Guten Tag, Berlin!

Our first stop in Germany is the capital, Berlin. We took the train from Prague and found our way to our Airbnb where we met our hosts and their adorable chocolate lab puppy that lives here named Hazel. We were very hungry from traveling so we made our way to Stone Brewing Berlin for some dinner and beer. The brewery and restaurant were massive and beautiful, much larger than Stone's original location in California. While we were eating we were approached by Stone's founder, Greg Koch, who just happened to be in Berlin the same time we were! It was awesome to meet and chat with one of the most influential faces in craft beer, all we had to do was come all the way to Germany.

"I have a very good selfie arm." - Greg Koch 

Hazel, our new best friend

June 10

Our first full day in Berlin we took in the sights of the city. We took the U Bahn to the Berlin Fernsehturm, the large TV tower in Berlin, and explored the surrounding area.

Berlin Fernsehturm

We decided to walk down the street and passed the Berlin Cathedral and ended up at the Brandenburg Gate. The gate was built during a time when citizens were taxed for passing through different parts of the city. Most gates have been torn down but Brandenburg was so well known it stayed up. Napoleon once removed the the statue at the top and sent it to France when he conquered parts of the Holy Roman Empire (he had a habit of that, he also sent the famous winged lion statue of Venice to Paris). The gate went through some rough times during World War II and Soviet era Berlin but was reopened to the public once the Berlin Wall fell and remains the most famous feature of Berlin. So much so that all the windows of the U Bahn and S Bahn trains have the gate plastered all over them.

Brandenburger Tor

We explored the nearby Tiergarten park and the Reichstag building, home to the German parliament, before grabbing lunch. After lunch we visited the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. The massive array of columns is really a sight to behold. the most common interpretation of the monument is that is resembles a cemetery as a resting place to the millions of nameless people killed in the Holocaust. It's easy to get lost in the columns and it takes you out of the city enough to reflect on the lives it represents. We also visited the information center underneath the memorial to read stories of families from all over Europe who were persecuted by the Nazis.

Some of the 2711 rectangular slabs at the Holocaust Memorial

We headed from one somber site to another: the Berlin Wall Memorial. Many pieces of the wall still exist throughout Berlin. The memorial has many educational and interactive aspects including pictures from today compared to pictures from when the wall was fully in place. It was strange to think about how modern Germany is almost as old as we are and that the neighborhood by the memorial felt like a war zone thirty years ago.

Section of the Berlin Wall

We wrapped up our busy day of sightseeing by heading to a small Berlin brewery, Eschenbräu, for dinner and drinks and enjoyed ice cream that looked like lasagna from Café e Gelato.

June 11 - Bikes!

At the suggestion from our hosts, we went to Tempelhofer Field on Sunday. This massive park in the center of the city used to be one of Berlin's airports, the main airport for the GDR (East Germany). It's a bit surreal to walk out onto the runway of an old airport and see the abandoned terminal but it was so active with people enjoying the park that feeling didn't last long. We found a local shop to rent bikes and grabbed some lunch and beer and headed back to the park. We found a nice spot in the middle of the runway and enjoyed our beer.

Bikes and beer, we're right at home

We biked around the park some more and found our way to a local biergarten near the river. It's been a bit difficult to orient ourselves based on the rivers because there are a few the run through Berlin. Some break apart and come back together and it can be confusing to guess where you are based on the river.

Needing a pick-me-up after lots of beer we stopped for some coffee before returning our bikes. We grabbed a quick dinner and a cool craft beer bar near the Berlin Wall Memorial we visited the day prior and hung out there before heading home.

June 12

We started our last day in Berlin by heading back to the Fernsehturm and going up to the observation platform. We got an amazing view of the city in all directions and could easily spot some familiar sites. After the tower we got some lunch before visiting the Computerspielemuseum, the video game museum in Berlin. It was fun to see some history of computer gaming and there were lots of interactive parts to the museum. Yes, that means playing video games. One of the most entertaining exhibits at the museum is the PainStation. It plays like pong with the added factor of punishments if you lose. The real winner isn't who scores the most points but who can withstand the punishment the longest. Maureen and I only played a few rounds and unfortunately didn't get any video of us playing but if you want to see what we put ourselves through you can watch this video.

We made our way to the East Side Gallery, a collection of street art painted on the Berlin Wall. The gallery is the longest section of wall that still stands and features some amazing art pieces. Much of the wall is ironically fenced off to prevent graffiti.

Part of a mural at the East Side Gallery

We made our was across the river to an amazing burger stand under a train station called Burgermeister. It is built in a refurbished public toilet but it only resembles that on the outside. We enjoyed our burgers (and beer, of course) before heading home.

Tomorrow we head for our second German city, Munich! Auf Wiedersehen!