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We woke up at 6:00 am, quite well-rested. The hotel was very quiet; we hadn't heard a sound all night. Breakfast is served on Sundays from 6-12, so we got showered and headed down to breakfast at 7:15. The dining room was a rich red color with crystal chandeliers and plush red chairs. We sat near the window to have a view of the street. Breakfast was a decadent buffet, and we ate ravenously. We had very fruity raspberry yogurt, granola, some of the most succulent pineapple I've ever eaten, coffee, orange juice, brie, cream cheese, prosciutto, salami, fresh dense nut bread, croissants, scrambled eggs, sausage patties, sausage links, bacon, and salmon. It was delicious. It was a very relaxing ambiance and we stayed for about an hour. Then we went back to the room and got our stuff ready for the day. We set out shortly after 8:30. We seemed to have the entire city to ourselves. We walked down Budapester Straße. All of the sidewalk merchandise had been brought inside, but it was a wonderful time of day to window-shop.There were a variety of items, such as paintings of naked men, bongs and hookahs, plaster busts of Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison, ghoulish Halloween decorations such as a severed arm being nibbled by a rat, etc. The park of jagged rocks across from the zoo was completely empty, so I stood on it for a photo op.
We had read about the Buddy Bears of Berlin, a unique project in which bear statues are painted by artists and auctioned off to various establishments in Berlin and around the world to raise money for chlidren's charities. Buddy Bears are on display in various public spaces throughout the city of Berlin. Walking by the zoo we saw our first Buddy Bear outside of a Hertz car rental office. I had no idea how many we would actually see, so I decided to start taking pictures as we ran across them.
We saw many "smart cars" which hold a driver and one passenger. They were extrememly small but very convenient for such a flat city. At one point we saw one right next to a giant double decker bus, and it was a study in contrasts. We walked down Tiergartenstraße on the south end of the park. We passed the Japanese, Italian, and Indian embassies, all of which were quite impressive in their size. We walked past the KulturForum and Philharmonie to St. Mattaus church. Next we walked to nearby Potsdamer Platz, which has become the site of some very modern architecture since the fall of the Berlin Wall. In fact, we were here almost 15 years to the day of the fall of the wall (which happened on Nov 9, 1989). One particularly modern looking building is the Sony Center. It consists of a circular perimeter of steel and glass buildings. The interior of the circle is a courtyard which is topped off by a sail-like roof. We then walked near Banhof Postdamer Platz. Right next to the station stood the fromer Grand Hotel Esplanade. 90% of it was destroyed during World War II, and with the fall of the Wall in 1989, the remains of the facade were restored and preserved. It is very odd, because in the middle of Potsdamer Platz are these interior walls of an elegant hotel. You can see the lighting sconces, fireplace, etc. It is all behind glass now, and it makes you feel like you are in an opulent sitting room when you are standing there in the square. We wandered around Potsdamer Platz, and all of a sudden we looked up, and in front of us was a segment of the Wall. It wasn't all that tall (it looked like by standing on someone's shoulders you could just about reach the top) and it was surprisingly thin. The wall was constructed in segments with rebar in between. This was just one segment, and it was covered in graffiti. One side had very colorful graffiti and seemed to commemorate the fall of the wall, and bore the URL http://www.berlinwall.de. The other side was emblazoned with a big yellow peace sign and a stenciled portrait of a man bore the words "Ich bin eine terroristin". A brick strip and placard on the ground marked where the rest of the wall used to stand. Potsdamer Platz was empty, except for a couple of other tourists. We waited while one guy got his picture taken at the Wall. Then when they moved out I was able to get a couple of shots of Craig with absolutely noone around. It was amazing. We then walked a few yards away to check out a photo exhibit about the fall of the Wall. When we turned around to look back at the segment of the Wall, about fifty people had just arrived from the subway, and were jockeying for photographs around the Wall. What perfect timing we had had! Next we headed off to the Topographie des Terrors. Along the way we passed by another segment of the Wall and an old guard tower. The Topographie des Terror was a free outdoor exhibit on the former site of the bombed out Gestapo headquarters. All that remains, aside from an unexcavated pile of rubble, are some basement Gestapo prison cells. These have been excavated and various photo exhibits have been hung in them. The original brick is exposed, and in some places antiseptic white tile is still in place. It was very unsettling to think what kind of atrocities that tile might have witnessed. Someone had stuck a white carnation on the gravel floor of one of the cells. All of the signs were in German, but the photographs spoke volumes. There is a section of the Wall behind the prison cells. It was amazing to us how scalable it seemed, yet we know what happened to anyone who would attempt it. It reminded us of our visit to Alcatraz, where we learned that prisoners could hear the sounds of freedom onshore, and were taunted by it, but could never attain it themselves. Across the street is the Prussian legislature building that was used for Hitler's People's Court during the years of Nazi rule. After looking through all of the cells, we climbed a stairway to view another photo exhibit which was displayed on a fence. Some of this display was in English. It detailed the reign of terror of the People's Court, where people were sentenced to death for such treasonous acts as drawing political cartoons and distributing leaflets. It was very scary for us to read about how the Nazi party rose to power and how it was a slow degradation of rights that led to the atrocities. Standing still while looking at the exhibit made us cold, and we were glad we had brought our gloves. We went into the small heated building to look around and warm up. There were items for sale (we bought an English book about the exhibit) and there were all kinds of binders full of German documentation. It would be a great place to do research on this terrible era of history. From here we just started walking through the streets with no real mission in mind. There was a soccer game going on nearby and we watched for a few minutes. We then stopped to look at a rather nice looking building that turned out to be a music school. Soon we ended up at Mehringplatz, where there was a bronze monument which looked like a miniature Siegessäule. At least the statue on the top looked similar, but smaller in scale. We were cutting through a residential part of the city and were passing by a small pub just as three locals were leaving. They were clearly pretty drunk and derived some sort of humor as we passed by but they were harmless and we smiled at them and ignored their comments. On the side of one apartment building there was a huge painting. There was a huge brain hovering over the land with many different smaller scenes painted onto television sets. It was a very interesting work but almost impossible to photograph without sampling many smaller sections as it was so large. We then headed up to Checkpoint Charlie. You could see the crowds from blocks away. The replica of the actual checkpoint was in the middle of the road. There was a sign which on one side said "You are leaving the American Sector" and on the opposite side said "You are entering the American Sector. Carrying weapons off duty forbidden. Obey traffic rules." A man and a woman were dressed in Soviet and American army garb, and were standing in front of the checkpoint. You could get a photo with them for a Euro. We opted not to, and instead took a picture of them with some guy who had paid his Euro. The whole thing seemed incredibly touristy to the point that we didn't even want to stick around. Right behind the checkpoint was a small fast food joint called "Snack Point Charlie." Ugh. We briefly went into the Haus am Checkpoint Charlie Museum. We had heard that it contained some interesting items, such as contraptions that people used to try to escape from East Berlin. But it was absolutely mobbed with people, shoulder-to-shoulder. You had to check all of your bags and no photos were permitted. We just didn't feel in the mood for it, so we moved on. There were some vendors outside selling Russian hats, gas masks, and nesting dolls. I briefly looked at the dolls, since I collect them, but they were nothing special, and were overpriced anyway. Slightly further down we saw the controversial new Wall exhibit. It had been put up several weeks ago and was getting a lot of flak for being a tourist trap rather than a true memorial. We had read about it online. It was sponsored by the Haus am Checkpoint Charlie Museum. They had reconstructed a length of the Wall (NOT on its original spot), painted it stark white, and next to it had a field of huge crosses to symbolize people who had died trying to cross the Wall. Each had a little sign that bore someone's name or "unknown." Of course, you had to stand behind a barrier, so you couldn't even get close enough to read these signs. Germans have complained that this is just a tourist trap, and that it is unnecessary given that there are already at least two other Wall memorials and monuments in the city. This exhibit will apparently be taken down by January. We were not impressed with such an overtly touristic display and moved on. We walked down the street past the American Business Center on Checkpoint Charlie, in front of which stands a huge sculpture that looks like a brightly colored wad of gum that has rolled over the city streets and picked up debris along the way. Our guide book says that the buildings have been slow to find tenants, and it suspects that the ugly sculture may be the reason for this. Seeing it made us agree. Next we walked to the Gendarmenmarkt. It seemed there were some major renovations going on in the area to prepare for the holiday season. Humboldt University, where Albert Einstein taught, is located here. We saw Sankt-Hedwigs-Kathedrale, a Catholic church constructed in 1747. We saw the Deutscher Dom, whose dome was in the process of being renovated. We went inside and there was a free exhibit, but we didn't stick around for it. The Hugenottenmuseum was under extensive construction. As we were passing by a French Church we noticed it was currently open for tourists so we decided to have a look inside. Everything was very white inside but we still found it to be an impressive place. There was a large pulpit and a choir loft with a large pipe organ in the back of the hall. We had not eaten since breakfast and we started to look for a place where we might want to eat. We walked toward Museum Island (so-called because it is a section of land located between the two branches of the Spree river). We never crossed the river, but we did take a picture from the bridge. Since there were police starting to arrive and block off the street, we were curious as to what was going on. We walked back down the street and noticed that people were queueing up along the barricades, the way you might for a parade. We decided to stick around for a few minutes in order to find out what was happening. There was a little Christmas village set up, and two of the food stalls were open. The smell was overwhelming and we couldn't resist the temptation, so we bought a currywurst and a roll from a young man. We asked him if he knew what was going on, but he didn't. After eating we walked again past all of the crowds starting to appear. We asked a police officer, but he only spoke German and Russian. He referred us to his colleague, who said "The President of Germany will be here at 3:00. You can see him (he points to his eyes) if you stand and wait." As it was about quarter of 3, we decided it was fortunate timing and we found a spot along the barricade. An English speaking German asked us what was going on. We parrotted what we had been told and he looked at us and said, "President? You mean Premiere?" We were embarrassed to show our ignorance and admitted we didn't know. We weren't sure what was going on. There were secret service people, people in military uniforms (one with a trumpet), and reporters with TV cameras at the ready. We were trying to figure it out and I thought that maybe the President was visiting the museums for some reason. We watched as two official-looking cars pulled up. People got out of the cars and met with other people. Everyone was dressed in dark clothes. Flower wreaths were brought out of the building, and the people proceeded into the building, carrying the wreaths. The camera people took some quick shots and then everyone disappeared inside the building. It was rather somber. I had expected some cheering for the President/Premiere, but there was none. What had he been here for, and why were people congregating? I asked the guy next to me if he spoke English. He shook his head and pointed at his wife. She said, "a little", which appears to be the modest way most Germans answer whether they speak English. She told us that it was a holiday in remembrance of all casualties, both military and civilian, from the World Wars. She told us that the president of Parliament and some high-up senators and others had been there. After getting home, we did some research on the internet, and found out that the holiday is known as Volkstrauertag, or "People Mourning Day". The "President" in question was Horst Köhler, the president of the Bundestag (Parliament) . Also present was the president of the Federal Constitutional Court, Hans Juergen Papier. The building where this all took place was the Neue Wache which is described as "The Central Memorial of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Victims of War and Tyranny". We also learned that after the ceremony at the Neue Wache, the Bundestag (Parliament) meets ceremonially at the Reichstag. After everyone dispersed, we headed down Unter de Linden to the Brandenburger Tor. Workmen were fastening strings of lights to the tree trunks and leafless branches, and it looked very pretty. A couple asked us to take their photo with the gate in the background. We did, and they took ours in return. Unfortunately, it was getting rather late in the day, so the light wasn't the best for taking pictures of the gate. We decided to visit the Reichstag Dome (an activity suggested to us by Tom and Sabine and recommended by our guidebook). The Reichstag building looks like a fusion of old and new, with a very traditional architectural style for the building itself, but with a very modern glass dome. A queue had formed stretching from the front doors of the building down the stairs. We got into the line. Every 15 minutes, the line would move in a significant fashion. We waited for two cycles, and then were close enough to the start of the line to be let into a closed off glass room. As many people squeeze into the room as possible before a glass door slides shut. The people who are now inside the glass room (a sort of holding tank) are told that they will be ushered through metal detectors, etc. It makes sense; this is where the Bundestag (Parliament) meets, and the ceremonial meeting for the Volkstrauertag holiday was taking place at this very moment. So once we went through the metal detectors and had our bags scanned, we were taken up to the rooftop terrace by the elevator attendant. Admission was free. The view from up here was spectacular. The Brandenburger Tor, lit up, was visible. The Reichstag dome, lit from inside, looked other-wordly. There were two walkways which corkscrewed their way from the bottom to the top. One was to be used for walking up, the other walking down. There was a center funnel-shaped structure in the middle of the dome which was covered with lots of small mirrors. In the center of the floor was a big skylight which looked down onto the Bundstag Plenary chamber. It seemed the session was just breaking up when we got into the dome. Everything was lit from recessed lighting in the floor, and it made for an interesting interplay of light and shadows. There are two doors in the bottom of the dome which are open, allowing cold air inside. I tried to take a picture of Craig at one point and my frozen breath got in the picture like a ghostly apparition. We spiraled our way up the the top, took in the 360 degree view of the city, and then headed back down. The dome is open until midnight, with the last entrance taking place at 10 pm. Tom and Sabine had mentioned this as an option, and I'm sure it would have been very cool to be there that late at night. But because of how the entrance system works, we could foresee being in line by 10 and still not being able to be let in. And then basically you would just lose. After this, we headed back to Großse Stern to see the Sieggessäle at night. We walked down Straße des 17 Juni, which was lit with beautiful domed street lamps. It was a very nice walk and we passed many others also taking a stroll at night. We finally arrived at the monument which was lit up very subtly. We continued down our now very familiar walk past the Zoo. We were hungry and cold, and were tempted by Dunkin Donuts coffee and donuts. But we decided it was dinner time and we instead stopped at the Cafe am Zoopalast for a light dinner. They had an English menu outside, and though they only had a few dishes to choose from, it seemed like comfort food, and there was an apple struedel on the menu that I just couldn't resist. The place was rather smoky, something Craig and I aren't used to anymore. We tried to sit upstairs but it was worse, so we sat at a table on the first floor. Craig ordered Konigsberger meat balls in spicy sauce with peas, carrots, and mashed potoates. I had turkey in cream sauce with onions, peas, carrots, and wild rice. Craig had two Polaners and I had two vodka lemonades. The food was cheap (7 Euros apiece) but warm and comforting. For dessert we each got the apple struedel with whipped cream and vanilla sauce. It was delicious. Next we walked over to the Ku'damm. There weren't too many people out and all of the stores were closed, so we were able to do a little window shopping. Ku'damm is definitely high end, like Newbury Street in Boston. We ran into lots of Buddy Bears in a little courtyard. We were laughing at all of them because now I was committed to taking photos of every Buddy Bear we saw, and we just kept seeing more of them. We learned about the United Buddy Bears, an offshoot project where artists from 120 countries painted a bear from their particular country to promote peace. All of the United Buddy Bears were displayed as a whole in Berlin, but are now on a worldwide tour. Many countries also made miniature United Buddy Bears (replicas of the larger ones which are on tour) which are displayed in a circle in the courtyard on the Ku'damm. We realized we couldn't take pictures of all of the mini United Buddy Bears (there were just too many), so instead we took pictures of a few countries we have visited. We walked back along Kantstraße. We wanted to go into Mar y Sol for some nachos or something, but it was much too smoky. So we went to Schwarzes Cafe. It was not all that busy.Craig got two Andechser Dünkels. I got hot chocolate with whipped cream. We decided on dessert as well. I got butter cake and Craig got carrot cake. We looked at the guide book and made some plans for the next day. We left the bar at around 11:20 pm. When we got back to the room we found chocolate on our pillows and they really hit the spot. I journaled until 12:55, at which point we went to bed. |
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