This is a place that I never thought I would have the chance to visit. Growing up I remember hearing about the "iron curtain" and having visions of high security and no freedoms. It is incredible how much has changed in such a short period of time. This trip proved to be at times fun and also very educational and gave us a better sense of gratitude for the freedoms that we have. There is still construction going on today from the effects of World War 2.
The first day we walked around and got a better feel of the city. The picture below is of the victory column, The Siegessäule. This was a monument built in 1873 to celebrate the Prussian military successes and the expansion of the empire. Aaron, Ashtyn, Darby and Jaxon all went up to the top of it. Melynn wanted to build a snowman instead!
We walked through Tiergarten, which is Berlin's central park.
Then we walked down to, what is probably the most visited place, The Brandenburg Gate. This is where Ronald Reagan stood and said, "Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall."
Every where you go in town there is sure to be a Christmas Market nearby. We enjoyed walking around and seeing what all the vendors were selling. Though I have to admit that after having gone through several of them they start to all look the same. However, we really enjoyed trying some new little goodies! Below is a picture of something called "Schneebälle", snowball in english. It is like fried dough in a ball with some different toppings on them.
Here is a picture of one of the vendors selling homemade candies and candied nuts.
The next day we decided to take a tour of a concentration camp just outside of Berlin. I was a bit hesitant about exposing my kids, especially Jaxon, to this awful time in history. However, this was something I have always wanted to see and here was an opportunity for me. Our tour guide ended up doing a great job of how he presented the information. I did not take many photos because it felt inappropriate. Here are a few that I did take.
The words on the gate above translate to "works makes you free".
False hopes to the prisoners.
This photo shows the barbed wire fence that is in front of a wall which completely surrounds the camp. The prisoners were not allowed to get near the wire fence.
The photos above and below show what the sleeping quarters were like.
Often 3 people had to share one bunk.
This camp was called "Sachsenhausen". It was one of the first camps built and became the model for all of the other ones. After the end of the war, the Soviets took control of the camp and used it as a prison for many Germans.
It was definitely very informative and my children were all glad that they went.
Later that evening we found a nice to place to eat and rest....
photo bombed by Melynn :)
The next day we went on a walking tour of the city. We saw and heard about a lot of the history of Berlin. My brain was a bit fried!
The photo below is in front of some of the wall that has been preserved.
I thought this church was so beautiful. It is the Berlin Cathedral.
Here you can see the TV tower that is 368 meters high and the tallest structure in Germany. It was built by communist East Germany to become the symbol of Berlin.
This is a sign at "Checkpoint Charlie". It was the location of the famous standoff between US and Soviet troops in 1961. Soviet and US tanks faced off for several days. This checkpoint was a symbol of the divided Berlin.
The tour ended at Brandenburg gate. It was a good day but our feet were really exhausted!
Ashtyn's friend, Sydnie, is an exchange student living outside of Berlin. She was able to spend this day with us. It was great to see her!
We happened to find a great burrito place near our hotel. We have been missing some good mexican food so we ate there twice!
After enduring endless pleading from Jaxon we visited the Berlin Aquarium. It is a nice aquarium and we did have a good time. It made Jaxon very happy.
This is a photo of a fish! How cool is that!!!
Next, we visited two museums. The first one we went to is called Neues (New) Museum. It's most famous item is the the bust of Nefertiti. We were not allowed to take any photos - sorry.
The second one is called the Pergamonmuseum. This was a great place to visit. The Germans did some amazing things in this museum. They rebuilt several ancient structures, transporting the actual stones, brick, statues, etc. from the original site to Berlin. It was amazing to see.
This is the Pergamon Alter from 180 - 160 BCE. It was used in religious ceremonies in the ancient city of Pergamon.
This is the Market Gate of Miletus. This is basically the entrance to their mall.
Pretty cool mall entrance!
Above... a miniature model of the Ishtar gates to Babylon and below...the real thing! Daniel, Old Testament guy, walked through these gates. Nebuchadnezzar built these gates to show his power.
Candy Apples to finish off the day. Next stop was heading home!
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