Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Berlin, Germany

 I was so sad to leave Prague, but Germany was waiting and we had to see it all.  We all hopped in the car after breakfast and made our way to the German capital city of Berlin. We entered to outskirts of Germany and realized we were on the autobahn. You know what that means? No speed limit. Woohoo!! My speedster husband even decided to hit 100mph, but refused to go any faster considering his precious cargo.

Autobahn time...ok, ok this only says 92.
 The car ride to Germany was so much fun. There were some turbulent moments and much needed potty breaks, but all in all we arrived in Berlin with high spirits. It was an overcast day and we welcomed the cool breezes. The city seemed very modern compared to Prague and I was excited to see the country of my ancestors.  
Our first stop was the famous Berlin wall and checkpoint Charlie. Leon had been to Berlin once before while traveling Europe in college, so he took the lead in showing us around and giving some great background history to all of our sites. Checkpoint Charlie was the portion of the wall that separated the Soviet Union's East Berlin and the US run portion of West Berlin. I told Ellie that we were going to see a wall that was built by some very naughty people. This concerned her and she kept telling me that she didn't want to see naughty people, she only wanted to see nice people. Ok, Ellie we will only take you to see nice people, sweet girl.
  


A tiny portion of the once huge cement barricade that tried to keep communism and capitalism separate.


It was a humbling experience to see a once powerful wall torn to dust by the power of a revolution. I realized that I really didn't know much about the history of East Berlin and the wall. I was moved to tears as I read the stories of young Germans who wanted a better life and were hurt or killed for trying to cross the border. My heart broke for the young mothers who hid in trunks of cars with their children, full of fear and hope, wondering whether or not they would start a new life or be thrown into jail as they tried to cross the border. It made me so thankful for my freedom and my country. But it also made me wonder, how in the world people have forgotten so quickly what too much government power can do? 

After the visit to the Berlin wall memorial site, we headed over to the nearest Starbucks for a little internet access and muffin action. Note to self: raspberry cheesecake muffins in Berlin are to die for. Anyway, we decided we had time to visit three sites and walk around the city for a while. We choose the DDR museum, the German Capitol building, and the Brandenburg Gate. We also found an authentic German restaurant that we were excited to try. It was called Hansel and Gretel and served sour kraut and sausage. It was so salty and so German. We loved it. 

As we drove around East Berlin looking for the restaurant, Leon pointed out how all of the water pipes were running on the outside of buildings and over the roads. He said that this was exactly how the cities looked in Russia. Apparently, communists did not care about aesthetic charm for their citizens and just did what was cheap and convenient. It was dull and a little sad. To give the Germans proper credit, the pipes were painted a neon purple color, adding a little life to the city. 

Hansel and Gretel

Ham and sour kraut. Thanks Dad for the German taste buds, I loved it.

After our stroll through East Berlin and my self realization that I knew nothing about communist Germany, we headed over to the DDR museum (German Democratic Republic) where we could learn more about what life was like on the other side of the wall. We parked in front of a beautiful church and played in the fountains for a while. We also spent some time reading stories of WW2 Germany and victims of the holocaust. I am fascinated with the holocaust, mostly because I love Jews. Some of my very favorite people in this world are Jews and I am so touched by the stories of those who were affected by this horrific slice of world history. I wish I could go back in time and save all of these brave heroes.






My lover man.


Look at these awesome dance moves. She got my rhythm lol.


Germany, I love that you thought of me and my stroller when you built these steps!













The DDR was very interesting and informative. The government had so many regulations on the German citizens. For instance, instead of wearing Levi jeans the Republic made these hideous knock offs and they regulated everything from television to music to the education of their citizens. The people revolted by being nude all the time. It was interesting to see the propaganda and lies that the media was telling people. Reminded me a lot of the current media. Scary.

Love you Ellie bean.


Oh, thats how you got up there.


Next stop was the capitol building or the Reichstag. We planned on taking a tour, but with two cooped up kids and an hour long line we quickly reconsidered. We settled on running around the lawn and climbing trees. I wish I could say that there were special things about the capitol building, but there weren't. So we made our way to the Brandenburg gate





















The gate was stunning. It has a long history and the current gate was commissioned in the 18th century as a sign of peace. It was isolated during the reign of communism in Germany by East Berlin and was one of the iconic images following the falling of the wall. Ok, lets be honest it was basically destroyed in WWII. As was all of Berlin. Seriously, there was not a single building standing that was pre-1950. Which is tragic considering all of the history in that region of the world. But I guess thats what you get when you start a bunch of wars. The gate was restored in 2002 to its 18th century neoclassical beauty.




A sweet old man offered to take a picture of our family and unfortunately he couldn't quite get it right. (both the picture above and below were his attempts at snapping a pic of the family with the gate, sigh.)





The square was full of live musicians and dancers and lights and life. It was fun to watch, but Leon and I always left before they started passing around their hats for money. That part is always so awkward. 

By this time I was on a hunt for my magnet. I used to think that shopping was such a waste of precious travel time, but after this trip I really started to enjoy it. Each place had so many unique treasures and I loved seeing them all. Ellie loved it too. She would constantly be asking me to take her picture by or with obscure things. And I happily obliged.



After shopping we found a pizza place for Ellie who was getting a little hungry. It was fun to make friends with the owners and talk to them about how they ended up in Berlin. So many of the touristy shop owners in different countries are foreigners to that country. Its kind of bizarre. They gave us their internet password and we decided to drive three more hours that night in order to shave off time in our long drive the next day. Who wouldn't want to see Hannover?

But I have to admit, my very favorite part of the day was making our way back to the car after dinner. The sun was starting to go down and the sky was the perfect shade of purple-orange. We found this amazing monument erected to the victims of the holocaust. I was so grateful for the opportunity I had to remember these people and what they went through. I walked around the monument with my lovely family and thought of the families who lost everything. My heart still breaks for them and those who could have participated in their pain. I talked with little Ellie about it a bit and watched as she ran and danced and ate her lollipop. I couldn't be more grateful for her childhood and her safety and freedom. 

We all sat there for a bit and enjoyed a German sunset. It was easy to smile and laugh with little Elle dancing her way through life. She was elated because the owners of the pizza joint gave her a lollipop. Jet was asleep by this time and we got to just sit and enjoy being a family.







As we made our way back to the car, we noticed that near the capitol building there was an outdoor movie being shown. It was old and in German, but I couldn't help but watch a little. I love being out doors and I love watching movies. I could have laid there under the stars and listened to German all night, but alas Amsterdam was awaiting our arrival. Auf Wiedersehen Germany!

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