A three hour walking tour

We started our second day with a walking tour of Berlin's historical sights. This free tour is offered twice a day by New Berlin and we highly recommend it for anyone visiting the city--you learn a ton, its in your language, and they only ask that you tip your guide. Our guide Paul, a friendly Australian guy who has been living in Berlin for the last 18 months, was awesome and brought the city and its history to life.

This is a photo of a photo of a photo of Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate). We took our own photos of the gate, but in this one, you see what the square looked like after the WWII bombing of Berlin.

The cobblestone line in the street marks where the Berlin Wall stood less than 20 years ago. It is hard to imagine there being a barrier in this vibrant part of the center city (this photo was taken just behind Brandenburger Tor).

Nearby, a section of the wall.

Berlin's Holocaust Memorial covers an entire city block in the middle of town. Each column is approximately 1 meter by 2 meters, with the tallest column at 4 meters. The ground plane undulates and as you walk between the columns, it is quiet, disorienting, maze-like...it is easy to lose sight of the other people around you that you know are there but you cannot see.

There are two large public art pieces outside the old Luftwafa headquarters. Our guide stands in front of the first piece: a large Americanesque Regionalist mural that the DDR commissioned to show the state of the nation as they preferred to see it-wheat harvesting, industry, doctors, children smiling, dancing. The second piece is a large glass photo mural placed in the courtyard to look like a reflecting pool. The photo shows a mass of people behind a barricade, linking arms in solidarity. It's an archival photo of one of the first popular revolts against the DDR, taken at the same time the more optimistic mural was commissioned.

The infamous book burning square, where early in the rise of the Nazi party, the adjacent university library was purged of all books that contradicted Nazi ideology.









A Kathe Kollwitz sculpture at the Memorial for all Victims of War and Tyranny. From the outside, it looks like a greek temple, inside is bare except for the sculpture and a large occulus in the ceiling (letting in the rain on this day).









This church was built @100 years ago, styled to look older. On the right is the famous Berlin radio tower. We ended our tour huddled underneath one of the church porticos (it was pouring), listening to Paul share the sequence of events that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall. It was an amazing story of organizing at churches in Leipzig, leading to larger gatherings there and around other East German cities, a press conference gaff, and people, people, people. It was powerful. Check out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSnkJXBq_dk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnYXbJ_bcLc

The Reichstag. It's hard to see but there is a modern glass dome atop the center of the building which is open to the public late into the evening. The dome symbolizes the transparency of the new unified German government--it is where the people can watch over parliament, and parliament is reminded of who holds the power.










Writing this blog, we are filled with love for humanity, peace, and the power of people. We were amazed by Berlin.

Berlin

We arrived in Berlin early Saturday morning to find out that it was unification holiday weekend (October 3, 1990 to be precise).  Berlin was packed with people from all over Germany coming to visit the city for the holiday.  Amazing to find ourselves here for this event; however, it translated into very very few hotel rooms left within the city.  After we passed on the first hotel room offered because of price, we took the next, described as not too far from the center and on a metro line.  Still...119 euros...but we were ready to start exploring and worried about not finding a room at all (after spending the previous night in Amsterdam's airport, albeit on some very comfortable plush armchairs).  A little tired and feeling foolish, the lovely tourist information agent handed us the confirmation sheet for our hotel room.  And where do you suppose the hotel was? Burgemeisterstrasse...which we read as Burmeister Street, and were reminded that yes, everything does happen for a reason (says Lesley).  

A bombed out cathedral by Zoogarden station. Not restored but left as a memorial, with the forms (volumes) of the belfry and the baptistry recreated in plain black brick.  

Graffiti is everywhere, particularly in East Berlin. Some of it is quite beautiful.

poetry in motion

way to seize the opportunity (click on this one to enlarge)

A few years after the wall fell, artists were invited from around the world to make a piece on the longest remaining section (1.3 kilometers).  This section of the wall is across the street from a huge modern convention center (glass, stainless steel, LED lights) called O2 world.  It is quite the contrast.

Irving Magic Johnson

Cafe Hofbackerin: this little coffee shop in East Berlin sells killer coffee and lovely bite size cookies. They also run workshops on how to live your dream---berliner traumjobs.  The owner explained that having this cafe was his dream and he now wants to help other people do the same. 

Enjoyed wieners and mixed salads at Sowohlalsach kafeehaus, a precious cafe in the Prenzlauer neighborhood in northeastern Berlin.  Topped it off with apple kuchen and sitting outside with fleece blankets and espressos--the blankets are a nice trend that we've seen in several cities thus far, another perk of traveling in the fall).  For those who dream of opening a cafe, this place is a model.   

Back to our hotel for the evening, on where? Burmeister Street!

Delfshaven

Delfshaven is the old neighborhood in Rotterdam, annexed from Delft in the late 1880's. Early immigrants to America in the 1600's left from here, including Henry Hudson of NY river fame. Located west of town, along the river Maas, it is hard not to fall in love with this little island.








































Tapas one night at "Apricots" (note: we attempted to order seafood tapas in the dutch only menu. alas, kip is chicken, not kippered fish, and ooster is oyster sauce, not oysters. nonetheless, it was delicious)


















Look, there's a lovely place overlooking the canal to have a pint...










































and then they pulled down the screen to project the local football match. This pub is perfect.

Amsterdam

We decided to head to Berlin for the weekend, to see some art and visit this dynamic, historic city before heading northwest to the German ports of Bremen and Hamburg on Monday. We found a cheap flight from Amsterdam to Berlin Saturday at 6am, which means we get to spend a day in Amsterdam (and a night at the Amsterdam airport). Sweet.































beautiful, fairytale Amsterdam









Joe had a hankering for herring. This is the first of two broodje haring. Simple deliciousness--pickled herring, pickles, chopped white onion, hot dog bun. Makes you feel alive.










Bikes, bikes everywhere. We particularly noticed the happy family biking, with mom or dad plus one, two, three kids, heading home from school or off to dinner via Vondelpark. Couples holding hands while biking was pretty darn cute too. Check out the sweet bike designs, wish Seattle were flatter...































































those slanted platforms across the canal are bike racks for....a 1000 bikes?









Work bike styles










If you know what you want, you will find it...









...mussels












Happy times









Check out our first video


off to the airport....dank u wel Holland!