Mack was supposed to plan our stop in Warnemunde but he hadn't found much to do. Greg had hopped to go to Berlin (a 2-3 hour drive) but his research left him discouraged that it was more expensive that he wanted. So we got up early started planning a journey to a nearby castle. Mack and Sophia looked like they would go with us as far as Rostock so we started walking to the train stop.
Nevermind, that wouldn't get us there quick enough to catch the next bus, so we sent Mack and Sophia on the train and tried to get an Uber - no luck. So we walked back to the cruise ships to ask the groups of vans trying to get passengers for the day. We found someone willing to get us to Rostock to catch the train, then he convinced Greg to just let him drive us to the castle, then he convinced us to just go to Berlin, which was what Greg really wanted to do originally anyway. So we headed to Berlin for $650 less than Greg's previous quote.
On the way we spotted lots of deer, crane, and osprey. Our bathroom stop even allowed Natali to buy her favorite German peach juice to share with the family.
Neptune Fountain
The Gendamenmarkt concert hall had a cleaver video about which instruments are vegan and which aren't.
The drive back put most of us to sleep and traffic cut way back on our time in Rostock but we were still able to do a quick drive through the town with a stop at St. Mary's church to see the incredible stainless windows.
Our first stop was the East Gallery where murals have been pained on the longest surviving section of the Berlin Wall.
Have our own driver was incredible because he would play us a little history then drop us off right next to the sight and be back to pick us up 20 minutes later. We didn't get to go in many building but got to experience a ton of Berlin in a short time.
The Alex or Alexanderplatz home of the Berlin TV tower, the tallest structure in Germany, as well as the
Red Town Hall
and many other museums.
Berlin Cathedral
This may be one of my favorite pictures of the trip. I love my silly kids and these nightly colored chairs(?) were screaming for a photo op.
Ampelmann is the little pedestrian signal on lights that is a beloved symbol of the former East Germany, one of the few features from East Germany that survived the end of the Iron Curtain. There were Ampelmann stores all over Berlin marketing his popularity to the world.
The Brandenburg Gate completed in 1791 is the home of many historic events and was obstructed by the Berlin Wall until 1989.
We stopped for a bathroom break at an upscale hotel with gorgeous flowers and gucci bathrooms complete with hand lotion (not to be confused with soap Emily).
We had to try the famous Berlin currywurst but it was only 10:30am so we figured lunch would come later and only ordered two to share (a mistaken assumption).
The currywurst, bratwurst sprinkled with curry and curry seasoned ketchup, was a hit as were all the Berlin Bears.
The ice cream place nearby wasn't open on Sundays much to the kids disappointment so onto Checkpoint Charlie.
Straddling a spot where the wall used to be.
Checkpoint Charlie was the western bloc's name for the best known crossing point between East and West Berlin. This area has been preserved and serves as a bit of a museum to recognize the history, and the failed and successful escapes.
We spent lots of time reading, learning and teaching the girls about how Berlin was inclosed by East Germany. The maps at this museum helped them understand the situation more clearly.
To continue our learning we stopped next at the Topography of Terror - a free, open air museum built on the site of the Gestapo and SS headquarters and right along remnants of the Berlin Wall. It documents the crimes, propaganda, and system of terror used during the Nazi Regime.
It was very well done but sadly we didn't have time to read everything before our driver showed up to wish us away to the next spot.
The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe was sadly a very quick stop. The site is covered with 2,711 concrete slabs arranged in a grid pattern on a sloping field. Each slab is the same width and length but the heights are all different and the ground slopes and up and down creating a feel of chaos in spite of the clearly alined rows and collums.
At this point we had to hit the road to catch our boat on time so we did a drive by of the cool dome on the Reichstag, the Victory Column, Tiergarten Park (former hunting grounds) and the president's house.
We had a last minute panic to find some quick food but luckily found a bakery that was open (lots of places are closed on Sundays) however after choosing our bee covered confections we realized they only took cash so Greg had to pay a ludicrous ATM fee but we got something to appease our hunger until we got back on the boat.
We did a drive by of this amazing city gate.
Kerkhoff House built around 1470 had impressive Renaissance decoration.
Pictures from the car couldn't capture the magnificence of the City Hall or the 600 year old university campus.
Standehaus finished in 1893 was built as a meeting place and administrative center for the nobility and landowners.
We made it back to the ship at the last possible moment due to come difficulty paying our guide and rushed off to dinner followed by Pinochle with Andrew and Emily. We had a poor showing at pub trivia with only 4/10 and the regret of 2 correct answers changed to incorrect ones.
Steps: 12,408 (even with all that time in the van)
Interesting Facts:
The Berlin Bear is the symbol of the city and a long standing pun on bear-lin
After the Berlin Wall was build around 5,000 people tried to escape to West Berlin with an estimated 100 dying in the process. They escaped by a variety of methods including hiding in the trunks of cars or under pig carcasses in refrigerator trucks.
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