Berlin, Germany
We have reached the last stop folks! Our final destination was Berlin.
As those who are geographically inclined may realize, Berlin is nowhere near the Baltic - thus making it a challenge to visit via cruise ship. For this particular port, we actually got to experience the fun of traveling on the European rail system. Oh, how I miss traveling on those trains!! Freshly baked German pretzels and Harry Potter UNO served as our entertainment for this adventure. We had a 3-hour ride through the beautiful open countryside of Germany before arriving at a train station in former East Berlin.
Our first stop upon arrival was at the remaining section of the Berlin wall. What a way to be introduced to the powerful recent history of this city! This wall that used to stretch over 100 miles to divide 
East and West Berlin is now completely gone except for a few remaining sections left as a monument to that time in German history. You can now find a simple reminder to where the wall once stood - two rows of bricks in the street follow the entire path of the old wall.
Brandenburg Gate is one of the most recognizable symbols of Berlin. It once served as a sort of royal entryway to the city (only royals could pass through the center of the gate). During the cold war, the gate was nearly inaccessible as the Berlin Wall passed just in front of it and the area around it was left almost entirely devastated.
Next, we saw the Reichstag, which serves as the seat of the German Parliament. This building, like most in Berlin, suffered severe damage during WWII and has had to be nearly entirely reconstructed since then. The words over the entrance to the building serve as a dedication "to the German people."
In our remaining time in Germany, we also visited a memorial to all those who died in the Holocaust
(interestingly enough, this memorial was built almost on top of the bunker where Hitler eventually killed himself). Also, to the right is a picture that I think defines modern Berlin - the old side-by-side with the new. It's the tower of a bombed out church, now shadowed by a contemporary replacement.
From here, we sailed back to our original port of Copenhagen to disembark for the final time and spend a few days decompressing in Denmark. Now we are back in the triple-digit temperatures of North Carolina, simply dreaming of the cool breeze of the Baltic! That's all, folks!
As those who are geographically inclined may realize, Berlin is nowhere near the Baltic - thus making it a challenge to visit via cruise ship. For this particular port, we actually got to experience the fun of traveling on the European rail system. Oh, how I miss traveling on those trains!! Freshly baked German pretzels and Harry Potter UNO served as our entertainment for this adventure. We had a 3-hour ride through the beautiful open countryside of Germany before arriving at a train station in former East Berlin.
Our first stop upon arrival was at the remaining section of the Berlin wall. What a way to be introduced to the powerful recent history of this city! This wall that used to stretch over 100 miles to divide 
East and West Berlin is now completely gone except for a few remaining sections left as a monument to that time in German history. You can now find a simple reminder to where the wall once stood - two rows of bricks in the street follow the entire path of the old wall.
Brandenburg Gate is one of the most recognizable symbols of Berlin. It once served as a sort of royal entryway to the city (only royals could pass through the center of the gate). During the cold war, the gate was nearly inaccessible as the Berlin Wall passed just in front of it and the area around it was left almost entirely devastated.
Next, we saw the Reichstag, which serves as the seat of the German Parliament. This building, like most in Berlin, suffered severe damage during WWII and has had to be nearly entirely reconstructed since then. The words over the entrance to the building serve as a dedication "to the German people."
In our remaining time in Germany, we also visited a memorial to all those who died in the Holocaust
(interestingly enough, this memorial was built almost on top of the bunker where Hitler eventually killed himself). Also, to the right is a picture that I think defines modern Berlin - the old side-by-side with the new. It's the tower of a bombed out church, now shadowed by a contemporary replacement.From here, we sailed back to our original port of Copenhagen to disembark for the final time and spend a few days decompressing in Denmark. Now we are back in the triple-digit temperatures of North Carolina, simply dreaming of the cool breeze of the Baltic! That's all, folks!
posted by Julie at 8:14 AM
2 Comments:
Jules, you look so cute in red, and I dig your sneaks!
We originally wanted to go to Berlin, but ran out of Europe-time. We'll have to hit it sometime. Looks very interesting.
Man, you guys sure have the travel bug. It makes me want to go again RIGHT NOW. I think it will be another 3-4 years until we make it to Italy--my next hopeful destination.
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