Figuring Out Berlin

 Our arrival in Berlin was met with a beautiful central train station; the Hafnbahnhof.

Despite having done my research on the direction of our hotel,. I found myself lost in the train station that had maybe 6 levels. What made things more confusing was the difference between the S-Bahn and the U-Bahn. The two types of "subway" or "underground" run all over Berlin, intersecting at various stations, but located either overhead, on street level, or underground. Walking up and down, down and up, it was nearly impossible for us to find our way. Since our hotel was close to the station, the cab driver would not take us! So we had to figure things out.

Shortly after, our arrival at the Eurostars Hotel in Friedrichstrasse, we were met with a pleasant surprise in our room. There was a knock on the door, and literally, minutes after check in, two gentlemen brought up some candy and a bottled water to welcome us, nice touch!

For dinner, we wander the streets of Berlin, and decided on some German cuisine. Mmmmm wursts... delicious!! Reminds me of pan fried hot dogs dipped in ketchup as a kid!

Our first day was spent wandering around the "Museum Island", and it is exactly that. An island full of museums and tourists.

The museum we visited had a couple of temporary exhibitions one on the famous and popular Friedrich  Der Grosse (Friedrich the Great). This once King of Prussia can be seen everywhere in Berlin! He was a frugal monarch that loved the arts. His reign was so popular that even today, ad campaigns still uses his picture to attract the Germans.

The museum then took us through the history of Germany. From the very start, through the rises and falls of empires and monarchs, through the first and second World War, and the East and West era. The museum was very fascinating. What I did enjoy the most was the stories behind the monarchs, the rivalry between the Bourbon and the Hapsburg family.

As well, learning about WWI and WWII from the German stand point was very interesting as well. Especially the rise and fall of the Nazis. Obviously they are not glorified here in Germany either, but what I think we forget when learning about this dark time is the innocent Germans that suffered, not just during the war, but also the periods following it.

This desk, belonging to Hitler, was massive. I suppose he had
a lot on his plate during the time he was in power.

At a point during the visit I became a bit scared as this creepy guy kept taking pictures of Hitler's propaganda posters. I mean every single one of them. What made me feel uneasy about it all was his sneaky demeanour, the way he looked around after every picture.. weird!!

Memorial statue to remember the Jewish people
that were murdered during the war.

The city of Berlin is unlike all the cities I have visited so far on this trip! The city is quite new in comparison. I suppose most of the old buildings were destroyed during the war. What is apparent though are the blocks and blocks of concrete apartment buildings that erected in the city during the Communist occupation. These buildings don't really have much character, and looked ... well.. blah! Apparently it costs 44 Marks to live in one of these during the communist rule. Very inexpensive.

We are planning on visiting the DDR Museum here in Berlin, to learn a bit more about life in East Germany.