Berlin, Germany

Alex in front of the Reichstag

After much planning, Alex and I embarked on a grand European adventure that would take us to seven countries across the western, central, and eastern parts of the continent. 

We arrived at the small Tegel airport on a cloudy, chilly autumn afternoon. A short bus ride into town, we arrived at Alexanderplatz a short walk from our hotel. We were staying in East Berlin, as it was. The streets were very clean, and there were not many people outside the immediate platz. It reminded me a lot of Beijing with the communist-era concrete block buildings around us, some of which were crumbling whilst others shined as if brand new. Moving around Berlin was quite easy, though it did take us some time figuring out of the metro system. There are so many different trains, trams, and under grounds, and there was no real way of ensuring we had the right ticket, or anyone to check ours. 

Communist propaganda mural, East Berlin

In order to catch up with the time, we decided to go out the first night. A city known for is remarkably intense nightlife, we headed to the gay neighborhood - Nollendorf - for dinner and to spend some time out. We found a nice corner restaurant that had the reasonably priced specials listed outside, but of course we had no clue what it was. We just dared to have a "blind eat." It was delicious, except perhaps the warm potatoes and cucumber. Top it off which some good German beer and we were in a happy place. Later we went to a club and once in found ourselves to be the only patrons. However, it was still early for Berlin: 11:30pm. By midnight, the club was packed, and while we enjoyed a drink and a bit of dancing, the jet lag got the better of us - I nearly fell asleep on a bench inside the club.

Boxhagerplatz Sunday Market

The next morning, we went to the Sunday flea market at Boxhagerplatz, where people sold everything from furniture to old pictures of family and strangers...I still haven't quite figured that one out. The merchandise was very diverse, indeed a hipster's paradise - as opposed to 'Gangsta's Paradise'? It was a beautiful morning, albeit a bit chilly, but the autumn leaves falling to the ground in front of charming reconstructed buildings added to our pleasant demeanor. 

After the market, we headed to the border of West Berlin for our bike tour. It was much lovelier in this section because it was more green. In fact Berlin as a whole surprised both of us at how much green space there is. Our guide later told us that 1/4 of the city is designated green space. My lungs have never been happier. The bike tour was fantastic. It ended up just being the two of us, and we started at a famous spot just next to the shop. It was the checkpoint that in 1989 was the first to let people through.

Basically, the DDR President's Press Secretary, Gunter Schabowski, was giving a live interview, and was asked when people would be allowed to travel to the west. Shuffling papers, he uttered the words, "As far as I know - immediately without delay." He left out that it was only certain people. As a result, 20,000 people descended on this checkpoint demanding to be let through. The guards, who had no clue what was going on, called empty offices of superiors, and finally decided on their own authority to open the gates. People crossed over the bridge into West Berlin.

However, when the East Germans tried to come back across the border from West Berlin, they weren't allowed back because the guards said, "Well, you're no longer citizens." Some parents had children at home and convinced the guards to let them return. Nonetheless, this effectively ended the Berlin Wall. In other parts of the city that very night, one would recognize the famous images of the wall being torn down by people wanting to leave for the west.

Church spared during the 
bombings of Berlin

The tour lasted about 4 and 1/2 hours and we covered a lot. We rode through "No-Man's Land" which has been mostly converted to parks. We saw a few remaining sections of the wall still standing, rode through the Brandenburg Gate and over to the Reichstag. We spent time on museum island with its old buildings and saw pictures of places that were completely destroyed during the war and had been rebuilt, some not until the 1990s. Even today, there is tons of construction going on to rebuild places bombed during the war. It is estimated that each year for the next 100 years, approximately 65 tons of unexploded ordinance leftover from WWII will be unearthed. 

We ventured over to an old synagogue that had been destroyed but later rebuilt, and saw some new, hip areas of the city which were a mass of wild fun. Hidden in the nooks and crannies, winding alleyways led to small courtyards covered in graffiti as we avoided the large overly touristy ones.  Later that night we met one of Alex's friends for some drinks at a wine bar in a quiet neighborhood that  only asks you to pay what you think is fair. It was very charming, with a few local musicians serenading us late into the night. Again, I nearly fell asleep, this time at a table, so went home for a good rest. 

Courtyard of the Bender-block, where COL. von Stauffenberg and the other conspirators were executed on 21 July 1944.

Our last day, we went to one of the last remaining WWII bunkers that was adjacent to the U-Bahn (subway). This bunker was used by civilians, and was one of thousands built around Germany by the order of Der Fuhrer after British planes had successfully bombed Berlin in 1940. It is also one of the few underground bunkers because Berlin sits on a swamp and the water table is very high. Most bunkers were built above ground with reinforced concrete walls 6 ft. thick, which could withstand a large blast, even direct hits. 

Checkpoint Charlie, looking East

After the bunker tour, we went back to Alexander Platz and began what amounted to a ten mile walk around the city. We revisited some of the places we passed the previous day in order to spend more time there wandering around. We went to Checkpoint Charlie, and the Memorial to the German Resistance at the Bender-block  This is where the conspirators of the 20 July 1944 plot to kill Hitler were executed. The movie Valkyrie, starring Tom Cruise, is based on their story and was filmed here. After that, we walked to the main park, and strolled around the next few hours seeing different gardens, monuments, and enjoying being lost in the urban forest. 

Memorial to Homosexuals persecuted by the Nazis

Wandering through the park, we came to a beautiful creek with an enchanting bridge providing the perfect backdrop for a quiet moment in the center of the city. The trees were beginning to change colors and some leaves had already fallen on the pristine water reflecting the idyllic mid-day sky. We calmly paced around the area looking for the best angle to capture the moment. I found it behind a bush next to the water's edge, however, it was bit trashy. Upon closer examination, we were stunned to find it littered with wrappers and used condoms. Gross!!!

(No caption necessary)

Alex wandering through
 the Holocaust Memorial

We did encounter by accident a cruising spot and two gentleman doing some not-so-gentlemanly things...in broad daylight. We hightailed it out of this area for a calmer place. We walked around to the Holocaust memorial and wandered through its maze of blocks. It's very plain in nature, and has no real representation. There are just many rows of black concrete blocks of varying heights. The intended interpretation is left up to the individual. As we arrived back at the Reichstag, the sun was setting and the monuments lit up blissfully.

Exhausted, we headed back to our quiet hotel in East Berlin and passed out the moment our heads hit the pillow. We had an early train the next morning to Nürnberg, where we picked up a car rental and drove to Rothenberg ob der Tauber.