Day 51 (July 29th): Berlin

We woke up at 9:30 AM and were very slow to motivate. We finally got out of the room by 11:00 AM. It was drizzling out so we were prepared with umbrellas and rain coats. Our first stop was breakfast at a "Starbucks" type place. I had a Thai chicken sandwich and the kids split some muffins and croissants. We ate outside under a big umbrella. Across the way from us was a large triangular bird cage with birds in it that we looked at after breakfast. We then walked over to the bus stop for the #100 bus that went to the major tourist attractions. Close to the bus stop was a church that had the top blown off during the war but was intentionally not repaired to "remind us of the devastation of war". Two new churchs were built right next to it (see picture on bottom left).
The bus went through Tierpark that contains the zoo and the victory monument. We got out at the Reichstag which is the government building where the Nazi party started a fire in the '30's and started their reign of terror. We then walked down the block and came to the Brandenburg gate (see bottom picture). It was here that we first saw the place where the Berlin wall used to be. Currently there is only a different colored brick in the ground along with an occasional plaque that reminds you that the wall was here. We had walked into East Berlin. When you look at the postcards in the souvenir shops you get a much better sense of what the wall looked like and how it impacted the various sites. Prior to 1989 you couldn't walk up to the Gate but now there are street performers and tourists all over the place. The kids were fascinated by a mime that we called Silverman. He was actually very good and could stay still for a long time. Fact: When Napoleon was in power he took the Brandenburg gate to France but later on it was brought back to Berlin. After spending some time at the gate and taking some pictures we continued around the bend and came across the Holocaust Memorial (see top middle picture). This is a place that has over 2700 rectangular blocks of stone in various sizes spread out over a city block. It represents the graves of people that passed away during the Holocaust. Downstairs, underneath the stones is a museum that covers many aspects of the Holocaust. There were a couple of difficult pictures that the kids saw and we discussed them as a family. This was the first time the kids were exposed to the true horrors of the holocaust and they handled it very well. The museum is very informative but very somber at the same time. We spent a number of hours there and the kids were losing their patience. After we finished up at the museum we ascended back to the street level where it was raining again. Since it was past lunch time we walked down the street and found a Mexican restaurant to eat at. Hannah had nachos, Zach had mozzarella sticks, Al had a quesadilla and I had a corn soup with a Berliner Pils (ok). We finished up lunch and walked down to Potsdam Platz that is now a big shopping area. In the mall there was a great ice cream shop and we had some dessert. Past Potsdam Platz you come across one of the last areas that still has a section of the Berlin Wall still intact. This was something that I had always wanted to see and it was strange to realize that the city was separated in half less than 20 years ago. At this location there was an open air exhibit set up called the Topography of Terror that was the original site for the SS and Nazi Headquarters (see picture on right). Nothing remains now except a few sections of the basement walls, but pictures are posted throughout the exhibit to give you a sense of what it looked like. Plans are underway to build a permanent museum at this site. We kept walking along the path of the Berlin Wall and made our way to Checkpoint Charlie. This is the location of the main entrance between where America and Soviet guards protected the East and West side of Berlin. It was also the location of a major confrontation between the two super powers during the cold war. Throughout this area there are postings describing the Berlin wall and its history. It was getting late so we headed north thru the old East Berlin and stopped at a few sites along the way. One place was an interesting courtyard with a couple of old churches and a museum. The museum was having a party and playing music. Hannah danced around for a while and we took some pictures while Zach used the outdoor bathroom. Our next stop was Bebelplatz which was the site of the historic Nazi book burning that took place in 1933. In the middle of the Platz there is a couple of plaques and a window in the ground that you look through to see empty book shelves. We made it back to the main road and caught the bus that goes to the hotel area. It began raining harder and decided to look for a restaurant to eat dinner at. Zach wanted to go to the Hard Rock Cafe for a real burger but there was a 20 minute wait so we looked elsewhere. Right up the street from our hotel we found a nice restaurant where Zach got chicken fingers and fries (top 5 meal for him), Hannah had a mixed salad and I had a spicy chicken and vegetable dish (gypsy chicken) along with a dark beer (good). After dinner we walked back to the hotel and dropped our stuff off at the room before heading to the lobby bar for a couple of drinks. The kids played on the internet while Al and I relaxed in the bar. We then went back up to the room, showered the kids and went to bed around 12:30 AM.