We finally made it to Berlin yesterday, Sep 14th! The train ride was very enjoyable, passing through some gorgeous Czech countryside. The train had a very cool restaurant car where we went to have a bite to eat and a cappuccino. Very nice to sit there while watching the scenery. This particular train was operated by the Czech railways. Our reserved seats were in a 6 person cubicle, much different than what we had experience previously, and really not to our liking. The first couple who rode with us were a quiet English couple, they barely spoke 2 words, they got off in Dresden where another fellow got on while carrying a big guitar.
Our new riding mate was also quiet and soon got up to go to the restaurant car. After he returned, not knowing if he was an English speaker, I pantomimed his playing a guitar. He spoke in English about there not being much room in the cubicle. That's when we learned he was an Irish folk singer who had just performed in Dresden. He was a very pleasant person to speak with as we talked music and eventually a bit of politics. On the music side he has been around for a long time. He had performed with and knew Pete Seeger, telling us of staying at Pete Seeger's place overlooking the Hudson River in New York. We talked a bit about music and the impact it has on life, we talked a little philosophy which also led into some politics. His views on politics reflected the fears most Europeans have of our current elections and a possibility of a Trump as president. As I said it was a very nice encounter, he got off the stop before us and we kicked ourselves for not getting his name.
Today, Thursday the 15th, we got up and had a leisurely cappuccino on the small deck of our apartment. Incidentally this apartment is beautiful! It's a modern apartment in a nice residential neighborhood. It's a little further out than we would usually like, but it's convenient and well equipped.
Getting on with our day we took a taxi down to the Mail Boxes Etc store so we could finally get rid of that box of clothes that we could not ship from Prague. It took 200 Euros, but it's gone! The store is located close to Checkpoint Charlie which was where we wanted to return. Down from Checkpoint Charlie is the Topography of Terror which is the location of what was the headquarters of the Nazi Gestapo, SS, SA and other instruments of the Nazi machine. They have a museum there which features a pictorial history of the rise and eventual fall of the Nazi killing machine. Gerri and I spent almost 4 hours there, reading and learning more of how the Nazi's where so meticulous in their callous disregard for any people they considered inferior. It was disheartening to see pictures and documents that showed how people had given up their freedoms by listening to someone who played on their fears. The blaming of Jews for the economic conditions that were a result of the Treaty of Versailles ending the First World War, the singling out of groups of people because of their beliefs or customs had so many similarities of what could happen in today's world. This was a sobering reminder of the saying by George Santayana, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
Let's hope and pray that we remember.
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