The Ber: Part 2

Next to the Parliament Building, there is this memorial. It is to show respect to all the political leaders that opposed Hitler. Um ... go them!

All around the city, there is a brick line to show where the Berlin wall used to stand. We walked a good length of it and it was crazy to think there used to be such a historical wall surrounding the city. 

I wish I knew why this memorial was designed this way but, this is the Jewish Memorial. A bunch of different size rectangles. Then, the ground was hilly. It went up and down, in between all the rectangles. That is a ridiculous description of this memorial but, that's basically what it was! 

It was pretty darn cold on the day we were there and thank heavens the Miners had a stroller because Kason "needed" a ride from time to time. Here he is snuggled up in the stroller while the other kids ran through the memorial. 

Across the street from the memorial we got some lunch. Brad loves doners. I think they're gross. But, apparently, a Turk brought them from Turkey to Berlin and introduced them to Germany. So, the "original" German doners are in Berlin. They are basically flat bread with meat, spicy sauces and veggies. Brad (and Mary Anne) both said this doner was the best they've ever had. Kason and I ate french fries ... they were pretty delicious, too. 

After lunch, we found a piece of the Berlin wall!!! Talk about some serious graffiti! 

It took these kids a few tries to get this shot ... they were shouting, "BERLIN!!"

(Sadie, Canon & Kason) 

Thank heavens for this stroller ... maybe we need to invest in one! 

In Berlin, they have one section left of the Berlin wall still standing. It has been preserved exactly how it was when it was knocked down in 1989. Seeing the Berlin wall, honestly, was a pretty moving experience. It's such a huge piece of history involving so many people worldwide. It was surreal to think of the people who were living in Germany during the time period that the Berlin Wall was still standing. I can't imagine the life they had to live and the difficulties they were faced with. During our walk to the wall, we passed a section of 'No Man's Land', which was also called 'Dead Zone'. Pretty much, if you ended up in that area as an escapee, you wouldn't be making it out alive. Just the thought of living that kind of reality was very humbling. 

Kinda cool to see names and year marks from the 80's. Plus, it makes it more of a reality. Makes me hope Rick survived and is still living on...

Under the wall was the Gestapo Headquarters. Part of the ruins are still there and it shows pictures of the torture they brought to the country. There is also a museum, the "Topography of Terror", that is right there by the Wall. It was pretty awesome. I love WWII stuff and the museum was all about the reign of Hitler and how the Nazis affected Germany, the victims of his reign, the leaders that stood by his side ... everything. So interesting to me. This spot was by far, my favorite part of the entire trip. I walked away a different person than when I arrived. 

Then we moved on to Checkpoint Charlie. Checkpoint Charlie was the gate of the Wall that the Americans were in charge of. They controlled who was allowed to pass through from West Germany to East Germany, and vice versa. And to think, this was all standing and functioning until 1989. Boggles my mind! 

After that, we all headed back to the apartment, loaded up, and headed out. The Miners headed home but, we wanted to hit up Hard Rock Cafe to get our traditional traveling meal. But, when we got there the wait was at least 90 minutes. We definitely didn't want to wait that long so, we just bought a couple glasses and found a delicious pizza place down the street. I won't complain about that dinner switch! 

I wouldn't say that Berlin was my favorite place we have been. Not even close. It has such a somber feel, much like the rest of Europe. But, I will say that getting to see the Berlin Wall was a huge highlight of my time, so far, in Europe. Such an awesome memory to have!