19 September 2010
Close to our hotel, and at the train station, they have erected this monument with leftover samples of the Berlin wall. This portion of the wall was facing the "west" side of Germany.
As you can tell by the graffiti, the portion of the wall was on the "east" Berlin side. No color, very boring...you can tell these people were oppressed and apparently no colorful paints were availabe at the the East Berlin Wal-mart....only black, grey and a touch of green.
This is the brick path that runs through the city that once divided the city of Berlin with the "wall."
This is the Brandenburger Gate.
Big German government buildings.
This is the Holocaust Monument. They are huge grey blocks that create a maize. As you walk through the maize you decend deeper and deeper until you get this feeling of oppression. Brilliantly designed and emotionally moving.
This is at the deeper part of the monument. Very cool.
One of the many museums in the city.
Of course, my guy on a horse monument. I'm thinking...how come I don't see these kind of monuments erected downtown Orlando, Lakewood or anywhere else in America. Did I just not notice them? Hmmmm
This is the Berlin Cathedral. It is the largest Protestant church built in Germany in the 19th century. During the war it was completely destroyed and since 1974 has been fully renovated inside and out. It took until 1993 to finish the renovations.
Can't come to Gemany and not have a brautwurst. Loved the lady with the portable backpack grill. It was a perfect treat in the middle of my touring adventure.
Checkpoint Charlie "Checkpoint C" was the name given by the Western Allies to the best-known Berlin Wall crossing point between East Germany and West Germany during the Cold War. The Soviet Union prompted the erection of the Berlin Wall in 1961 to stem the flow of Eastern Bloc emigration westward through what had become a "loophole" in the Soviet border system, preventing escape over the city sector border from East Berlin to West Berlin. Checkpoint Charlie became a symbol of the Cold War, representing the separation of east and west, and—for some East Germans—a gateway to freedom. Soviet and American tanks briefly faced off at the location during the Berlin Crisis of 1961. After the dissolution of the Eastern Bloc and the reunification of Germany, the building at Checkpoint Charlie became a tourist attraction.
This was another awesome Holocaust memorial. This was a flat fountain of photographs of East Germans under glass with water flowing over them. I wished I would have gotten a photo taken farther back so you could see more of the entire fountain's perspective. It was very moving and neat. I'll get a better picture next time I go.
