Berlin | Day Two: The Wall and More

Let's be honest. It's completely impossible to see Berlin in a weekend. As one of the most historic cities in all of Europe, this place has seen a lot especially in the last 100 years. We barely scratched the surface on this quick trip seeing and experiencing the major Berlin sites, but that just means we need to come back again preferably when the weather is nicer.

 My first impression of Berlin: Windy & lots of graffiti. Some parts of Berlin look pretty grim as though the war ended recently while other parts are very modern with swanky hotels, high-end shops and fine dining. Speaking of hotels, we stayed at the Berlin Wyndham Grand thanks to a former co-worker of mine who now working for Wyndham in Chicago and got us a 'friends and family rate' (thanks, Kenny!).

Berlin Wyndhm Grand

A look at our room with the very European dual comforters.

Our sunset view across the street from the Berlin Tempodrom.

Day two began with a brief train ride to Alexanderplatz and more importantly discovering a taste of home (literally): Dunkin Donuts! Back in the States I wouldn't have been this excited about DD, but when you're an ocean away, it's funny how the little familiar sites suddenly become a big deal.

'America runs on Dunkin' or perhaps they use a different slogan here?

After we got our DD fix, we made our way toward the Brandenburg Gate hitting the highlights along the  famous Unter Den Linden street in former East Berlin.

Neptune Fountain in front of St. Mary's Church.

The beautiful Berliner Dom.

Humboldt University

Among the many notable alums, Karl Marx graduated from Humboldt University and Albert Einstein was a professor here. Directly across the street from here is the Bebelplatz which is where the Nazis burned some 20,000 books from the university's library written by 'opponents of the regime.' Makes me thing of Indiana Jones, anyone else? Fun Fact: HU is home to 29 Nobel Prize winners... nbd.

Brandenburg Gate

The iconic 18th century Brandenburg Gate. You know it's a big deal because you can find on the Starbucks Berlin mug!

We came across this memorial dedicated to the more than 220,000 gypsies who were killed by the Nazis.

I learned that the triangle in the center represents the shape of the badges concentration camp prisoners were made to wear. A fresh flower is placed in the middle each day.

Reichstag Building

Originally built in 1894, the Reichstag Building houses the German Parliament. As you can imagine, it was severely damaged during WWII and the Cold War. After major repairs plus the addition of the glass dome, it was reopened in 1999. It's free to visit, but make sure you register here at least 2 days in advance to get access to the dome and rooftop terrace. I cannot wait to come back when the weather warms up!

Berlin Drain Cover

Throughout our European adventures, I've noticed that most European cities have personalized drain covers. How artsy is that? Beauty in the details.

Checkpoint Charlie

The little, white shack you see in the median the only crossing point for Allied forces between East and West Berlin until the reunification of Germany in 1990. You literally had to have a passport to travel from one side to the other.

Here it is, folks... The Berlin Wall (this is the western side).

The difference between freedom and communism was only a few inches wide.

 In the 28 years the Berlin Wall was active, it is estimated that somewhere between 100-250 people were killed trying to escape to the west; however, more than 5,000 successfully made the journey.

The brick foundation is the site of the former Nazi Gestapo and SS headquarters.

If you've never seen the speech President Reagan gave in reference to the Berlin Wall, do yourself a favor and watch it. However, if you don't have time to see the whole thing now, here's his famous quote... "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." 

What's left of an old bahnhof (train station) after WWII.

One last DD coffee for the road and a fond farewell to one of the friendly Berlin bears around town.

Tschüss!