I am not a jelly filled donut!

But I am now a tremendous fan of Berlin. As Amanda mentioned in one of her previous posts Berlin was a destination that we both felt needed to be seen but wasn’t particularly high on our list. There are various reasons for this stretching from the minimal number of pre-WWII historic landmarks, decades of Soviet occupation following the war and a general sense from 80’s pop culture that Berlin is mainly an industrial town with unattractive buildings covered by layers of graffiti. This is decidedly not what we encountered during our stay in Berlin.

We arrived at the Berlin central train station around 10:30 AM and noticed at once how much cleaner and better organized it is than its French or British counterparts. Paris and London stations often overcrowded, with trash scattered about, and in the case of Paris particularly sticky and smelly. Berlin's central station was absolutely nothing like that! 

Given the early hour we were slightly concerned about trying to check into our hotel early but figured we’d at least be able to drop our luggage off so we wouldn’t have to spend most of the day wandering the streets of Berlin with rolling suitcases. Thankfully there was already a room available for us at 11:00 AM so we got to do a bit of freshening up as well. The room itself was fantastic and perhaps the largest hotel room we’ve ever stayed in. Not only that, it too was fastidiously clean (this will be a recurring theme) and modern, with an entire wall of floor to ceiling windows that ran the length of the room. It also had the nicest bathroom I’ve been in. It may not qualify as premier five star accommodation but it’s probably as close as one can get without breaking the bank.

No Links Allowed!

Our next stop after the hotel was supposed to be the Brandenburg Gate followed by a stroll down Unter der Linden where many of the Embassy’s are located as well as some decent shopping and a bit further on Humboldt University. However, we were distracted by a field of concrete pillars that rise out of the landscape just south of the Brandenburg gate and stopped to take a look. In the space of half a city block there are 2,711 of these concrete pillars which make up the first Holocaust memorial sponsored by the German government. It is known as the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe and is a compelling sight. Beneath the pillars is an austere museum which tells the stories of many of the individuals and families who suffered at the hands of the Nazis.

The Brandenburg Gate was only a few hundred steps north of the Memorial so we made our way to the most recognizable piece of architecture in the city. The original gate was part of the Berlin Customs Wall which was completed in 1737 and stood until 1861 when the city had begun to expand beyond its original borders. 50 years after the Custom’s Wall was completed King Fredrick William II of Prussia commissioned a new Brandenburg Gate be built that would be a symbol of Peace. This is the gate we are all familiar with now and was completed in 1791. It stands alone as the only city gate remaining from the time of the Prussian Empire and has been the scene of several major events throughout history. Napoleon processed through the Brandenburg Gate upon defeating the Prussians in 1806 at the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt and took the original statue that was set atop the gate with him back to Paris. Upon Napoleon’s subsequent defeat in 1814 the statue was liberated, brought back to Berlin and redesigned to include the Iron Cross of the Prussian Empire along with the Prussian Eagle that sits atop it. While the Nazi symbol of the Iron Cross can be traced all the way back to 13^th century Jerusalem when it was granted to the Teutonic Order as a their orderly symbol, it is far more likely that the Nazis were simply carrying on the Prussian tradition of using this symbol to instill a sense pride and in their party while also implying a sense of history into their movement by reclaiming symbols from previous Prussian Empires. In fact, the Prussian version of the Iron Cross was established by King Fredrick Wilhelm III of Prussia as a medal of honor for those who fought during the Napoleonic Wars and was also used in the Franco Prussian War as well as World War I a scant 20 years earlier.

Other historic events that have taken place within sight of the Brandenburg gate include John F Kennedy’s rather infamous “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech in 1963, A Concert for the People in 1980 and the eventual fall of the Berlin wall in 1989.

Moving on from the Brandenburg gate we did some window-shopping down Unter der Linden while taking some photos of the surrounding buildings and statues. By the time we reached what is known as Museum Island dusk was quickly we approaching so we made our way back to the hotel to rest up for day two in Berlin.

Our second day started early with what I hoped would be a visit to the Gemäldegalerie where a large collection of Peter Paul Rubens paintings were on display. Apparently I have become far to use to the free access provided by most every museum here in London because when we walked up to the desk and saw that tickets to enter were €8 per person I decided it wasn’t worth the trouble. Anyway from there our next stop of the day was the Jewish Museum Berlin. It is billed as the largest museum in the world devoted strictly to Jewish history and that’s not a statement that should be taken lightly. We arrived at the museum shortly after ten in the morning and were there so long we actually missed lunch. Most of what I have learned about Jewish history is, not surprisingly, from the time of the Second World War or in relation to the times immediately surrounding Jesus’ walk amongst us. There is, of course, much more too Jewish history than what I had learnt and while I instinctively knew this, when you’re actually faced with the sheer scale of history on display at the Jewish Museum Berlin it becomes more than a bit overwhelming.  We would both recommend it to anyone who travels to Berlin and has a bit of time to spare as its perhaps the most impressive collection of history on a single people anywhere in the world.

As we were utterly famished by the time we left the Jewish Museum we set out to find something to tide us over until dinner. Unfortunately we were so hungry we couldn’t quite decide what we wanted and ended up all the way back up on Unter der Linden by Museum Island, or about 4 miles from where we the museum is located. We did come across an open air market which ran along the banks of the Spree River opposite Museum Island and spent some time selecting the art work we would eventually add to our growing collection. Eventually we decided to skip eating altogether and make our way down to Check-Point Charlie Museum. Compared to the Jewish Museum the Check-Point Charlie Museum was surprisingly disappointing. There is more information displayed than a person could possible read in one visit but it is all just thrown up on the walls in no particular order. The rooms were also very small throughout and I got the sense of being in a tightly confined space with no way out on several occasions. We did manage to get a few pictures next to what is left of the Wall but since that’s not part of the Check-Point Charlie Museum I came away feeling as if I could have just taken the photos and been perfectly happy.

By this time hunger had taken us again and since I wasn’t at interested in skipping dinner we found a restaurant and bar close by called the Augustiner and stepped inside. It was absolutely packed. To deal with this situation the wait staff had a decidedly German solution of sitting couples at tables that were already occupied but still had seats available. Amanda and I however managed to get a table with only two seats so we didn't get to make any new friends, but it was interesting watching customers walk in and be seated with total strangers. I have no recollection of what Amanda had for dinner that but I had two boiled sausages and a pint of Augustiner Dunkel. It was amazing, but not as good as the treat Amanda had in store for me afterwards.

Fassbender and Rauch are, according to their website, the largest chocolatier’s in the world and where just down the street from our restaurant. Not sure how I missed them on my way to dinner but Amanda apparently did not. The ground floor is devoted entirely to the sale and display of chocolate goodies while the first floor (second floor for all you American’s) is a café that serves specialty hot chocolates paired with delectable chocolate desserts. I was in absolute heaven!

Yep, I could eat that.

and this

and most definitely this, and I did!

Our final day in Berlin was spent walking around the Christmas markets that were just opening up for the season and finishing up the last half of the self guided walk we started earlier in the week. As you can probably tell by the photos the weather was spectacular and we managed to find bratwurst and pretzels at each of the markets we visited to keep us warm and fueled up for our day. Our last stop of the trip before collecting our luggage and getting back on the sleeper train to Paris was a tour of the Reichstag’s glass dome. What was once the center of the Nazi party in Berlin, the Reichstag is now home to the German Parliament and while you can’t really tour the inside of the building you can tour the glass dome that is set atop it. Once inside there is a winding walkway that ascends about half way up the sides the dome which afford great views of the city. A free audio guide is included to explain what it is you are seeing as well as describing the dual purpose of the dome (sun light filters into the parliamentary chambers below via mirrors that descend from the top of the dome down the center of the structure while air from the chamber is filtered out of the dome through vents in the roof and then expelled through slots in the dome where overlapping sheets of glass connect) and how it works to keep the chambers below lit during the day and at a constant temperature no matter what the weather is like outside.

How many buildings can I get pictured next to the Berlin TV Tower?

This was in a hotel! Apparently you can ride an elevator that runs through the center but we couldn't quite decipher how that worked. Need to work on my German some I guess

Here's another

This pony wanted nothing to do with Amanda,

but this one was more than happy to make friends.

and another

Enjoying a hot chocolate and a pretzel. The pretzel's already gone!

Berlin from the top of the Riechstag

Brandenburg Gate from the Tiergarten

Well that’s about it for our time in Berlin. It was an excellent trip and completely surpassed my expectations. Can’t wait to go again! 

Sleeping on a train

We had wanted to go to Berlin.  I’m not sure what I wanted to see exactly.  I felt like it would be a quite depressed city given it’s history.  But all the same, I felt like as part of our grand European experience we needed to give it a try.  To date all of our trips to the continent have been by car or plane (or technically cruise ship).  To also complete one of our European experiences, I felt like we needed a train trip.  We had taken the Eurostar from London to Paris; Mom & Dad had left for Rome via the train so I figured we could just ‘pop over’ to Berlin in one as well.

There are 3 daytime trains from Paris to Berlin which take about 8 hours or you can take an overnight sleeper train which takes 12 hours.  I thought the sleeper sounded fun and saved our precious sightseeing hours, so I (over the course of 3 weeks) talked Adam into it.

We left out of Paris’ Gare de E’st just after 8pm.  We’d eaten dinner before boarding, but I’d also loaded up with snacks just in case.  We had a separate cabin with two fold out bunk beds (like a Murphy bed folds down from the wall) and a private bathroom with a shower.   As we were settling into our room, the train manager came to the cabin and checked our ticket then asked if we’d like complimentary wine.  Well, if you insist!

So we had our wine and a few snacks before settling into bed for the night.  Adam insisted on taking the top bunk.  We both woke up several times throughout the night, mostly when the train pulled into a station or joined with another train (the train would stop for a moment, and then you’d feel it ram into another train to connect, then we’d be on our way).  In our 12 hours, I imagine we picked up / dropped off about 10 other train segments.  Mental note: don’t sleep walk from your train carriage or you might not continue on to Berlin!  But overall, we actually slept much better than we anticipated and actually felt rested when we woke up the following morning.

I can now say I have showered on a moving train.  I can also say I feel no need to do this again.  Being a German train, it was absolutely clean and actually had hot water.  But it did have a 30 second governor on it.  So you turned on the water, rinsed, the water turned off, you soaped up, turned on the water, rinsed, the water turned off.  Repeat as necessary.  Adam’s thinking about adding this feature to our next house, because it was the fastest shower that I’ve ever taken.

Our train manager appeared again with our breakfast. 

I attempted to put on mascara on a moving train.  Once again…no need to attempt this again.

We arrived into Berlin on time and refreshed, ready to see the city!

À Paris

Ever since my really strange panic attack at age 11, I’ve needed to go back to Paris to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower.  Adam & I visited Paris as one of our first trips in November 2011, but I wouldn’t let him go to the top of the tower then either.  So, since my parents were coming 4,900 miles to visit us in London and then needed to go to Rome to catch their ship back to Florida, we decided we’d just ‘work in Paris’ as well.  Yes, our plan was just as crazy as it seems.

So the four of us went to Paris together on the Eurostar.  (Side Note: I think we’ve now used every method to cross the channel…ferry, Eurostar, Eurotunnel, and plane.  Score!)

After the next couple of sentences, you’ll know that I did not buy the train tickets.

We took the 7:05am Eurostar.  Which meant we had to be at the train station at 6am.  Which meant that we had to leave the house at 4:45am.

You see, the train station is 11.2 miles from our house, but as the British have never heard of a highway and London doesn’t have a road longer than about a mile & half, it takes an hour to drive 11 miles.  Even at 5 am.

Luckily we could take a nap on the train to Paris.

We made it to Gare de Nord on schedule and quickly found our hotel to drop off luggage before heading out for the main event for the day.

I promise we were all having a good time.  I have no idea why Adam was scowling and Daddy was looking at the train across the way.

We decided to attack from afar so we could appreciate the gracefulness of the tower from a distance (and take some better pictures) then get up close & personal to appreciate the scale of the structure.  You don’t really realize the size until you try to go to the base.  It’s like the mountains off I-10 as you approach Tucson.  You think you’re a lot closer to them than you really are, then once you make it to the base of the mountain, you realize that they’re twice as big as you thought they were.

I don't try to take pictures of him making odd faces.  This stuff just happens.

The tower itself serves no purpose except to impress (and take tourist Euros).  In 1889, Gustave Eiffel won the contest to build the centrepiece for the World’s Fair.  And with great gusto, he came up with the 1,000 foot tall tower made of 7,300 tons of metal and 60 tons of paint.  People of the time thought it was monstrosity.  The writer Guy de Maupassant routinely ate lunch in the tower so that he ‘wouldn’t have to look at it.’

When we’d made to the base, we got to stand in line for tickets and bag checks.  The tour books warn of two hour lines in off season and three to four hour lines in peak.  Lucky for us, at the end of November it was about 45* and raining so the line was only about an hour.  However, as Mother pointed out even though the line was outside, it was slightly blocked from the rain and the mass of people actually created some warmth.  Okay, it’s a stretch, but we tried to convince ourselves.

We made it through security and into the first elevator to head up to the top.

Yet again.  No idea...

From the top, or le sommet, is wind and grand, sweeping views.  The plaques on the tower claim you could see 40 miles.  Not sure I believe that.

When we’d taken in all the heights and made it back to solid ground we started thinking about what we wanted to do next.  Dad suggested that we go over to see Notre Dame then followed it up with ‘I also want to walk along the Seine, so why don’t we walk along the river to Notre Dame.  It’s only about a mile.’  I could tell by Adam’s face that he disagreed with this statement, but as Adam stated later, my Dad is 6’4” and knows a guy with a dump truck, so you don’t dispute anything he says.

So off we went.

It was a lovely walk.  We came across Pont de l’Archeveche (the ‘Love Lock’ bridge).  So many padlocks everywhere.  There are padlocks not even locked to the bridge, just to other locks because it’s so full.

We made it to Notre Dame.  It is beautiful and worth every second of time you spend inside.  

Adam & I chose to sit in a pew while Mom & Dad walked around.  We pulled out the map of Paris.  Do you know how far it is from the Eiffel Tower?  3.1 miles.  We convinced Dad to take the RER back to the hotel.

After a good night’s sleep, it was time to say goodbye to Mother & Daddy.  I was sad they were leaving again, but glad to know it’s only 6 more months until we get to see them again.  We went with them to Gare de Lyon and had some breakfast before they had to head to their train for Rome via Turin.

Mother & Daddy have gone posh.  According to Dad he didn't realize he'd booked first class.  If you know Dad, you'd believe him.

Adam & I had the day in Paris before heading to Berlin on our train.  What better way to get over being blue that Mom & Dad left than to do some shopping in Paris.  I thought.  Adam did not.

So instead, we started by visiting the Mémorial de la Déportation.  The memorial is for the 200,000 French victims of the Nazi concentration camps.  It’s a strange experience to walk down a flight of stairs into an empty void and watch the city of Paris disappear.  All you can see is vast sheets of concrete with names inscribed on the walls.  It’s a pretty eerie experience.

From there, I told Adam I couldn’t do anything else depressing, so we decided to have lunch.  I just happened to pick a restaurant Avenue des Champs Elysées. Adam didn’t realize this was a major shopping street until after we got there.  

Woohahaha!