The BIG day!

The order of this day is a little foggy, so I’ll just not mess with chronology at all. Here's a simple list of some of the things we saw that day....

The Berlin Wall:

As terrible as this is, my first encounter with the infamous wall was in the form of a vending machine. Amy and I were walking back from the Dome and we saw a vending machine advertising “bits of the wall”. Of course we HAD to buy it. It was in a little bubblegum machine and what you received (for the low cost of 2 euros) was: 

1. two bits of the wall 
2. a pin saying “i jumped the wall” 
3. a certificate of authenticity        ...and last but not least...
4. a coupon for ice cream! 

We were pumped and thought this was a great deal. Who else can say they bought the wall from a vending machine?? (well, probably lots of people, but add my name to that list!) Later that day we saw much more of the wall and chunks that were scattered throughout the city in the form of art and historical displays. 

Alexanderplatz: 

This is the part of the city that was built when the wall came down. It was supposed to be the new and modern part of the city. Once we got there, we both did a double take and thought we were for sure mistaken. It was by far the most industrial-looking city I’ve ever seen in Europe. We walked a little off of the beaten path, but still much of the same look prevailed. 

Berliner Dom:

This church was awesome! It was a little further out of Alexanderplatz and this was definitely on the list of things to see, so we were excited about it. It was located right on the river. We went inside and took a tour, which included my first view of a crypt. Spooky, right? It was in the church’s basement (which I’m assuming all of them are..) and had about 50 caskets which were all labeled so you could identify who it was. I think it was mostly leaders of the church and their families, and it was super interesting. You all know my love of foreign funerals and cemeteries, so this was another notch in my belt. It was a little creepy, but really interesting. 

Topography of Terror:

the entrance to the museum with the berlin wall behind 

This was a great exhibit of the Holocaust and what made it unforgettable was that it was located on the site of the main SS quarters. It was eerie to think that Hitler had been coordinating everything from that very spot. Amy and I learned a lot about the Holocaust in all parts of the world and we both realized how much of the world was affected by (and involved in) the war. The museum was definitely insightful. This is also one of the only places where the wall was kept intact. 

Checkpoint Charlie: 

As much research as I’ve done, I should have it down pat as to what this was. I’ll try to explain because even now I’m a liiiiiittle confused. Four countries had sectors in Berlin (USSR, US, France, and Great Britain I think...maybe you’ll have to do some google research) And this was the checkpoint where East Berliners left through the American sector, and entered into another sector. It was the point in the border where the most East Berliners crossed over into the western section. It was nice to see, but since I was still learning exactly what it was, it was a little confusing (just as a warning: you DEFINITELY have to brush up on your history before visiting Berlin). 

Other random things we did that day were: inter tubed down this ice slope in alexanderplatz, ate at an “american” diner (we ordered nachos, sandwiches, and a burger. you can criticize me for not eating german food, but I do not regret this decision....not even a little bit), got a little bit lost on a train, and tickled some monuments, among other random things.