A Kiwi . A lot of history .
Impressive architecture . Really great food
Today we woke up for the first time
in "Deutschland". After a delicious buffet breakfast, we got on the bus to start
our incredible journey! We headed for the Olympic stadium with commentary on
the way by our local tour guide Mike, the Kiwi from New Zealand. It was built
for the 1936 summer and winter games, where we made a quick stop for some
pictures.
More photos were taken and then came the time to see one of the most (if
not the most) famous sites in Germany – the Berlin Wall!!
We visited the wall in two different parts of Berlin, one of these being on the Spree river and covered in gratify from artists and the German public. It felt special to be in such an important historical site, the division between East and West Berlin during the Cold War, which was enforced in 1961 and did not fall until 1989. By now, tummies were rumbling, so we hopped on the bus to Checkpoint Charlie, where we had free time to eat and shop for souvenirs. This was the passage way in the wall to go between East and West Berlin before 1961.
We visited the wall in two different parts of Berlin, one of these being on the Spree river and covered in gratify from artists and the German public. It felt special to be in such an important historical site, the division between East and West Berlin during the Cold War, which was enforced in 1961 and did not fall until 1989. By now, tummies were rumbling, so we hopped on the bus to Checkpoint Charlie, where we had free time to eat and shop for souvenirs. This was the passage way in the wall to go between East and West Berlin before 1961.
Many of us tried the ’mandatory’ Currywurst, a German sausage sprinkled
with curry powder, served with hot chips, which turned out to be quite yummy!
Another popular lunch was the Döner (kebab), which didn’t go down too badly
either! One of us (Isabel) met three friends from Australia in the middle of
the street! It really is such a small world. Or, as you would say in German,
"Die Welt ist ein Dorf!"
Mike then took us on a walk to the "Brandenburger Tor", a huge gate that marked the entrance of the city that the monarchs passed through to go hunting. It was also located in the square in which Michael Jackson famously dangled his baby out of his hotel window for the press. Then it was time for our guided tour through the Memorial of Murdered Jews. This is a structure spanning about two football fields in the centre of Berlin, made up of about 2000 cement blocks of different heights, with an underground museum, all to remember what happened during the holocaust and to incorporate it in the daily life of the locals and tourists.
We later visited the Defense Ministry, where some people were shot after they attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler, and the Museum Islands, where there was a beautiful park next to the cathedral.
Mike then took us on a walk to the "Brandenburger Tor", a huge gate that marked the entrance of the city that the monarchs passed through to go hunting. It was also located in the square in which Michael Jackson famously dangled his baby out of his hotel window for the press. Then it was time for our guided tour through the Memorial of Murdered Jews. This is a structure spanning about two football fields in the centre of Berlin, made up of about 2000 cement blocks of different heights, with an underground museum, all to remember what happened during the holocaust and to incorporate it in the daily life of the locals and tourists.
We later visited the Defense Ministry, where some people were shot after they attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler, and the Museum Islands, where there was a beautiful park next to the cathedral.
We all had dinner in a traditional
Bavarian restaurant, with a live band and our soft drinks in big beer mugs. Now
it’s off to bed for an early night, and tomorrow we’re off to Amsterdam!
Gute Nacht und schlaft schön!
Joilann Morissette & Isabel Temperley
(Canada) (Australia)
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