BERLIN, GERMANY

June 26, 2018

The ship docked at Rostock and as it would take approximately three hours to travel to Berlin, we mapped out our whole day.  Of course, things went awry and our day was not what we had envisioned.  However, it was not a wasted day by any means.  The weather cooperated and once we reached Berlin, we started out on our hike.  We walked for about two-and-a-half hours before we reached the Victory Column.          

The streets are narrow and heavily congested.  However, this is a bike-friendly city.  Bike lanes are clearly separate from pedestrian and vehicular traffic.

We were exhausted after our long walk but were determined to push on.  We came upon some rickshaw drivers and thought "a-ha, let's give our feet a rest."  For the next half hour, we did enjoy the ride and history lesson from our driver, Michael.

The Reichstag is now just a facade.  The exterior has been restored to its former glory.  However, the interior is fully modernized.

The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe is a series of concrete slabs of varying height, from just a foot off the ground to probably the height of two adults.  Unfortunately the Visitor Information Centre had quite a lineup and we were not able to visit.  The idea is to wander through the columns and it is suggested that you will get a feel for this memorial.  People were sitting on some of the lower columns sunning themselves, eating lunch or in the case of teens, jumping from one column to another.  It felt sacrilegious.  One visitor admonished the teens to stop and so did one of the staff officials.  It's unfortunate that not everyone understands the significance.

The FIFA fanfest was being set up at the Brandenburg Gate as Germany was playing the next day after our visit.  We weren't able to get any good pictures here as everything was roped off and street vendors were being set up.

All in all, however, Berlin was a lovely city, well worth visiting again when there is more time.