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We arrived in Prague a few hours ago but realized that we hadn't written anything about Berlin while we were there, and there is much to discuss.
On our first full day, originally scheduled to be tour day, we had a change in plans and so went to a modern art museum. It was rainy, so while neither of us were particularly impressed by most of the art, it was something to do. That night, we walked to an area suggested by a hotel staff member for dinner, with the idea that we would then check out a bar that had a reputation as a unique one in Berlin because it was decorated like a terribly ugly living room. The bar was alright, but we found that it was difficult to get engaged with the local student population that was there.
The next day, we began our walking tour of the city at 10:30 am. We didn't finish until 8:00 pm. Our guide was an older British man who had seen world war 2 as a child, moved to Berlin after the war, lived through soviet occupation and reunification, and had seen the transformation the city underwent since then. He was an encyclopedia of Berlin's history and we learned a ton of history on out way around the city, much of which is noted in the pictures. It was well worth the time and sore feet. Later that night we met up with a few young people we met on the tour with the idea to check out the city's renowned night life. As it turned out, we saw both the night life and the 6 am life in the same day. A long night, but Loy of fun at a German dance club.
The next day we spent resting after our previous day's marathon. We at least made it out to dinner at a Russian restaurant nearby which I really enjoyed, although Bethany was less impressed.
On our fourth full day in Berlin, we met up with Bethany's aunt Andie and her friends. After strolling around the city for a bit, we enjoyed a sidewalk cafe by the Brandenburg Gate and a great German dinner on the Spree River. After we parted company, Bethany and I checked out a unique bar in our neighborhood that had a combination of flapper music, garish decor, and horror film decorations. On weekends it seems like it would be really lively, but was just an interesting place to get a drink for us.
On our last full day, we took a train to sachsenhausen concentration camp, about 30 minutes outside Berlin. It was unreal. The most poignant display was an area where the foundation and a few walls of a building called Station Z were still standing. This building was where prisoners were taken to die either by gas or gunshot. The display showed what happened in each room still visible, from where the prisoners were forced to undress to where they were cremated. Outside this area was a large ditch where prisoners wee summarily executed and disposed of. Truly a disturbing place, but interesting as well. The camp was huge, and other various displays showed what life was like there and the stories of prisoners. Well worth the trip. When we returned, met Andie and had dinner at a Swiss restaurant near our hotel, overlooking the park. It was a nice way to wrap up our time in Berlin, and Bethany and I are so grateful to Andie, John, and Kris for their generosity and the fun time we had together.
The hotel we had was the best yet and Berlin itself was high energy and exciting and new-feeling. There is probably a lot more the city has to offer on a long term basis, but we got a great taste of all aspects during our 5 days there. We will miss Berlin but I think we were both ready to move on to our next and last European destination, Prague!
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