Friday I started out and successfully made it via three trains and a bus to my hostel, the Three Little Pigs Hostel (found via hostelbookers.com – a good website). It was my first time staying in a hostel and this one was very nice. It used to be a convent or monastery and the private room I stayed it looked exactly like the St. Joseph Heights, where the Sister of Notre Dame live at home.
After dumping my stuff I asked the guy at the reception desk to pint me in the direction of something interesting. He pointed me in the direction of the Brandenburg Gate and I started walking. Along the way I found the Potsdamer Platz, an exhibition on the Berlin Wall, the memorial to gays and lesbians killed by the Nazis, and the memorial to Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Then I reached the Brandenburg gate which was pretty incredible to see something in person that I’ve seen in pictures, TV, and on stickers. It was a “wow” moment. I went into a souvenir shop by the Brandenburg Gate and found a brochure on the Kennedy Museum that looked pretty cool. I went outside and there the Kennedy Museum was so I went through it. And it was cool – lots of Kennedy family photographs, memorabilia, artifacts, and magazine covers.
From the Kennedy Museum I decided I needed a snack and got a “Berliner küchen” which is apple-y, icing-y, and not as good as you would expect. A bit of a let down actually.
Then it was time to march on – this time to Checkpoint Charlie with a side trip to a bookstore that sells English books. (I had finished the book I brought with me on the train ride to Berlin.). Checkpoint Charlie was pretty darn cool. There were displays explaining about the Berlin Wall, attempted escapes, etc.
Right now a Festival of Lights is going on in Berlin. Many famous or important buildings are lit up during the nights. I decided to go on a bus tour of these which was pretty darn cool. I saw lots of landmarks including the Reichstag, Alexanderplatz, the TV tower, Brandenburg Gate, and other fun sites.
After this I was exhausted, so I headed back the Three Little Pigs and crashed for the night.
The Brandenburg Gate
Checkpoint Charlie
The Memorial to Jews who were killed by the Nazis
An exhibition of the Berlin Wall at Potsdamer Platz.
The Wall is covered with graffitti.
My nun-like room at the Three Little Pigs Hostel
3 comments:
good thing you had nun like schooling so you recognized it! Glad to see the start to your Berlin commentary. More! More!
Hi Elizabeth! Was Berlin like NY? Crouded, lots of traffic? Interesting history of WW2. Very sad but intriguing (from one who gets most of his questions from watching Hogan's Heroes). Where is The Eagle's Nest? It is near where the high ranking Nazis lived. Can you visit there? How far are you from Fusen where Ludwig's Castle is? No more questions. Enjoying your Berlin stories and pics. Keep'em coming! Hope school is going well. Halloween tomorrow night. Verrrrry scarrrry. Good thing you're safe there. Maybe we can get you some pics of our goblins and trickortreaters! See ya!Frank
Maybe I missed this, but what exactly is Checkpoint Charlie? (I suppose I could Google it, but that would be too easy!)
You know, by writing down your experiences, you're better solidifying them in your memory. Just think how much you're educating yourself!
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