Europe 2.3 - Berlin

January 02, 2007

Four days in Athens was probably too long (3 days would be enough). Anyway, we continued our vacation, flying into Berlin (Schnofeld airport) at 7 PM then took the Airport Express train (RE14 route) and efficient U-bahn (U2 line) to the Hyatt at Potsdamer Platz. Our first impressions of Berliners was not good - the train ticket collector was rude, and the local I asked for directions to the hotel simply ignored me.

The check-in staff at the Hyatt were very friendly and helpful, providing a detailed and personal tour of the hotel, room and club lounge. The hotel itself is very modern, with spacious shower/bath tub combo design. The bathroom also has a small LCD display and volume adjustable speaker of what the TV in the main room is showing. I think we will incorporate these features into the house we will eventually build.

I enjoyed Berlin best out of the 3 stops (London, Athens, Berlin), maybe because of friends (Mike/Grace and Chris/Simone), or perhaps Berlin is simply a very interesting city (what with WWII, Nazis, Berlin Wall, East Germin Stasis, etc).

Highlights include:

Snowing in the city. It was very beautiful and provided a very "Christmassy" atmosphere
Catching up with friends; sampling German bratwurst, currywurst every few hours (true!)
German-style dinner at a historic restaurant (with huge knuckle of pork, wild boar, and game broth)
Walking tour of Berlin (definite highlight - the insights provided by Sylvia, including "Germany/Berlin 101" were fantastic)
Getting a much better understanding of the events leading to the rise of the Nazis, WWII, and the separation of East/West Berlin as a result of the Allies's victory (West = USA, UK, France; East = USSR)
Brandenburg Gate (with the quadriga of victory chariot that was pinched by Napoleon when he conquered Germany), Reichstag, Berlin Wall (actually 2 walls separated by the Death Strip), Checkpoint Charlie, Museum Island (Museumsinsel), Friedrichstrasse, Bebelplatz (site of the infamous Nazi book burning - one a side note, Hitler did NOT sign books as depicted in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade), Hitler's Bunker (there are no signs as the Germans do not want to commemorate/celebrate Hitler) and Hauptbahnhof rail station (most impressive German design - futuristic design with glass dome, multi-levels shops and tracks separated by escalators in an open design, LCD panels displaying rail information, and crystal-adorned tree just for Christmas).

The return flight was painful, with stopovers in London and Boston. We spent over 24 hours either in airports or flying. Ouch!