2014 EUROPE by Rail 25 - The Wall

Along the way to The Wall we passed through neighborhoods from very nice to middle class to a tiny bit scary. But we were never intimated by anyone, even the gypsy-like group we crossed paths with. Most passersby proceeded directly on their way without acknowledegment. A few smiled or said hello. 

On Sebastianstrasse we lingered near a large apartment complex with a historical marker in front. It is extraordinary that in the middle of this very ordinary place, such significant events as escape, betrayal and murder are remembered back from 1962. This web page documents the story behind this building and the escape tunnel beneath it: www.berliner-mauer-gedenkstaette.de/en/1962-300,352,2.html 

After that memory jolt, the walk became more serene and peaceful. We passed by lovely Engelbecken Lake and nearby Saint Michael's Church, down along tree-lined Bethaniendam Street, and past Saint Thomas Protestant Church. We crossed the Spree River again and turned onto Stralauer Place (the street on which part of the Berlin Wall still stands).

At first we were a little unsure if we had the right spot. Building walls were painted with interesting art, but this didn't seem like The Wall we were anticipating. But after a short distance it came into view. There was an opening and you could stand in the middle of it and see both sides.

The East side of The Wall was buildings and road and concrete. The West side was a lovely green expanse. So so different, as we had seen on both sides of Brandenburg Gate. 

This is what the West side looks like. See the buildings over it on the East side. See a couple walking about a third way in from the left to imagine The Wall's height. The top of the wall had a rolled concrete piece that would make it hard for someone to get a grip while escaping.

The rest of the photos were taken on the East side. We took several hundred photos altogether, so these are just a few. Some represented the horror and some represented the hope of the years between 1961 when the wall was constructed and 1989 when the wall was felled. We think each pink dot on this one represents a soul who was killed while trying to escape through the wall.

Some of the murals were graffiti free or graffiti was placed in "non-essential" places. Some graffiti was placed right on the beautiful artwork. That part was sad. But public art is always vulnerable, I guess. This particular situation seemed a little more "holy" to me and warranted more respect. Guess I am old school. Everything is a throw away today!!

 
The art was interesting and thoughtful-provoking. Even though there were small descriptive signs by many of the murals, they were in German. So we did not understand all the implications or innuendos of the artists thoughts.  
Topics and styles were widely varied. Here is Zippie the Pin Head, a character from 1970s underground comics.

Some brought little tears to my eyes.

Here's a Trabant bursting through the wall. A Trabi is a car that was produced in East Berlin and was the most common car there. It had a two-stroke engine which lead to poor fuel economy and smoky exhaust. Not very practical, but all the East Germans had. Today the Trabi has become a cult car and there is a lot of hype surrounding it.

Here's a real Trabi used as an advertisement along The Wall for the Trabi Museum. I guess you can rent them, too. Mike really wants one!!

Along the way we saw this street artist with his dog nearby. This is one of those optical illusion pieces. At one point the artist stood on the "top" of the red pole and looked like he was balancing to keep from plunging into the black pit.

Lots of color.

This was a nearby tourist info booth / souvenir shop. At top see the famous photo taken in 1979 by Dmitri Vrubel and the reproduced painting of the photo to the right. It is called My God, Help Me to Survive This Deadly Love (or Fraternal Kiss, for short). The kissing men are Leonid Brezhnev (President of the USSR at the time) and Erich Honecker (General Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party that led East German). Read more about this story at: www.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_God,_Help_Me_to_Survive_This_Deadly_Love

We hated for the "slide show" to end, but it did. We walked back on the other side of the street to review and view The Wall from afar. It was actually very cool to see it from a little distance because some of the panels were related and we did not catch that fact when walking so close.

There is so much on the Internet regarding The Wall. This is a link to Wiki's info on its history: www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Wall and on the East Side Gallery:
www.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Side_Gallery

Nearby we also saw this sculpture of a Berlin Bear that looked like a giant mylar balloon. A group of teens were having their photo taken around it.

Alas, our feet were aching. Mike's were actually raw. Wonder how many miles we covered this day? We caught a cab back to the hotel for a little lay down.

2014 EUROPE by Rail 24 - Checkpoint Charlie

We started our day with a return stop at the Bagel Shop. It was on our route to Checkpoint Charlie's and the Berlin Wall, but we would have gone out of our way to return there. 

The cutsie little lady remembered us and our order as if we had been there a hundred times before. It was just as good, maybe better, than yesterday. We even lingered for a second cup of cafe au lait.

Mike had the sniffles that morning, so we stopped by a drug store to buy a travel size pack of tissues. Inside we did not spot them, so asked if they had them on hand. Sure they did and gave us a pack -- for free. How nice was that, and we didn't need to buy anything nor did it have advertising on it. Amazing!

Continuing back over the Spree River and down Unter den Linden Boulevard, we made a left at the 5-star Hotel Adlon (wish we could stay there next time!) at Friedrichstrasse heading south. We thought the street our hotel was on had high-end stores. But after seeing the line-up here of designer this and designer that, our street was more boutique-y than glamorous.

Here were endless brand name stores of  jewelry, watches, beauty products, clothes, shoes (oh, I lusted after those), and electronics. Not on budget with our purchase level, but really fun to window shop and to ooh and aah. Brands included Yves Saint Laurent, Rolex, Hugo Boss, Heidi Klum, Tommy Hilfiger, Ferragamo, Dolce and Gabbana, Sephora, Apple, the list is endless.

But, alas, shopping or even window gawking was not our focus today. Once onto Friedrichstrasse, we continued about 12 blocks to Checkpoint C (or Charlie) at Zimmerstrasse.

Mike had been in Germany at the time the Berlin Wall was still standing. He was stationed at the Hanau Army Airfield near the small town of Fliegerhorst. Although Mike did not, many of his army buddies made the trek to Berlin and passed through Checkpoint Charlie.

They had talked about Charlie's Beach which was a block of sand right in the middle of Berlin in sight of Checkpoint Charlie (need I say on the West side?). On it were honky tonk bars, movie shows to entertain the GIs, and lots of "friendly" ladies to "keep them company." Just a good ol' place for GIs to chillax. Here was today's version of Charlie's beach. I'm sure not nearly as exciting as the original, but in good spirit.

Along the outside wall of the "beach" was a pictorial display of the history of Checkpoint Charlie. This was the best known border-crossing between the East and West in the Cold War days. In one online article (www.berlin.de/orte/sehenswuerdigkeiten/checkpoint-charlie/index.en.php?lang=en), it says this crossing signified the border between East and West, Capitalism and Communism, freedom and confinement.

Diplomats, journalists, and non-German citizens could cross here with some vetting and on one-day visas. This was also the location in 1961 of a U.S. vs Soviet military tank standoff. Thankfully this did not result in the start of World War III.

A reproduction of the original signs and barrack stands at the checkpoint location. Official looking personnel are "on guard" nearby. Now, of course, anyone can freely pass by either way without permission or repercussion. In spite of that, dozens of people lined up to have their passports "reviewed" and stamped as if they were passing through a real-life border.

Today I read that this is actually illegal and invalidates one's U.S. passport. In this situation a non-official government representative is "defacing" it. I'm glad we did not pay the two Euros to have this "illegal" memento as many seem to be doing. Below are photos of the US side of CC, CC itself, and from the east side of CC.

Nearby there is also the Checkpoint Charlie Museum which is said to have the best records of the people that perished trying to escape from East to West. There is also documentation of the successful escapes and apparatus used in those escapes.

We did not stop, but continued our trek onward, following a map to our next destination--the East Side Berlin Wall Gallery.

2014 EUROPE by Rail 23 - Someone Special

By text message, we finally coordinated a time to meet for dinner with our niece Teshia's someone special. Not sure if Cory is Teshia's BFF, best buddy, sweetheart, main man, boyfriend, or what, but we know he is someone special to her.

Anyway we made contact and will meet him at the hotel at 18:00 for a little "get-to-know-you" time. In the meantime, we meandered back to the hotel to refresh.

From Brandenburg Gate we zigzagged through the neighborhoods, business, and shopping areas and past more impressive museums. We used the Berlin radio tower a few blocks from our hotel as our guide.

We wondered if you could tour the tower and Wiki (www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernsehturm_Berlin) says "Yes." There is also a bar and restaurant you can visit. No prices listed, but we imagine it is for a special occasion budget. It would be fun to compare views from the tower vs. the Reichstag glass dome for winner of best view of Berlin.

Along the way we saw street musicians, among them a Jamaican steel drummer with a red/yellow/green/black knitted rasta hat and dreds. Later we enjoyed a LOL in traditional dress playing traditional music on a well-used accordion. She gave us the most beautiful smile when we tossed a Euro into her tin pan.

We passed by the old German National Art Gallery, another splendid example of Greco-Roman-ish architecture. We didn't go in, but there were numerous old and modern sculptures surrounding the building in the gardens. We wandered there a bit before continuing.

Farther along we saw numerous pieces of public art. This one was the most interesting. It was a 2+ story man with his head peering inside the Collegium Hungaricum. The sky reflecting in the window added to its interest. From our view across the street it looked like it was made of butter.

We also saw a wedding party stopping for a cigarette and beer break. I hope no fiery ashes land on that "frothy" white dress.

Often we came across huge blue pipes connected at odd angles high above the streets and sidewalks. We wondered if this was some kind of nouveau "art" or had some practical function. Back home we learned that they are temporarily constructed and appear and disappear unexpectedly.

Berlin is built on a swamp and water is pumped from under it into canals and are especially needed when a new building is erected. We heard there are about 40 miles worth throughout the city. They come in pink and purple also, but we did not see any of those.

On the way back near the Berlin Cathedral we noticed a white tarp structure with square window openings. We were puzzle as to what its use was. We decided it may be one of the light shows we had seen on Euromaxx. Animated light shows are projected onto buildings at night for a beautiful display.

When we got back to the hotel, we inquired at the front desk. Yes, the Berlin "Festival of Lights" was happening now. The dates were October 10 through 19. Coordinated music and light projection events were displayed at various famous places around the city--Brandenburg Gate and the nearby to us Berlin Cathedral were two sites. Could we fit that in?

After a refresher at the hotel, we decided to explore up the street in the opposite direction from the market. We ended up at Rosenthaler Place. We saw the Circus Hotel (our first but filled hotel choice). We ended up in the Kat & Maus Cafe Bar nearby. Our feet were hurting, so it was a good excuse to sit down.


It turns out this charming place is part of the Circus "complex." An entrance to the Circus Hostel (not our style at this point in life, but looked really cool for young folks) was nearby.

We enjoyed wine, and beer and appetizers to while away the rest of the afternoon. We would really recommend this place. Great people watching, too, as there is a trolley stop right outside the front window.

Finally it was time to meet Cory at our hotel. We had sent photos back and forth so we were easily recognizable to each other. We chatted for a few minutes at the hotel and then walked a few blocks to the restaurant (with his bicycle in tow).

He obviously knew the area better than we did, so we asked him to pick the dinner spot. He chose a Japanese / Vietnamese sushi place called Kuchi (www.kuchi.de). What a cute name; means mouth in Japanese.

It is a little hidden gem not frequented by tourists. It was small and quaint, perfect for getting to know each other. Our selfies are not great, but you can see we are all happy campers. Cory has a wonderful smile.

I ate veggie sushi as usual, and I think the guys started with California rolls and then tried something more adventurous. The food was wonderful, but the focus was more on getting to know each other a bit. Cory has a charming and fun personality. We were glad to finally met and welcome him as a friend to the family and someone special to our dear niece Teshia.

Dinner came too quickly to an end. I think we could have talked late into the evening. But C had another commitment, so we said our good byes and went our separate ways. As he rode off, Uncle Mike said, "We should suggest Teshia buy him some lights or reflectors for that bike for Christmas." We were a bit worried he might not be seen by traffic as he disappeared into the dark of night.

2014 EUROPE by Rail 22 - The Gate

Onward to Brandenburg Gate (www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandenburg_Gate). Well, really we just pivoted 180 degrees from the Euromaxx studio window and there it was. 

At the end of Unter den Linden Boulevard is the grand Pariser Platz. It was filled with carriage ride opportunities, street entertainers, bicycle rentals, artists, an abundance of action. 

Most people in the crowded plaza admired and contemplated the Gate's neoclassical architecture and stately magnificence, its essence signifying the former divide between East and West Berlin.

We admired the sculpture on top of the gate titled the Quadriga (a chariot drawn by four horses). It was designed in 1793 by Johann Gottfried Schadow. For additional and interesting info (including when Napoleon stole it and took it to Paris), go to: www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadriga

The Gate is actually located in the previous Eastern Sector and stood within the "dead" zone between the Berlin wall and the "baby" Wall. It was a no man's land where someone trying to escape could easily be seen and killed by Soviet or East German military.

The dates it closed (August 14, 1961) and re-opened (December 22, 1989) are well remembered, along with the oppression surrounding it. And you cannot forget the lives that were lost trying to escape from East Germany over, under or through the Berlin Wall. 

When the Wall fell, the Gate symbolized freedom and hope of unity for the City of Berlin.

No vehicular traffic is allowed through the Gate now, but we and other pedestrians slowly strolled through, admiring its artistry and high arches. While the eastern side is all formal, regal and military style buildings and concrete, the western side is mostly parks and greenery. It was a somber moment of reflection of the two lifestyles in years past.

The street name on the west side of the Gate turns into Straße des 17. Juni (or 17th of June Street, commemorating the uprising in 1953 of East Berlin workers against the Red Army. Some of these protesting workers were killed). This long green boulevard leads through Tiergarten Park toward the Berlin Victory Column momument. We didn't get that far, but we could see its gold presence shining in the distance.

Just on the other side of the gate was a more solemn site. On a fence along the park were white crosses, each with the name of a person that had tried to escape East Berlin, but was killed in the process. There were narratives and photos telling about the life of each person. So sad!

Near the Gate, over the tree tops we could see the Reichstag Building, home of the Bundestag (or German "parliament"). It was one of the places on our list that we really wanted to see up close and tour, but just could not fit it in. Another trip?

It has a large glass dome that offers a 360 degree view of the Berlin cityscape, as well as the main hall of the parliament below. It was constructed in 1999, replacing the original cupola of the building.

We had taken a lot in and our feet were tired and achy, so we returned to our hotel to refresh. We meandered back a different route using the Berlin TV tower as our guide. It is 1,198 feet tall and can be seen from just about anywhere in the city.  It was not too far from our hotel, so a good landmark to get our bearings.

2014 EUROPE by Rail 21 - Destination: Euromaxx

We love Euromaxx, a program from the Duetsche Welle broadcasting company. It is a daily TV show based in Berlin that presents food, homes, travel, events, and other topics from all over Europe. On occasion we've mentioned in this blog certain segments that were of interest to us.

And we have a few personal connections to it, too. It is art, culture and design based. We enjoy that kind of stuff. Also our niece lives in Berlin and has a Masters of Art in Furniture Design. We look for her in the crowd when the segments are in Berlin. I'm sure we'll never see her, but crazy fun just to look.

We also had a Euromaxx segment done on our behalf. The hosts request folks to write in with ideas for places to highlight on their show. In fall 2013, we suggested they do a walk following the route of the Monaco Grand Prix Formula One race. (This is what we tried to follow a few days ago, when we got rained out.)

Well, they liked the idea and featured it in May 2014 just after the actual Grand Prix race. The segment followed the route and a few places just off the route. Our photo, as well as a map highlighting Kalamazoo, was displayed at the start of the segment. Boy, that was a thrill.

Our cat Bella likes the show, too. She often runs to the TV when the show theme song starts. And she seems to particularly like when Karin Helmstaedt is hosting. Or maybe its because we usually watch the show during lunch. Here's Bella watching our very own segment.

Anyway, not long ago they changed the studio to include a back window panorama of the Brandenburg Gate. We studied the view outside -- gate, street light, other buildings behind. So one of our goofy goals on this trip was to find their studio. Here's Bella watching host Anne O'Donnell with the Brandenburg Gate background.

Sustenance first. We stopped at a little bagel shop we had spied the night before for caffe au laits and bagels. Mike had an everything bagel with cream cheese and the best lox ever. I had my usual, everything bagel smeared with plain cream cheese. The cream cheese was out of this world. No Philly brand here. The shop was quite busy and the proprietor was a cutie. She ran the shop all by herself and did a fabulous job.

With our trusty walking map, we began our quest. We started back toward the market from last night, crossed through the train station tunnel and followed the Spree River for a short distance. We crossed over the river onto Museum Island were we found the now Protestant (originally Catholic) Berlin Cathedral.

The history of this cathedral dates back to 1451. The current structure is the largest church in Berlin. It is impressive with its numerous copper domed towers and ornate statuary. No time to stop. We were on a mission. Much more info at:  www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Cathedral

On another side of the square in front if the cathedral was the Museum of Arts of Liberals or the Altes (old) Museum built between 1823-1830. It houses the antique collection of the Berlin State Museums. Notice how small the people are on the steps compared to the impactful building. 

As we continued through the square we saw an all-girl marching band performing and then marching off into this museum. We crossed over another bridge off the island and started down Unter den Liden (under the linden trees) Boulevard.

The route was originally a bridle path laid out by Elector John George of Brandenburg in the 16th century. It was replaced with a boulevard by order of "Great Elector" Frederick William in 1647. At that time it extended from the city palace to the city gates. Now it lies in the heart of the historic section of Berlin.

In the grassy area between traffic lanes were stately statues (including King Frederick II of Prussia) and monuments to various persons and events in German history.

Each side of the boulevard is lined with impressive building after building. Among them are the Berlin State Opera, St. Hedwig's Cathedral, the German History Museum, Neue Wache (a war memorial), Humboldt University buildings, Berlin State Library, the Hungarian and Russian embassies, and many more. For more info about the boulevard and the buildings along it, see: www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unter_den_Linden

On the way were several impromptu sidewalk sales offering books and vinyl records. There was so much to see along this route that we went into overload.

What caught our eye next was the Mercedes-Benz Motor Car Gallery and show room. Bad American elitists! But it was free, so we mozied on in. And it was very cool.

They displayed detailed toy models of all the styles in its history; photos and quotes of famous race car drivers that were sponsored by M-B (including the great Lewis Hamilton); facts and figures of M-B history; and much more.

There was also a cafe and a gift shop with lots of M-B merchandise. As Mike had purchased a Lewis Hamilton cap in Monaco, I decided to treat my self to a M-B scarf. It was shades of gray and pink stars. Here's my photo wearing the scarf in my dream car.

The next stop was the Berlin Store. We could have spent hours here. It sold every historic or current day goo-ga you can think of relating to Berlin and Germany. There were lots of books and music CDs from German authors and musicians. There were souvenir chunks of every size of the Berlin wall, toy soldier sets, Berlin Bears of every size, postcards, posters, war gear, busts of famous Germans, gadgets, games, and endless other things.

German criminal code outlaws symbols of unconstitutional organizations. So no Nazi flags, insignia, uniforms, slogans (or forms of greeting) for sale. Not that we wanted any!!! 

A few steps further and we arrived in Pariser Platz, the heart of Berlin. The square is named after Paris, France, in honor of the anti-Napoleon Allies' occupation of Paris in 1814. Brandenburg Gate was ahead. We would get to that, but Euromaxx studio was our focus for the moment.

We turned to our right. We spotted the street light and then looked to our right. There was a building there that was a possibility, but no obvious sign. We went inside the building and looked at the directory. Nothing that said Euromaxx or Duetsche Welle, but there were several studios listed.

We went back outside and surveyed the situation. Finally I picked a window. You could not easily see in, but I went up close and put my hand up to shade my eyes to try to look in. OMG, this was the spot. But before I could look carefully a young man with a headset started hollering at me to get away. I didn't hear him at first, but I did hear Mike yelling, "Deb, Deb!"

I asked the young man, "Is this where they tape Euromaxx?" He said, "Yes, but not right now. Right now they are recording a show with Peter Hahn (I think was the name and it sounded familiar)." They did not want my nosy mug appearing in the background of the segment!!

Well, I was quite apologetic and hoped the young man did not get in trouble for his delayed reaction to my action. I hinted that we would love to go into the studio, but that didn't go over successfully. No problems. We had accomplished our goal and made it as close as we could get to the Euromaxx studio. Yee-ha!