Germany
After a glorious week in Poland, we took the train to Berlin, Germany. I’m glad we saw Poland first. We didn’t plan it that way but in hindsight, it was important to honour the people of Poland and witness the devastating effects of WWII. It gave us perspective before spending time in Germany. We met a friend of Jewish decent, in Poland, who was a true New Yorker in her 70s. She told us that she never thought she’d go to Germany, but she did. She made a trip to Berlin and absolutely loved it. She said she felt at peace.
Berlin is gritty; probably remanence from the Cold War. As you walk the streets, you can feel the anger and tension in the air. There’s an alternative vibe, mostly among the young people. The children of the people who were brought up in the communist era. A friend of ours lived there for a while but had to leave because of the negative energy and I slightly understand this.
We stayed within walking distance of the main attractions and Museum Island. As per usual, we took a Hop On/Off Bus tour - something we like to do in the places we visit to get the lay of the land. It wasn’t the best city tour we’ve had as the waits at each stop were far too long and the voice on the audio was most irritating. I’d skip the bus, download yourself an audio guide and walk the city or better yet, bike, which we did one day.
Brandenburg Gate
We were in Berlin for two days and we put in thousands of steps. We took in the usual landmarks of the Brandenburg Gate, The Reichstag Building and the Radio Tower (not as impressive as our CN Tower in Toronto). My favourite part of the city was visiting the “Checkpoint Charlie” exhibition that chronicles the events of the Cold War in Berlin including the construction and destruction of the Berlin Wall. Second to Checkpoint Charlie is the actual wall itself. There is 1316 m of the wall still remaining referred to as the East Side Gallery. Here you will find the work of many international artist depicting stories of peace and love. It’s a constant reminder of the work that still needs to be done.
Remains of Berlin Wall
The third and final walkabout that I truly loved was walking around Museum Island; a UNESCO World Heritage site boasting incredible architecture and art. Try to catch it right at sunset. The light on the buildings is mesmerizing and the vibe of the people lounging around at that square is super chill.
As the sun goes down
After Berlin, we took the train to Munich for a couple of nights on our way to Salzburg. Unfortunately Munich didn’t do it for us. We can’t blame it all on Munich. Our luck turned in Munich. I booked the wrong dates for a hotel and had to quickly rebook at double the cost. The only available hotel within our stretched budget was located on the outskirts as everything was sold out because of the “Pink” concert - damn concerts. Same thing happened to us in Argentina when Cold Play was in town for 10 days. Also, we had purchased a Eurail Mobile Pass and it took hours manipulating the app to purchase train tickets. Anyway like I said, it wasn’t the fault of Munich.
We did manage to see the BMW Museum. In less than 2 hours you can see all the makes and models of the past 100 years, cars and motorcycles. If you’re a car enthusiast, you’ll love it. We are not car people. We own Dodge Mini-vans. But for some reason, I’ve always wanted a BMW 5 Series. Like I said, I can’t tell you anything about cars let alone BMWs. I thought I was getting one for my 40th birthday. Instead, Brent surprised me with Jack - a labradoodle puppy. He certainly wasn’t a BMW and in the end, I wouldn’t have traded him for any model in the 5 Series. I got my fix in the museum.
BMW Museum
On our final night in Germany we did have a beer at the Marienplatz and saw the Glockenspiel with its’ dancing figures. I would like to come back for Oktoberfest and the Munich Christkindlmarkt. Prost everyone!
For more on our time in Germany, check out the Youtube link below:
