Walking Through Berlin

Today was quite chilly and rainy, but the walking tour of the Third Reich was still a go. We began the day however, hoping to walk through the Reichstag Parliament building. Unfortunately the line extended out the building and the rain was really starting to come down. So instead we went to the nearby museum on The Kennedys – Museum Powered By Camera Work. This ended up being a perfect place to stay dry and wait to see if the weather would clear. The Kennedy museum really only took about 45 minutes to see everything. We were surprised to see a museum on the Kennedys in Berlin, but learned that President Kennedy gave a famous speech at the Brandenburg Gate on 26 June 1963 where he declared his solidarity with the city. Right after we finished with the Kennedy museum, it was time to find out about the Third Reich walking tour. It had stopped raining and we learned that the tour happened no matter what . . . So we we about to depart on our 3 hour tour, our 3 hour tour (sang to the tune of Gilligan’s Island). There was 8 of us on the tour along with our tour guide, Stephanie. I think this was the perfect size for the group. Stephanie was so extremely knowledgable and did a great job. The tour really wasn’t so much as seeing buildings and taking pictures, but more so as to stand where buildings once were and learn about Hitler’s rise to power and the 12 years of Nazi terror. It did rain for part of the tour, but overall the weather semi-cooperated. I know I learned a lot and found it extremely interesting. We were done with the tour around 5:00 and decided to go back an exhibition called Topography of Terror which is located on the site where the Gustapo, SS, and Reich Security Main Office were once located. The building is no longer there, but an excavation was done which uncovered the foundation wall and what was supposed to be a temporary exhibit, turned into a permanent exhibit and a newly opened information center. Between the tour we took earlier in the day, the outdoor exhibit, and the indoor information center, we were on information overload. Once again though, I thought everything was well done. We left there deciding to give the Reichstag one more try, but when we got there the line was still super long, so we opted to skip it and get dinner instead. We had another authentic German meal that was very good, and now we are back at the hotel. We leave in the morning for Prague.

Tom at Checkpoint Charlie

Berlin Wall at the Topography Of Terror. The current state of the Wall is due to souvenir hunters.

Brandenburg Gate

American Embassy