hackescher Markt with an overview of the history of Germany.  Most of the content after that focuses on Berlin from the early 1930s with the rise of Nazism to present day.  Of course, in addition to details about Berlin during the Second World War, there is also a lot about the Cold War when Berlin was divided and then to present day and how Germany is dealing with that dark period of their history.  We left the market and crossed the bridge over the Spree River to Museum where some of Berlin's most notable museums are plus the impressive Berliner Dom.  

From there, we walked down the famous Unter den Linden boulevard.  Our first stop was at the building which houses the incredible statue, Mother with her Dead Son, a Pietà sculpture by the artist Käthe Kollwitz.  It was particularly poignant today because the hole in the ceiling above it meant there was a dusting of snow on it.  The opening is supposed to remind us that soldiers must fight regardless of the weather - rain, shine or snow! 

We continued walking along the famous avenue stopping next at Humboldt University where normally on this tour you would visit Bebelplatz.  However, currently there is a Christmas market there so we didn’t get to see the square famous for the book burning took place in 1933 when young Nazi students burned books that they felt were not supportive of Nazi philosophy.  In this square, you can look through a plexiglass square down into a room filled with empty book shelves.  It is very moving to see.  

We continued walking along until we got to the iconic Brandenburg Gate where we learned more about its history particularly during the Second World War and during the events in 1989 which brick by brick the wall came down. 

On the other side of the gate, we turned left and went along the road bordering the Tiergarten which leads to The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.  We were given the opportunity to walk through the 2711 plinths/blocks which make up this memorial to experience what we felt.  It is a personal thing and, for me, it always evokes feelings of insignificance and futility. 

From the memorial, we walked toward the area where the government buildings are located, several still standing from Nazi days.  We could also see part of the wall which is still standing as well as the nearby museum called The Topography of Terror which stands on the land where previously the headquarters of the Gestapo stood.  From there it was a short walk to Checkpoint Charlie where the tour ended.  We passed by the Trabi Museum and other iconic symbols of Berlin along the way.

Above and below, a mural depicting the ideal life under Communism

Part of the Berlin Wall which is still standing

Outdoor display of the rise of Hitler and, in the distance to the left,
the museum called Topography of Terror

Photos around Checkpoint Charlie

Our guide talked about a certain “ostalgie” which people from the former East Germany have for the “old days”.  While life in East Germany was not easy, there were things like free child care and health care that some reminisce about.  She was very good at recognizing there are two perspectives to history and we need to acknowledge that.  She also recommended several movies about these two periods of German history including Conspiracy, The Lives of Others and Good Bye, Lenin!

More about our exploration of this amazing city in the next blog.