Berliner

May 19th-24th, 2014

We landed in Berlin after our 1 hour 15 minute flight from Zagreb. We had to spend the night at a hotel since the apartment that we rented was not available until the 20th. We checked into the hotel then decided that we should check out where the apartment was since it is on the same street as the hotel. So we headed out and that's when we were introduced to the idiosyncracies of German street numbering. Our hotel address is 11 Schutenstrasse and the apartment is at 70 Schutenstrase so we thought that logically the apartment should be in the next block, right? Wrong! Luckily we were walking without luggage because walked about 6-8 long blocks until the street ended and were only up to number 50. So thinking that our street continued on the other side of a boulevard we crossed to the other side and looked for our street but came up empty handed. We finally made it back to our street and noticed that the numbering now went from 39-50 in the opposite direction from where we walked. As we walked, Gerri discovered that the address numbering now ran consecutively from 39-50 and eventually to number 70, so thankfully we solved the riddle and saved our tired feet. Long story short, the apartment is actually right across the street from the hotel. Anyway we settled into the apartment then started our usual trek to see all that we could possibly see.

As usual we've kept ourselves busy. Tuesday, we went sight seeing on our own, then had lunch with Ariana alongside the Spree River. Wednesday night we were on the hop on hop off bus then had a guided tour of the Reichstag, the home of the German parliament, which in itself was a very interesting tour in that the guide spoke of the German political system and also of the history of the Reichstag dating from imperial times. After the reunification of Germany, the capital was moved from Bonn back to Berliln.

Thusday found us again on the hop on hop off bus which was great because it gave us an idea of the layout of the city and took us into neighborhoods that would have been hard to get to on foot and to see a bit of the lifestyle of typical Berliners.

The Reichstag

Throughout the city there are bricks laid out in the path of the wall to show how the wall zig zagged across the city dividing neighborhoods and people along the way. There are a few sections of the wall still standing as a reminder of what once was the shame of East Germany.

Bricks marking the path of the wall and where a building now stands. 

Some parts of the wall have been decorated with murals.

All in all this city is transforming into a metropolis blending much of its past history with the modern amenities of a new city. There is new construction on a scale that few of us have seen. With the reunification of Germany, there was given a virtual blank canvas for a new city to grow.

The Bode Museum as seen from a cruise down the Spree River

An example of some of the modern buildings either constructed or under construction.

One of the most moving visits that we made was to the Museum of Murdered Jews in Europe. Above ground the designers placed rows of black boxes to commemorate Jews killed during World War II. Beneath there is a museum with a picture history of not only what went on, but the personal experiences of victims, as much as they could gather through their research. There were letters found that were written in the margins of books, toilet paper or any other means that a person could think of to get their message out.

It was a moving experience to walk through the museum, to see the stories of families that were torn apart and systematically murdered in a scale that the world had never seen before. Words can not adequately express the feelings that we should all feel of mans inhumanity to man. 

We are just about ready to finish our visit to Berlin we have one last day to catch up on things then have dinner with Ariana. We've seen a lot of this city only to realize that there is more to see. Now we have to make our plans to return to the wonderful city.

Travelling hasj been such an experience for Gerri and I. It has given us more of an insight into other peoples lives, and to the history that has shaped the world to this day. We heartily recommend, especially to young people, travelling as much as you can. Travel with an open mind and you will see more than you ever realized ever existed.

Good bye for now.

Zagreb

May 17th and 18th, 2014

Our flight from Split actually took 35 minutes, shortest time I ever spent in any air craft, even when I was a private pilot! But it was a welcome flight considering our bus ride of the day before.

The day was somewhat rainy but we strolled around anyway after storing our baggage at our hotel. It was kind of neat in that we got into the city just as the city was begining to wake up. We watched the weekly farmers market setting up adjacent to the main square, Jelacic Square. Then we walked around until it was time to check into our hotel.

Zagreb started out as 2 medival towns, Gradec and Kaptol each walled and separated by a river. With Croatia having been under the control of foreign powers such as Vienna, Budapest, Berlin and Belgrade, both hill towns took on more importance. Kaptol becoming the home to Croatia's most important church and Gradec becoming the home of the political structure. With Croatia's Declaration of Independence in 1991, Zagreb became the capital of the country.

Zagreb is somewhat neglected as a tourist destination. It doesn't have the charm as someplace like Dubrovnik. But in it's own right it has a lot to offer such as museums that other cities do not have. The street scenes are great for cafe hopping and people watching so it's a good place to spend a day before heading to other places. On Sundays there is a ceremonial changing of the guard where guards dressed in 17th century uniforms parade through various landmarks of the city as they post guards such as in the picture above at St. Mark's Cathedral.

We had a pleasant stay in the city, had a great dinner at a restaurant called Bobar's and a super hamburger and fries at the Bulldog cafe. Tomorrow it's up early for a morning flight to Berlin to begin the last leg of our European journey.