Berlin

Yeah, I know…another big gap between posts. Ever so sorry. There’s just been stuff, you know? A little over a week ago the Daughter and I flew from Belfast to Berlin. First time on Ryanair. Hmmm. It got us there and didn’t lose our bag – I would call that a success. We were there for a couple of celebrations for my nieces. A fun time was had by all.

I have been to Berlin a few times before this, but haven’t always gotten out to see the tourist sites. This time I thought I would be a good blog-type person, get out, see the sites and take photos – I know! Gasp. Let me start by saying that Berlin is quite warm in August. Not nearly as warm as it has been this summer, but still warmer than I like. I find that my tolerance for really warm has gone away and I prefer mildly warm. Therefore, I ate a lot of ice cream. There is no wrong time for ice cream or gelato.

Okay, so on to the sights. Berlin is, of course, filled with history. It is also filled with beautiful old buildings here and there with lots of newer construction in between. I shouldn’t need to explain why it is this way. There are many places you can still see war damage, even after 74 years. Most of that is in what was East Berlin, and the old buildings that were undamaged or salvageable there are lovely. There are many large parks and the streets are frequently tree-lined. In Pankow, where the Brother resides, it is even more filled with trees and flowers and parks. One of my (and many other people) favorite things about Berlin are the cross walk signs. A lot of other cities have followed this idea, but I suspect Berlin was the original – one of the good things left over from the Communist times. Rather than a walk/don’t walk, or a hand, they use a cute guy with a hat.

The ampelmannchen (yes, I know it should have an umlaut over the second a) is adorable. So adorable he has his own stores!

Ampelmann store on the left, crosswalk sign on the right

Now for a stroll down Unter den Linden, the main drag, where the historical/tourist spots are – these are my favorites

This dramatic statue is of King Frederick II of Prussia. This sits in the middle of the grand boulevard, nearly in its original location (installed in 1851)

Memorial for the Victims of War and Dictatorship. This is my absolute favorite place on the street, even though I cry every time.

Humboldt University, where Albert Einstein once taught

More university buildings across the street. Rather grand looking!

Anyone remember Michael Jackson dangling one of his kids of the hotel balcony? Yeah, that was here. It’s too bad that is what the Hotel Adlon is remembered for – it’s a beautiful, graceful building (but not the original Hotel Adlon, that was damaged beyond repair in the war).

*The majestic Brandenburg Gate. This was actually the first time I have gotten to see the Gate and the plaza in front of it without construction going on!!* The American Embassy is in the left hand corner by the gate.

So, not a tourist site, but I thought it was kind of funny to have Dunkin Donuts next door to the European Commission Office. However, not a fan of Dunkin Donuts.

At the far other end of Unter den Linden from the previous photos is the Alexanderplatz TV tower. My beacon when I get lost 🤔

Here’s the TV Tower with the sunlight on it. You have to wonder how the Communist government felt when they realized that this grand tower that they built lights up with a cross when the sun shines on it…

A few streets over is the Ritter Sport store. There are way more flavors than are available in the US and you can have a bar custom made!

One day the Daughter and I went to Modulor, an art supply mecca. We didn’t even go upstairs…it was too overwhelming. The Daughter had requested some drawing pads and pencils – and boy, did we find them! Then she had to narrow down her choices. If you are an art person (in any way) and find yourself in Berlin – be sure to go there!! Of course, being Berlin you find odd things –

Why throw away what you can re-use, right?

The festivities for my nieces were wonderful – the party last Saturday was a blast! We met some amazing people and got to know some better that we had previously met. A fantastic time was had.

A party size pan of paella. Beautiful to look at…

All in all it was a great trip, but it is nice to be back in the cooler weather. Now we settle into living in Northern Ireland and begin our explorations of this place. Next weekend we will go to Belfast. I look forward to seeing more of that city!