Berlin's in bloom!!

For those of you who will be receiving postcards shortly. . I apologize for the repeats. I'm including most of the stuff written on the cards in this blog. The pictures on the front of the cards are pretty sweet though!!

Berlin was beautiful!! The last few weeks it had rained daily in the Czech Republic, so the nice weather was such a great change!! The first few pictures are just things that I thought were pretty.

We ate dinner here our last night in Berlin. I had German meatballs on toast (shown below). I'm really starting to like horseradish!! The atmosphere there was very relaxing. Ironically, the menu stated that the site had been historically used as the gallows for Berlin.

Humboldt University - where Karl Marx & Einstein studied

We just happened to be in the city on the 75th Anniversary of the Nazi book burning. Several authors and intellectuals gathered at the site to promote tolerance and inter cultural understanding. Look to the top left of the picture and you can see the empty white shelves underground.

Memorial to the victims of tyranny. The statue is called Mother with her Dead Son.

Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church - this church was badly damaged from bombing raids in WWII. The Germans left it in this condition to remind everyone of the destruction of war and to symbolize their resolve to rebuild.


Berlin is now a city of glass. Stone architecture like secret police and tyrannical governments are a thing of the past. The glass is a symbol of transparency. For example, the Reichstag below has a glass dome over where the congress meets - so onlookers can literally look down and see democracy working.

I didn't take this picture, but it is much better than the one taken from our boat tour. I think it better illustrates the point about the glass.

During WWII the Jewish husbands of 1,000 German women were taken for deportation to concentration camps. Much to the surprise of the Gestapo, the women staged a major protest. The Gestapo ended up releasing the men into the women's custody. This is a memorial for the bravery of the women.

This was the site of Hitler's second bunker. His original bunker was destroyed during a bombing raid. This second bunker had 10ft thick concrete walls. After the fall of the Nazis, the Communists tried to destroy the bunker. When explosives proved ineffective, they removed the roof of the bunker and filled it with sand. On this site the Communists built luxury apartments for affluent Soviet families.

The Kempinski family owned many buildings, shops and businesses prior to WWII. As they were Jewish, all of this was taken from them prior to being deported. The family has recently tried to claim their previous property. Instead of being awarded the property, they were given naming rights. Whatever business occupies the building previously owned by the Kempinskis must retain the name of the family.

Holocaust victims memorial in Berlin

Brandenburg Gate - the symbol of a united Germany

Sign in front of Checkpoint Charlie

This picture sat on the Russian side to show that it was the entrance to the American entrance. On the other side was an almost identical picture of a Russian soldier.

What's left of the Berlin Wall

The Soviet side of the wall could not be reached due to landmines, guards, automatic guns etc. On the American side however, many artists were able leave their mark on the wall. These are examples of some of the artwork.

Pictures posted around the Checkpoint Charlie entrance

For all my Carlson Hospitality buddies - this is the Radisson SAS Berlin. The hotel was very nice and all the attendants were helpful. An extra buffet breakfast is 24 Euros though!!!

The lounge area

The front desk