Berlin Tag Siebzehn

Third Reich eagles at Tempelhof

Your's truly at Tempelhof

Tempelhof main lobby

Tempelhof main building

MohrenStrasse U-Bahn station

Propaganda Ministry building

Speer's street lights

A Stumbling stone

Hello Everyone from Heis Berlin!

It's over 90 degrees here today, and without air conditioning you definitely know it! We did some exploring today to check out a few things that we had not seen yet, and there is so much more to see!!!

First off, we took the U-Bahn to Tempelhof airport. I really wanted to see this airfield as I believe that the city of Berlin plans on closing it down in October, but they do plan on preserving the buildings. What they are going to do with it I have no idea! The U-Bahn delivered us directly to it and we took a few pictures looked around and then off to our next stop.

Now we are off to Mohrenstrasse U-Bahn station to see some of the red marble that was taken from Hitler's Chancellery. It's on the walls and floors, very beautiful! Just down the street we had missed the "Propaganda Ministry" of Dr. Goebbels. No plaque to note the place, just the building. We felt there should be a plaque to honor the people that he inspired such hatred towards.

Off to catch the 100 bus, we saw it getting ready to turn the corner and Mark waved at the bus driver but he pointed towards a stop....behind him. We started towards the stop and he threw his hands up in the air and opened the door and beckoned us to come in, Vielen Dank! We were off to find Albert Speer's lamp posts on the Unter Den Linden which is now the 17 Juni Strasse. We had to walk quite a while till we came upon them, we almost gave up! Took some pictures and then off to the S-Bahn. We got off the train at the main Bahnhof and ran across a "Stumbling Stone". Now you have to watch where you step in Berlin as it is an old city and the sidewalks are made of cobblestones and other shaped paving stones, but this one was in gold and set slightly above the other stones....so if you are not careful you will stumble. We took a look at it and it was in memory of a Jewish man that lived at that address and had been deported to Auschwitz. I had heard about these but it was the first one I had seen. This is such a wonderful thing for Berlin to do and I felt rather emotional about it. This doctor had lived here probably all his life and then was scooped up, had no rights and was herded into a train. A personal touch to memorials, not just one memorial for the fallen Jewish people. I will have to go back and find the old Jewish neighborhood to see more of them; take pictures and make sure they make it to the internet!

We had lunch at a biergarten around the corner than back to the loft to pack.

We got back to the loft and started packing up and left out clothes for our dinner tonight. We have a reservation at the restaurant on top of the Reichstag. We left a bit early so we could take a leisurely stroll to the Chancellery as it is still quite warm. We made it there early and went to the handicap entrance (if you have a reservation, this is where you go instead of waiting in the "schlange"). No problem through security, then into the elevator and first stop was on the main level to pick up some people from the schlange. Then up to the roof! Nice and breezy up here much cooler than the street level. We were seated in the restaurant near the terrace with a nice breeze and I ordered a cosmopolitan and Mark a beer. The waitress came back with what was obviously a "German Cosmo"........it looked like a Shirley Temple full of cracked ice. I took a sip, and when the waitress came back she noticed that I didn't touch the drink and asked if it was all right. I told her I would have to go back and show them how to make one, perhaps we could have something else. We decided to have a bottle of German sparkling wine which was sehr gut. The dinner is a four course affair and started with appetizers, all good. Then fresh spargel (asparagus) with a couple other things, straight out of the commercial where the couple go to the great restaurant and get "small" food. We both laughed! Then veal which was cooked perfectly and oh so tender with white asparagus which was quite large. All the asparagus here in Germany we've seen has been white (which may explain the tiny one piece of green asparagus and I mean tiny!) and I have to say that I actually prefer it white......but oh the after effect! We also had potatoes with a sauce to put on them. After we finished a small itty bitty mousse with cherries came. It was tasty and again in the "small food" variety. When the waitress came back we asked for the bill and she said, before dessert? She explained that it was just to cleanse the palate and so we had dessert. We finished up and walked all over the roof and up into the dome. From our vantage point we had a great view of the city and a view into the Reichstag from above. A symbolic gesture that the people of Germany can always "Watch Over" their government. A really cool place. We walked home and off to bed for our travel home Monday. We have enjoyed our trip to Germany immensely!

Pat and Mark