Sony Center roof 
Kaiser Wilhelm church
Kaiser Wilhelm church 
Victory column
Russian WWII Memorial 
Bendlerblock National Socialist Resistance Museum 
Wreath commemorating the assassinated Count von Stauffenberg and conspirators.
View of the courtyard of the Bendlerblock.
Hi All,
Today is Saturday and we spent the day in Berlin catching up on areas that we had wanted to get to but had not made it there yet.
We started the day by catching a U-Bahn (U6) and then a S-Bahn (S2) train to get to Potsdamer Platz. This area is like the Times Square of Berlin. Numerous high-rise buildings and many very modern structures. Including the very famous Sony Center, with it's very unique tent like roof. We have pictures, it is pretty interesting.
From Potsdamer Platz we took the U-Bahn (U2) train West to go to the Zoo area. There we viewed the very historical Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, which was originally built in 1895, and left as ruins after WWII as a reminder.
A side note here on what we saw as we exited the U2 station here. There is a very plain looking, billboard type of sign, with the names of about 20 concentration camps listed on it, vertically. Above it, in German, is a caption that says basically "So we do not forget". As we said earlier, the history of this country is in their face every single day, they do not try to hide their history, it is very easy to find it, almost anywhere you go.
After the church we went to the largest retail department store in Europe, the Kaufhaus des Westens (or KaDeWe). This is just down the street from the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. This is a 7 story store with 1,200 employees, all ready to help you with anything you may be looking for. There is even a bar, restaurant, and a Japanese sushi bar inside. Oh Heaven!!!!! This is a girls dream store with about each and every designer you can think of, no Wal-Mart here!! As my birthday was just a few days ago I was in the mood for something........Mark of course doesn't want to spend too much time here as most of the items are sehr teuer (very expensive)! We left.....but all I could think of was the zombies from "The Mummy" chanting "KaDeWe", I now know where there all were wanting to go!
After the KaDeWe we caught the 100 Bus which runs from the Zoo all the way over to the East side of Berlin, past Alexander Platz. This is a great tourist bus as it passes many of the popular sites. We have a 7 day pass, which in Berlin covers all of the U-Bahn, S-Bahn, buses and trams. So we just hopped onto a 100 bus and headed towards the Tiergarten, and the Siegessaule (Victory Column)
The victory column sits in the middle of the vast Tiergarten and rises 69 meters high (210 feet). The column is very beautiful, and is so large that is has a staircase inside that you can climb up to the observation deck, which is just below the statue on top. The column was originally built in 1873 in front of the Reichstag building, but Hitler had it moved to the Tiergarten in 1938 as the statue did not fit into the Nazi plans for the remodeling of Berlin into Germania. The column is topped by a 24 foot high statue of Victoria, the Roman goddess of victory.
After the victory column we got back onto a 100 bus and headed over to the East end of the Tiergarten, past the Reichstag and over to the Brandenburg gate again. This time we walked West past the gate and made our way to the Russian WWII memorial. This memorial to the soldiers who gave their lives in WWII, especially Berlin, actually is built with granite stones that the Russians took from the rubble of Hitler's Chancellery building. Also, the memorial sits in what was actually West Berlin during the cold war, and the Allies actually allowed Soviet soldiers to guard the memorial.
From the Soviet memorial we headed out on foot south to find the Museum for the German Resistance Movement. This is an important museum but we could tell it was not visited by many people. Probably because there is no mass transit that goes anywhere near it. It is kind of in a hard to get to area, and we had to walk about 20 minutes to find it, which we were able to do with no problem. The building is yet another WWII Nazi building that has preserved to today. During the war, this building was where the German generals planned Hitler's war campaigns. Also here was the supreme command of the Wehrmacht, which commanded the army, navy, and air force, as well as the German counter intelligence office. Here was also the office of Claus von Stauffenberg, who was one of the leaders in the failed assassination attempts on Hitler. After the failed attempt, Stauffenberg and his conspirators were all shot in the courtyard of the building. There is now a wreath on the wall and a plaque with their names in the place where they were shot.
This is where we had a very interesting encounter. Pat was waiting outside for me while I was in the WC inside before we made our way from the museum. She was sitting nearby the wall with the wreath on it in the courtyard between the buildings. I came up to Pat and at the same time an older German man came up and asked if we "Sprecken Deutsch". Pat responded in German that she knows a little, and at that point he started to tell us, in German, that his father had been shot at this spot, at the wreath. He was pointing and very animated, and he started to cry. He said a lot more that we could not understand, and then he gave a thumbs up gesture and said all is good now. Then he pointed his finger at Pat and said something I wish we knew what it was. It sounded like a gesture that he hopes we never have to see this again, maybe that is what he said. Then he turned and walked out of the courtyard and down the street. I wish we knew his name, and all that he said, but we both understood very clearly the part about his father. There was no misunderstanding that part.
After the museum we walked back to the closest U or S bahn station, which happened to be Potsdamer Platz, the very place we started our day earlier today.
It took us about 20 minutes to get to Potsdamer Platz. As I said, this museum is kind of hard to get to if you do not have a car. Once at Potsdamer Platz, and sitting at the Sony Center we decided we had not really done any shopping (of course I thought of that!) while we were here so we go back on the U-Bahn and went back over to the KaDeWe. I felt that it would be a light, happy thing to do after such a heavy time at the Bendlerblock/Resistance Museum. I as was scoping out die handtaschen (handbags) that happened to be within a reasonable price range (under 500 euros!) I finally found one, a beautiful brown leather bag. The sales ladies came over to help us and told us that if we went up to customer service and got a KaDeWe card, they would take 20% off.....so up to get KaDeWe'd we go! Got the card and back down to purchase the handbag (one of my favorite things!). Then after the purchase, back up to customer service to get a "Tax Free" form so we wouldn't have to pay VAT on the bag. Up and down, they get you in and want you to see the store and oh the wonders! I have no doubt that the zombies had to be on the way to KaDeWe! Mark managed to get me out with only one purchase, but girls.....mission accomplished!
Back to the flat, and we made spaghetti, and had a few cold beers.. mmmmm...
Now we are watching the Euro 2008 soccer on TV. The Netherlands (in orange) are playing Russia. Germany won the other night and there were many celebrations we could hear in the area. Soccer (Fussball) is VERY big here.
Tomorrow is out last full day here in Germany, and we are leaving Monday morning.
Mark & Pat
Today is Saturday and we spent the day in Berlin catching up on areas that we had wanted to get to but had not made it there yet.
We started the day by catching a U-Bahn (U6) and then a S-Bahn (S2) train to get to Potsdamer Platz. This area is like the Times Square of Berlin. Numerous high-rise buildings and many very modern structures. Including the very famous Sony Center, with it's very unique tent like roof. We have pictures, it is pretty interesting.
From Potsdamer Platz we took the U-Bahn (U2) train West to go to the Zoo area. There we viewed the very historical Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, which was originally built in 1895, and left as ruins after WWII as a reminder.
A side note here on what we saw as we exited the U2 station here. There is a very plain looking, billboard type of sign, with the names of about 20 concentration camps listed on it, vertically. Above it, in German, is a caption that says basically "So we do not forget". As we said earlier, the history of this country is in their face every single day, they do not try to hide their history, it is very easy to find it, almost anywhere you go.
After the church we went to the largest retail department store in Europe, the Kaufhaus des Westens (or KaDeWe). This is just down the street from the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. This is a 7 story store with 1,200 employees, all ready to help you with anything you may be looking for. There is even a bar, restaurant, and a Japanese sushi bar inside. Oh Heaven!!!!! This is a girls dream store with about each and every designer you can think of, no Wal-Mart here!! As my birthday was just a few days ago I was in the mood for something........Mark of course doesn't want to spend too much time here as most of the items are sehr teuer (very expensive)! We left.....but all I could think of was the zombies from "The Mummy" chanting "KaDeWe", I now know where there all were wanting to go!
After the KaDeWe we caught the 100 Bus which runs from the Zoo all the way over to the East side of Berlin, past Alexander Platz. This is a great tourist bus as it passes many of the popular sites. We have a 7 day pass, which in Berlin covers all of the U-Bahn, S-Bahn, buses and trams. So we just hopped onto a 100 bus and headed towards the Tiergarten, and the Siegessaule (Victory Column)
The victory column sits in the middle of the vast Tiergarten and rises 69 meters high (210 feet). The column is very beautiful, and is so large that is has a staircase inside that you can climb up to the observation deck, which is just below the statue on top. The column was originally built in 1873 in front of the Reichstag building, but Hitler had it moved to the Tiergarten in 1938 as the statue did not fit into the Nazi plans for the remodeling of Berlin into Germania. The column is topped by a 24 foot high statue of Victoria, the Roman goddess of victory.
After the victory column we got back onto a 100 bus and headed over to the East end of the Tiergarten, past the Reichstag and over to the Brandenburg gate again. This time we walked West past the gate and made our way to the Russian WWII memorial. This memorial to the soldiers who gave their lives in WWII, especially Berlin, actually is built with granite stones that the Russians took from the rubble of Hitler's Chancellery building. Also, the memorial sits in what was actually West Berlin during the cold war, and the Allies actually allowed Soviet soldiers to guard the memorial.
From the Soviet memorial we headed out on foot south to find the Museum for the German Resistance Movement. This is an important museum but we could tell it was not visited by many people. Probably because there is no mass transit that goes anywhere near it. It is kind of in a hard to get to area, and we had to walk about 20 minutes to find it, which we were able to do with no problem. The building is yet another WWII Nazi building that has preserved to today. During the war, this building was where the German generals planned Hitler's war campaigns. Also here was the supreme command of the Wehrmacht, which commanded the army, navy, and air force, as well as the German counter intelligence office. Here was also the office of Claus von Stauffenberg, who was one of the leaders in the failed assassination attempts on Hitler. After the failed attempt, Stauffenberg and his conspirators were all shot in the courtyard of the building. There is now a wreath on the wall and a plaque with their names in the place where they were shot.
This is where we had a very interesting encounter. Pat was waiting outside for me while I was in the WC inside before we made our way from the museum. She was sitting nearby the wall with the wreath on it in the courtyard between the buildings. I came up to Pat and at the same time an older German man came up and asked if we "Sprecken Deutsch". Pat responded in German that she knows a little, and at that point he started to tell us, in German, that his father had been shot at this spot, at the wreath. He was pointing and very animated, and he started to cry. He said a lot more that we could not understand, and then he gave a thumbs up gesture and said all is good now. Then he pointed his finger at Pat and said something I wish we knew what it was. It sounded like a gesture that he hopes we never have to see this again, maybe that is what he said. Then he turned and walked out of the courtyard and down the street. I wish we knew his name, and all that he said, but we both understood very clearly the part about his father. There was no misunderstanding that part.
After the museum we walked back to the closest U or S bahn station, which happened to be Potsdamer Platz, the very place we started our day earlier today.
It took us about 20 minutes to get to Potsdamer Platz. As I said, this museum is kind of hard to get to if you do not have a car. Once at Potsdamer Platz, and sitting at the Sony Center we decided we had not really done any shopping (of course I thought of that!) while we were here so we go back on the U-Bahn and went back over to the KaDeWe. I felt that it would be a light, happy thing to do after such a heavy time at the Bendlerblock/Resistance Museum. I as was scoping out die handtaschen (handbags) that happened to be within a reasonable price range (under 500 euros!) I finally found one, a beautiful brown leather bag. The sales ladies came over to help us and told us that if we went up to customer service and got a KaDeWe card, they would take 20% off.....so up to get KaDeWe'd we go! Got the card and back down to purchase the handbag (one of my favorite things!). Then after the purchase, back up to customer service to get a "Tax Free" form so we wouldn't have to pay VAT on the bag. Up and down, they get you in and want you to see the store and oh the wonders! I have no doubt that the zombies had to be on the way to KaDeWe! Mark managed to get me out with only one purchase, but girls.....mission accomplished!
Back to the flat, and we made spaghetti, and had a few cold beers.. mmmmm...
Now we are watching the Euro 2008 soccer on TV. The Netherlands (in orange) are playing Russia. Germany won the other night and there were many celebrations we could hear in the area. Soccer (Fussball) is VERY big here.
Tomorrow is out last full day here in Germany, and we are leaving Monday morning.
Mark & Pat
1 comment:
Hi,
I remember seeing the Church everytime we entered the city as our hotel wasn't far from there, the Brandenburg gates and the Berlin Zoo. I also remember the Victory Column.
I wonder what that man said to you in German? (the part you couldn't understand). What did you say to him when he told you his father had been shot there? You must have just been astonished.
I think I went to that department store, too.
Gina
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