Berlin fades to Paris....

Berlin was such an interesting city… full of history and turmoil… a struggle for freedom that we take for granted every day here in America. I think it’s difficult for the most recent American generations to grasp the struggle that we faced as a country to have the freedoms that we use every day. Just 20 years ago, Berlin struggled with an East v. West separation and the remnants of this past can still be seen today in the city structures, pedestrian lights and of course historical museums.

How do you know when you are in East Berlin today? My favorite East Berlin-ism is the pedestrian crossing man that remains from pre-reunification. He has a hat and an attitude. A picture is worth a thousand words.

We stayed in the super cute Hotel Alex and enjoyed the excellent public transportation that allowed you to be in the heart of Berlin in minutes. A city excursion would be incomplete without a bike tour, so we headed out with a guide who showed us the remains of the Berlin wall, the soccer stadium of East Berlin, Reichstag building, Brandenburg gate, glances at all most of the museums in town, and historical points along the way. It was interesting to see the changes in architecture as you moved from East to West Berlin… We had a great 360o degree view near the Berlin Hauptbanhof (main train station) where we could see almost the whole skyline of government buildings, statues, the river and museums. The Germans built their government buildings all out of glass to symbolize their attention to the people they were serving and to let the world look into their daily proceedings- no secrets!

Later that afternoon, we were fortunate to get a behind-the-scenes tour of the Berlin Zoo led by one of the veterinarians. He took us to the elephant exhibit, let us feed rhinos by hand and then toss bread to hippos from a bridge overlooking their enclosure. He also had a high power water gun to give them massages! They LOVED it. For dinner, Olaf took us on a winding tour of Berlin to arrive at a fantastic little restaurant called Der Kartoffelkellar (basically a “Potato Shack”) where every dish was made from potatoes… soup, casseroles, desserts…

The last day Kati and I went to Check Point Charlie Museum and walked around Berlin. I can’t believe the lengths that people went to cross the wall! Crazy! We boarded a train for 13 hours over night. Unfortunately we didn’t have sleeper seats so it was bit uncomfortable but we managed… Lots of snacks and cat naps. We woke up this morning to the beautiful scenery of PARIS.

Here we are. In our awesome hostel, St. Christophers… ON THE RIVER! We can’t check in until 2pm, so we will run around the city and then the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and the Louvre! Love love!