Berlin After the Wall 2009

I was born in Berlin. It was West Berlin in West Germany at the time, the wall having gone up 3 years before I was born. My father was a Department of Defense teacher there at the time and had brought his new bride back with him in 1963. I had only been back to Berlin once since leaving there as a baby and that was back in the summer of 1981 when my family went to Europe for our summer vacation. My dad was so eager to show us all his old haunts and everything about the city that he loved so dearly. Unfortunately, I was a teenager on my first trip to Europe and missing my friends desperately. I was not interested in castles, museums, or re-living my dad's life before I knew him. I was miserable and my mother threatened to take me home. When we left Berlin, I was happy. I wanted to see the Alps and not be on a regimented tour.

I wound up studying in Europe twice during my college years. Once was a tour of International Organizations in Switzerland, France and Amsterdam and the second was in Vienna for my senior year. I loved everything about Europe, but still had no interest in returning to Berlin. It was out of the way and hard to get to as the Wall was still up and the Cold War still in full force.

My father died the year after our trip to Berlin. When I was 2 days old, he left my mom and I in the hospital and headed home and typed me a long letter sharing all of his hopes and dreams for me and explaining why he loved the things he did and why he hoped I would too. I wasn't given this letter until my 16th birthday, and from time to time, I pull it out and read it to make sure I remember all he wanted for me.

This past May, I happened to pull out the old letter and re-read it for the umpteenth time, wanting to make sure I was on track and had my priorities straight. There was a line in the letter that I hadn't remembered from before. In it he told me how much he wanted me to love his adopted city of Berlin as much as he did. It struck me and I decided I would make an effort to go back at some point. I have made it a goal the past few years to visit Europe at least once a year and if I travel on miles, I've been able to hit more than one country on a trip. So I figured I would try and attach a visit to Berlin to another trip to Austria. Three weeks later, I received an email from Lufthansa advertising low airfares to Europe. Sure enough, the best deal happened to be Denver to Berlin for $579. I knew that to be an incredible price. I also knew that Lufthansa flies direct Denver to Frankfurt and Munich, so it would be an easy trip. It was a sign and I got it.

I booked a 4 day trip to Berlin for the Labor Day holiday weekend. I wasn't willing to make it a long trip given my past experience in Berlin, but was ready to give it another chance and see what I wanted to see, not what someone else wanted me to. I figured that since the wall had come down, there would be a lot of changes to the city, so it would be like re-discovering a place I had spent time in before. Since I had no friends or family to rely on for a place to stay, I quickly decided to take the easy way out and booked the Hilton for the entire stay. It helped that I had a free night as I regularly stay at the Hilton. I was unsure about where the Hilton was located but the guidebooks all indicated it was in a perfect location for sightseeing, so I decided to stick with it. I booked at a rate of approximately $275 USD and I'm glad I booked it right away. The prices went up in the months leading up to my trip and just by reserving it in advance, I was guaranteed the low rate without making a deposit.

September came and it was time for the trip to Berlin. For those of you who have not previously flown on Lufthansa, it is a treat in itself. The planes are enormous, the flight attendants speak many languages perfectly, the food is good, the service is phenomenal. It is worth paying extra for. In this case, I got the best price and still got to fly direct to Frankfurt. Beware, it is a 10 hour flight. However, I barely noticed as each passenger had their own tv with a variety of movies, tv shows, and music to choose from. Add to that the constant food and free beers and wine and the trip flew by. For those of you who have not yet traveled through the Frankfurt airport, be warned that it is huge and takes a long time to traverse! Don't plan on bringing heavy carry on luggage. While customs is quick and easy to get through, once I switched terminals to get to my Berlin flight, I had to go through another security screening which took quite awhile. While Germans are infinitely more efficient than our airports at home, plan for the extra time it takes to get through customs and find a domestic flight after arriving on an international one. The beauty of flying a domestic flight on Lufthansa once in Germany was that each gate had their own little lounge complete with free newspapers of every type imaginable and lots of free coffee.

I was determined to do things my way on this trip and did plenty of advance research on what I would want to do. I learned that it would be very easy to take public transportation into the city and got directions from the hotel website as to which subway stop was closest. When I arrived, my advance research definitely paid off. Berlin's Tegel airport is not large like Frankfurt and it is easy to get around. There is one main exit area with all of the public transportation located close. Right by the door was a line with people waiting to buy bus tickets. Since I had previously found a subway map in the guidebooks at home, I knew a bus was the only way to the subway line, or as it is called in Berlin, the U-bahn. I told the clerk where my hotel was and he drew for me on the map which bus to take and when to get off and which subway line to take to which exit. It was perfect. All for 2,90 euro compared to probably $30 for a taxi. Plus I immediately felt a sense of accomplishment by finding my way to the hotel via public transportation all on my own.

It took me about a half hour to make it to the hotel and when I arrived, I saw some of the elderly passengers from my flight also checking in, having just arrived by cab. So it really didn't save time by paying extra for a cab. I do speak German, but not well and I felt confident I could at least understand people if I had to ask for help.

The Hilton hotel was located across the street from the Gendarmenmarkt, a famous outdoor square with two beautiful church domes. I knew it was in the former East Berlin, but I had no basis for reference, having arrived via U-bahn. My godfather who taught with my dad in Berlin described the two of them having drinks at the top of the Hilton looking out over East Berlin and seeing all black. By this reference, we were able to determine that either this was a different Hilton or they had moved it.

As it was getting later in the afternoon, I was in a rush to explore my immediate area of the city before dark, despite being seriously sleep deprived. There was time for sleep later - I was back in Berlin! I had a U-bahn map and a street map folded up and hidden in my pockets so I wouldn't obviously appear as a tourist and I headed out. I asked the concierge for a good recommendation of a pub and he sent me to two. All I wanted was a beer and some schnitzel. I eventually found what I wanted and yes, it was heaven to drink good German beer again and answer the only relevant question - bier or big bier?

After getting some good German hops in me, I headed out in the direction I believed was the Brandenburg Gate. I just wandered really, amazed at the quality of homes in the area. Obviously, they had been newly built since the Wall fell and it was a very nice area. I finally was so lost that I headed back to the hotel to start in another direction. Right next to the hotel, I discovered the largest chocolate shop in all of Europe - Fassbender-Rausch. http://www.fassbender-rausch.com/. It was amazing. There were giant carvings of chocolate in the shape of the Titanic, Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, etc. It was beautiful. I bought some small chocolate pieces and vowed to return for gifts later. I headed down until I found the main street that I knew would take me to the Brandenburg Gate. However, I must have turned the wrong way because within a few blocks I realized I was at Checkpoint Charlie, the famous American border crossing for the wall.

I didn't recognize it because the last time I had been through Checkpoint Charlie, it was a fully operational border crossing. We had been in my father's friend's VW and stood quietly as the guards put mirrors under the car and searched every square inch to make sure we weren't hiding people or contraband on our return from East Berlin. Now Checkpoint Charlie is more of a tourist stop. There are guards standing there, but they spend more time getting their pictures taken with tourists than guarding anything. Next door to the guard shack is the Checkpoint Charlie Museum which is phenomenal and well worth the stop. There are plenty of tourist shops in the area, all selling pieces of the wall for ridiculous sums. You can find these same trinkets at any shop in town - don't buy them here. They are much cheaper elsewhere.


What I especially enjoyed about the border crossing here were the wall posters showing the timeline of events of the building and eventual tearing down of the wall and watching people silently read and consider this spot in history. There were bricks on the street marking the location of the wall.

As I left and headed back in the direction of the hotel, I now had a sense of perspective. I had crossed into East Berlin at this very spot in 1981 so I knew that everything in front of me was new and had not existed when I was there previously. It was amazing to me that the hotel I was staying in, the restaurants I was eating in and even my eventual view of the Brandenburg Gate were from a location where previously I was not allowed access and from which there was nothing but complete desolation. If nothing else I learned from this trip how important it was to the Germans that the Berlin Wall come down.

Heading back in the right direction now, I kept walking until I found Unter den Linden, the famous street in East Berlin that I had walked in 1981. I knew now where the Brandenburg Gate was - on this street! I passed the Westin hotel right before Unter den Linden and it was phenomenal. It's amazing all the prosperity that has been brought to this area. Some of the finest hotels are now located here. I walked down Unter den Linden towards the Brandenburg Gate and noticed a peaceful candlelit protest being waged by Amnesty International. I had no idea what was going on until I passed the Russian Embassy where a formal event was going on. The limousines were arriving and people dressed in ball gowns and tuxes were arriving. It was amazing to watch an Embassy in full ceremonial glory!

I arrived at the Brandenburg Gate and I must say, I'm grateful to have seen it this time by night. It is beautiful. The lights on a warm summer night make it look spectacular. I immediately realized there were many more buildings surrounding it than I had remembered and had to keep checking postcards in the stores to see how it looked back in the 80's. Sure enough, it stood on its own. Now it was surrounded by government buildings and museums. Throngs of people stood before it and wandered around it. After realizing that I was still on the eastern side of the wall, I walked over to the western side of the wall to see if my memories were different from that side and immediately found a huge and imposing building that without even looking at a map or guide book I knew to be the Reichstag. Even a cursory knowledge of history would tell you that it could only be the Reichstag you were looking at.


A closer approach to the Reichstag and its phenomenal dome that was apparently built later and you could see people walking through the dome. What I later learned was that there are tours that will take you through the Reichstag, but that the inside has been almost completely changed and upgraded. The dome is supposed to be fantastic, but the lines to get inside are extremely long at whatever hour you go.

I finally walked back towards the hotel and found a wonderful German pub with the long wooden tables and giant mugs of beer and Kasespaetzle. It was the perfect night.

I was determined to explore the neighborhoods of the former West Berlin and what I had learned from the guidebooks was that the famous department store, KaDaWe, was not to be missed and that eating there was a treat. So I headed off on the U-bahn to find it. What was nice about the Hilton was that the U-bahn station was directly outside the front door and contained one of the subway lines that I seemed to use the most. What you need to know about traveling on the U-bahn in Berlin is that you must buy a ticket in the machines by the tracks. It's almost impossible to figure out which ticket you need, but I seemed to find the standard one pretty quickly which is about 2,10 euro. There is a separate machine for validating your ticket in the same area. It is important to validate your ticket as they are only good for 2 hours. Once you ride the U-bahn a few times, you will be tempted to skip buying a ticket or validating it as there seem to be no ticket takers or security of any kind. I admit I did more than a couple of times. However, apparently the penalties for violations are steep, so do so at your own risk.

The U-bahn stopped right down the street from KaDaWe and I quickly found it on the Kurfurstendamm or Ku'damm as they call it. Since it was a Saturday morning, this shopping district seemed to be the place to be. I had heard that the top of KaDaWe and the food courts were not to be missed, so I quickly headed upstairs. While the top floor (I believe it's the 6th floor) is a phenomenal food court with amazingly free gourmet offerings under a glass ceiling with views of all of Berlin, I found the gourmet shops and restaurants on the 5th floor to be the most enticing. I don't even know if I can properly explain it, but this gigantic floor is a collection of various tiny lunch counters and bars with chefs making gourmet meals in each different section of what is essentially a huge grocery store. For example, there is a counter and bar in the poultry section serving schnitzel and probably 4 other entrees. In the seafood section, there is the same thing. There is also a cheese bar, a beer bar, a champagne bar, a bellini bar, a pasta bar, a chocolate bar. It's crazy. Certain bars are bigger than others and more popular. It was sensory overload. There are also gift sections and newspaper sections. I got lost walking around it - it seemed to stretch on forever. I spent hours there and kept trying to figure out how I could get some of this good German food home on the airplane. http://www.kadawe.de/. Finally, gave up and went upstairs to the food court for lunch and then out on the Ku'Damm to explore the other shops.

I remember having been here before with my family. This is the ritzy section of shopping in town, with stores like Hermes, Burberry, etc lining the streets. It is beautiful and the buildings all look like parts of ancient castles. Halfway down the street is the Kaiser Wilhelm Church. It was almost completely bombed in the war and has since been rebuilt next door to the bombed out former church. I remembered taking the tour before, but this time I was interested in doing it myself. It is free and self guided and well worth it. Afterwards, you can go into the new church and sit for awhile or light a candle.

Having walked all over the Ku'Damm, it was late in the day and time for a beer. So I headed back to KaDaWe and parked myself in the beer bar. It was the least crowded and good for people watching. What is interesting about Germans and beer that I had forgotten was the pouring of the beer. It is literally a 10 minute process. Once again, all I had to do was order a beer. We don't have to fight over what types and kinds of beer here. Just a beer. But then the bartender pours the beer, making sure there is a good head on the beer. And then he lets it sit and waits. Waiting for the head of foam to go down. When it does, he pours more beer in. And sits and waits. Finally, about 10 minutes later, he has the perfect pour and he serves it to you. Apparently this makes for a better tasting beer. What do I care? I gulp it down and about 2 sips from the end, I keep trying to catch his eye so he can pour me another one, now that I know it will take 10 minutes to get it. But no, he waits until I am done and then asks me if I want another. It is a very slow and relaxing process, this drinking of beer in Germany. Life just doesn't get much better.

There were lots of English guidebooks at the newspaper and book section of the store, so I stopped to make sure I was seeing everything I needed to see. Headed out and realized on the subway map, that I could get off at Potsdamer Platz, see that and then head over to the Holocaust Memorial on my way to the Brandenburg Gate.

Potsdamer Platz turned out to be nothing more than a 5 way intersection now filled with traffic and big buildings belonging to major corporations. However, there is a Marriott nearby which looked nice and is also in a nice location for tourists wanting to see the important sights. Walked down towards what should be the Holocaust Memorial. Saw a bunch of concrete blocks of different heights with people taking pictures. There were no signs anywhere and I had no idea what this was supposed to be but knew it was in the location of what should be the Holocaust Memorial. I stopped a guard who spoke English with what sounded like a New Jersey accent and he assured me that it was the Holocaust Memorial but that no one understands it. Apparently the concrete blocks are of different heights to give the appearance/illusion of waves when viewed from the sky. It didn't make sense to me, so I moved on back to the Brandenburg Gate. Walked all around the Reichstag trying to determine how to take the tour and found an enormous line so just took pictures and headed off to find a pub.



After having walked all over the city literally for 2 days, I realized all of the things I was interested in were really within reach of my hotel. So I headed back towards the Brandenburg Gate on my final day in Berlin and went to the Kennedy Museum which is right next to it. The tour was surprisingly affordable, only about $7. However, it was self guided and really a collection of photos and memorabilia on the walls and in glass cases. There is a video showing JFK making his "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech and some footage leading up to his speech. There is an entire wall showing the family tree of the Kennedys. I wound up spending a couple of hours there and have to say, it was worth the price of admission and I felt very American being in that museum at that location. It felt like part of our history too.



I realized as I walked down Unter den Linden afterwards that all of this walking was taking a toll and I didn't want to spend my time in Berlin on a train, so I walked some more and quickly realized most shops were closed on Sunday. People seemed to spend the day strolling and sitting at sidewalk cafes. That sounded like the right thing to do so I headed out to the Prater Bier Garten. I had to take the U-bahn and it was also in the former East Berlin section, but I had heard so much about it. It was a little hard to find, but I didn't mind exploring. It was strange in that it was in the middle of a city block. But once you went in farther, it opened up to an actual beer garden complete with numerous long picnic tables and a play area for children. The beer was good, the prices were cheap and the service left much to be desired. But with a good book or fun companions, it was the perfect way to end a weekend in Berlin.



I wound up leaving the next morning as I had an early flight to Frankfurt. On the bus out to the airport, we passed by Charlottenburg Palace, another must tourist destination. However, I remembered touring it vividly from when I was there before, so I had skipped it. But for those going to Berlin for the first time, it is a must see.


I would have liked to have had more time to explore more of the western side, but having the eastern sections of Berlin as a new playground was infinitely better. I learned a lot and have a new perspective of the new Berlin. Now two months later looking back on the trip on this the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, I'm so thrilled that I was able to see all that the Germans have accomplished in these short 20 years. I can't wait to go back!