Berlin 2

The second morning we did a walking tour with Harold. We began at the TV tower, a television tower that stands 368 feet tall. We walked from there to Museum Island where many local museums occupy the entire small island sitting between a canal and the Spree River.  We visited the site of the Nazi book burning site, the Berlin Opera House, and Gendarmenmarkt. We saw another section of the remaining Berlin Wall with description of the history displayed. We also visited the Visitors center at the wall, which is a free museum dedicated to WWII and the Cold War. We saw where check point Charlie used to be and the tourist trap for the replicated Check Point Charlie where you can pay some actors who are dressed in military outfits to take photos with. We walked our way down to the site of the memorial to the Murdered Jews (Also known as the Holocaust memorial). We ended our walk at the Brandenburg Gate where the famous columned stone archway stands that separated East and West Berlin. It now symbolizes unity and peace. It is the most recognized landmark in Berlin that represents the most notable history of Berlin. 

Even though Berlin was devastated during WWII and even after the war, East Berlin underwent many decade of neglect, the city has been rebuilt in a way that recognizes its past and also displays the conjoining of old and new.

After another traditional lunch, this time a local sausage and pretzel dish. It was a white sausage served in a white crock of hot water and sweet mustard on the side with a pretzel. It was interesting looking but truly tasted like a hotdog. The one thing that bothered me most was the swarming yellow jackets. They were in our drinks, one our food, swarming our heads and would even land on us. It was very distracting. 

After lunch we made our way back through the town to take a scenic river cruise. The cruise lasted a little over an hour but gave a relaxing perspective of the city’s landscape from the historical way to travel. Of course I had to try the local drink served on the boat, which was a sweet green beer served in a round glass with a diameter of about 6 inches and standing only 6 inches tall.  It was surprisingly good.

We finished the river cruise and made our way back to the hotel to get our bags. We took the S-bahn to the train station and took the ICE train back to Bremen. 

There are so many historic landmarks in Berlin and a nice blend of old and new without removing evidence of what happened to the people of Berlin. I would recommend visiting Berlin.