We awoke and went over to breakfast at the hotel. It was not quite as good as in Bruges but still was very nice – brotchen and eggs and cereal and orange juice.
We headed by public transit first to the Hauptbahnhoff where the girls had to go to the bathroom. You have to pay money in most public restrooms, which is a total hassle. I had thought this was being phased out in Europe based on what I saw in London and Belgium, but not so in Germany. The most annoying thing is just how trivial it is – 50 cents or so will get you in, so the money really means nothing. Unless you don’t have it, in which case it’s a major hassle. Eventually you adjust and learn to always carry coins, but then you have the hassle of always carrying coins. As society goes cashless, this is really a pain.
Anyway, we went from there to the Brandenburg Gate. There were crowds of tourists, mostly taking pictures of guys dressed in funny costumes. New buildings that I dont remember from last time have been added on both sides of the gate, almost to touching it.
They have installed a double row of cobblestones that marks the route of the former wall, but otherwise it would be almost impossible to find. Not long ago, Berlin used to filled with fresh history, between WWII and then the Cold War, but it’s already starting to seem dated – something that is driven as much by the momentum of the tourist trade as anything else. Almost no one anymore has any living memory of WWII, and its been 20 years since the wall was taken down, and I’m not even sure if it’s still considered important enough to teach in schools.
We walked up and over to the Reichstag, but discovered that you can’t get in unless you reserve a spot three days in advance, supposedly due to terrorism. So all we could do was look at the outside. It’s a very effective, imposing building – and is the perfect backdrop for Nazi Germany. Still easy to imagine torch parades in the streets.
We then walked back past the Gate to the new Jewish Memorial. This was just in the planning stages last time I was here, but now it’s been completed. Not what I expected – it’s just a giant square filled with gray cement rectangles of varying heights. Some are low enough to sit on, and others are up to 12 feet tall, all laid out in a giant grid. The girls had great fun getting lost in the grid, and there were lots of other kids doing the same. Frankly, the site seemed much more to invite play than to invite reflection, and no one I saw actually seemed to be trying to reflect on anything much. Maybe it’s intended that way. Wouldn’t be surprised if it gets torn down and replaced someday.
We then headed across the street to get crepes for the girls, and then walked along Unter Den Linden, passing several embassies towards the museums. It was a warm, sunny day. We stopped for bratwursts from a street stand, and then toured the Deutsches Historishes Museum. It’s a very nice museum that traces German history from about 100 AD, the roman period, up to reunification. The best parts are of course WWII and the wall. I mostly walked it with Kaitlin, who has a nice habit of stopping and getting interested in exhibits that wouldn’t ordinarily catch my eye- things like a random painting, or a model of a monastery. When she stopped, I would stop too to discuss it with her.
I’ve seen the Nazi stuff before, but this time around was most struck by the display regrding the battle of Britain. There’s a good case to be made that Winston Churchill is the most important figure of the 20th century. Britain might have surrendered, after all.
We went from there to see the Berlin Dom, both inside the church and climbing to the top. I think this may have been the girls’ favorite. Especially the narrow twisting stairs near the top. Tremendous views in all directions.
After, we walked down to Checkpoint Charlie. Not much to see there now, it’s full of drinking college kids and not much else. My parents called me while we were there. A couple of blocks over, we found an exhibit with part of the wall still in place. I wonder if someday they’ll make similar exhibits in Jerusalem.
After returning to our room, Phyllis and I went out to get dinner, which turned out to be Dominos pizza, which was something we were sure the girls would eat. I also got my email straightened out and working again. After dinner, Amber and I played hearts with Judy. Then Phyllis and I watched the rest of No Strings Attached on the laptop. Seems odd to able to watch US movies while traveling in Europe. The world really is getting very small.