Berlin

Following our three days in Cologne and Aachen we took the train to Berlin for a three day layover before we headed south towards Munich.  A four hour train ride goes by extremely fast as you get to watch the German countryside pass by outside your window going a hundred miles an hour.  My initial impression of Berlin was of confusion.  I realized beforehand that much of the city had been destroyed by the bombings of World War II, but Berlin was such a modern city it made Atlanta feel like ancient Rome.  A vast majority of the major buildings in the city are from the mid to late 20th Century, and most of what does look like classical architecture is built to look that way and is more than likely not original.  That aside, there are some amazing sites to see in Berlin.

Our first order of business after arriving was to participate in a walking tour of the historical area.  Operated by Insider Tour, the "Famous" Insider Walk took us to many of the main attractions of the city including Checkpoint Charlie (the famous crossing station between East and West Germany), the Berlin Wall, the Reichstag, the Brandenburg Gate, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, and several other sites.  Please realize when you are at Checkpoint Charlie those are not real American soldiers, they are just actors dressed up to allow you the opportunity to pay them to be in your picture.  While I would highly recommend this walk for anyone looking for an inexpensive way to find the sites in Berlin and to get some exercise, the most impressive sites we saw occurred after we were finished with the tour.  For instance, along the East Berlin side of the wall sits the Stasi Museum dedicated to the oppressive government police agency that spied continuously on its own people for several decades.  This museum contained examples of the detailed files the Stasi kept on the East German citizens, including how they dictated where people went on vacation so they could have someone there to spy on the family.  Just down the street from this museum sits the most impressive site in Berlin, the Topography of Terror.  There is very little in Berlin that recognizes the Nazi party or the history of the crimes committed in this city, but this museum is by far the leading example of an attempt by the German people to accurately cover the events.  A walking museum, the exhibit is more of an timeline than a display of artifacts.  Located at the former site of the SS headquarters, visitors start at one end and walk down a straight line as the history of Germany is explained from the pre-WWI German empire gives way to the Weimar Republic to the Nazi Party.  The museum is completely free and is covered so it is a great way to spend the day if it is raining.  While you are on the East German side of the wall, make sure you walk over to the former headquarters of the Ministry of Aviation where you can see one of the longest murals in the world dedicated to everyone's favorite failed government experiment socialism.  The mural took two years to paint, because why rush when you are getting paid anyway, and apparently is a laughable reminder to Berliners how badly the socialist experiment failed the people of East Berlin. When I think of socialism and communism the first thing that comes to mind is young girls walking down the street clapping their hands. 

The next day we made our way to the Berliner Dom, an impressive church that sits in the heart of Berlin on a site known as Museum Island.  A structure has stood on this site for more than five centuries, but the building there now is from post-WWII and is built to match the early designs.  Right next door sits several of the best museums in Europe including the Pergamon, Neues (New), Altes (Old), and Bode museums.  There are passes you can buy that will give you several days of entry into these great locations.  My suggestion is to arrive early, and I mean very early.  The line one day to get into the Pergamon was more than an hour long, and will kill your chance to make any other museums that day.  The Pergamon, the city's ancient culture museum is probably the most visited as people want to see the ancient Altar of Zeus, Ishtar Gate, and the other rare antiquities there.  Right off the island is Humboldt University, site of one of the mass book burnings conducted by the Nazi Party as they tried to rid their culture of what they deemed "degenerate" thoughts.  Be careful when you are walking around this area as there are quite a few gypsy pick pockets.  Many of them are asking you to sign a petition for some made up cause or they are set up with books attempting to have a "book sale" so they can steal from you while you look around.

Our final day we got outside of the downtown area and ventured out towards the area of Charlottenburg.  Home to Charlottenburg Palace (Schloss Charlottenburg), the former royal palace of the Prussian monarchy, it is quite a site to behold from the outside.  I would recommend, however, that you do not waste your time going inside.  The cost of admission is high, the inside is largely unfurnished and not nearly as impressive as the grounds which are free to walk around.  There are so many fine castles and palaces in Europe, and specifically Germany, this one is better viewed in passing.  The area around the palace is quite entertaining though.  A short walk up Schloßstraße is Suarezstraße, a street filled with twenty to thirty antique markets that range from thrifty to über expensive.  From there, if you're daring, turn down Straße des 17. Juni (17th of June Street) and walk the two miles to the Victory Column, the 19th Century tower built to commemorate the Prussian victory in the Franco-Prussian War.  After walking outside and looking at the magnificent carvings, climb to the top and you will get the best panoramic view of Berlin.  

One very cool off the beaten path site we found was in a hallway of the entrance to the Dussmann bookshop on Friedrichstraße.  Sitting there very unassumingly is a signed piece of the Berlin Wall featuring the famous quote of Ronald Reagan, "Tear down this wall!"  The piece is signed by Ronald Reagan himself and they have a picture with it showing the president signing the piece.  I have no idea how this bookstore came by this piece, or why it is located in this spot, but it is worth a trip inside to see.  They also have a great English language section for anyone looking for books to bring home.

Finally, we were blessed to be in Berlin in 2014 as the World Cup was underway and happened to be out the day the United States and Germany were competing against one another.  Being the proud Americans we are we decided to venture down to the Brandenburg Gate where the city was having a viewing party with more than 100,000 people in attendance.  They had multiple screens set up so everyone had a great view, live music playing during the breaks, and food and beer carts to serve everyone. We initially expected to be the only Americans cheering in a sea of Deutsch pride, but soon saw what appeared to be several hundred other Americans there cheering.  While the German fans could have been rude or even dismissive, they were amazing to us.  They constantly congratulated us on our team's performance, and one asked, "are these players celebrities in the U.S.?" I didn't have the heart to tell him not really, but many of them would become famous for their performance that year.  I know this will never get to the whole city, but I appreciate how kind everyone was and we had an amazing time.