May 3, 2017
Okay, so I am flying to Berlin. First I want to tell anyone that would like to fly Business Class (expensive, but highly recommended) I have a great guy! So I am headed to Berlin to visit my son William, and take a tour of a couple of cities in Eastern Europe. Before a trip such as this I have several learned recommendations: know your local beer! Sounds funny, but beer is a staple with most meals in Europe (for some including breakfast???) but know your beers and local brews – I did not do this and had to just point and pray! Second: know a few phrases in the native language, maybe this should have been first, but non the less….it is appreciated in country, and it is fun! Third: use public transportation and be fearless! The worst thing that can happen is that you go the wrong way – you will find your way back, and you will have an adventure. Last (at least for this moment) have great walking shoes – and walk! Walking anywhere in European cities is generally easy and you see so much more – but again, have great shoes! Also – have a weather app, bring the right clothes, and know what your cellular carrier allows ( and changes for), and have a good camera. I have photos on both my camera and my cell phone – but I used the camera the most! So on with the adventure.
Flew from Louisville to Atlanta, Atlanta to Paris (if you do this understand how Charles de Gaulle is laid out – it is most confusing…and quite large!) then Paris to Berlin.
MAY 4 – Berlin is a great airport – William met me at the entry gate, and as I had gone though passport control in Paris, it is was just a matter of picking up bags and heading out. We took a cab to the apartment based on my luggage, and got to the apartment quickly. For those of you who know William well, you know he is pretty frugal, and he had a very limited time to obtain an apartment once he arrive in Berlin. So, his apartment is on the fifth floor of a lovely old East German construction (you can feel the communism seeping through the walls). The communist were nothing if not utilitarian….we won’t talk about the exotic palace the elite lived in…so the apartment will be there forever – solid…and no elevator! So we schlepped luggage to the 5th floor. The thought that I might die of a heart explosion right there in Berlin did cross my mind and I really didn’t want William to have to deal with two dead parents, so I survived! The apartment is nice, very utilitarian – everything you need and absolutely nothing that is not needed. Thus it is tiny house without charm! But for him, it serves the purpose and he has a café across the street (an awesome café I might add) and a grocery down the street. His apartment has a washer, but no dryer so he has drying racks for his clothes, but it works. It actually reminded me of the space allotment in the 5th wheel – and I lived in that for three years!
Once we dumped the luggage in the apartment, and he showed me around – and my heart rate and breathing returned to normal, we set out! So Thursday, the day of my arrival, we headed out to the immigration office for William to interview for his work permit. We hung out there and he was interviewed and got his temporary permit – that took a couple of hours, then we headed to Museum Island in the city. I love Berlin! It is such an interesting and lovely city, and the Germans I interacted with were quite patient and lovely. Wandering in we went to the DDR Museum – the museum which details life under the soviets. The DDR Museum is a museum in the center of Berlin. The museum is located in the former governmental district of East Germany, right on the river Spree, opposite the Berlin Cathedral. I took no photo’s in the museum, but the website http://www.ddr-museum.de/en shows some of the displays. We all knew that the soviets had a rough time, but their daily life was elusive and this museum explores that. For a fun time find the film “Goodbye Lenin” it is a good film and shows a picture of East Berlin as the Wall went down.
After the museum, we headed to dinner – and authentic Bavarian Beer Garden in Berlin – had a pork chop the size of my head, and a great local beer (point and pray). Then, as I recall, back to the apartment and eventually sleep.
MAY 5 – We decided to go to Potsdam – Potsdam is a city on the border of Berlin, Germany. Sanssouci Palace was once the summer home of Frederick the Great, former King of Prussia. On the grounds of the complex, the Renaissance Orangery Palace overlooks Italian-style gardens with fountains. Historic Mill offers city views. English gardens surround neoclassical Charlottenhof Palace. The 19th-century Roman Baths were built in several architectural styles. Potsdam is the location of the great divide – The Potsdam Conference, 1945. The Big Three—Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (replaced on July 26 by Prime Minister Clement Attlee), and U.S. President Harry Truman—met in Potsdam, Germany, from July 17 to August 2, 1945, to negotiate terms for the end of World War II. The Potsdam Conference was held at Cecilienhof, the home of Crown Prince Wilhelm, in Potsdam, occupied Germany, from 17 July to 2 August 1945. I wish I ere better at both photography and remembering what I took photos of… the first big building is the Summer Castle with the attending gardens; the windmill has a great story: http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM299B The city gate Nauen gate (sideways) The Nauen Gate has been part of Potsdam’s fortification since 1720. The current gate was designed by Johann Gottfried Buring, after an original sketch by King Frederick the Great. It was built in 1755 and is one of the first examples of English Gothic Revival architecture in Continental Europe. Anyone who knows me know that I love architectural detail – so as you look at my photos know that some I take just for that reason!
