A Hot Day of Exploring Berlin

Sunday, August 28, 2016
Kim and Billy come to our apartment and have breakfast with us before going to the airport. It continues to be hot and humid. Gets up to 94 today. We tailor our activities accordingly. We do a one hour boat tour on the Spree River at 10:30. It is interesting to see the buildings from the perspective of the water but we are so glad we have done only an hour tour, not three. It is hot sitting in the sun! Berlin has many modern buildings of sleek design. We have lunch at the National History Museum's cafe before starting to explorere this vast museum. The main part of the museum is in a very old building. In fact, I think I remember that it is the oldest building in Berlin. The museum was scheduled to be near the Reichstag but after reunification, the decision was made to put it here. Across the courtyard is the ultramodern  I.M. Pei building which houses special exhibits. I really like this building better than the old one. It has lots of glass and is light and airy. I enjoy an exhibit about German immigrants. The end of the exhibit features current immigrants and three poignant interviews with young immigrants from Syria and Iraq bring tears to my eyes.

We take the tram to meet Jeannie and Frank and Linda and Chas at a big biergarten in Tiergarten Park. People are boating, swimming  and drinking beer. We sit at picnic tables and have our beers and Apfelschorles, a drink I have become fond of. It is apple juice with sparkling water. You can use other juices as well. We enjoy a last get together with these people we've gotten to know so well over the years. It is nice to know we don't have say final goodbyes. It is just until next year. Jeannie reports that her phones has been pickpocketed. She wasn't aware of anything but thinks it happened outside the subway station. It was in a zipper pocket of her purse. Not a nice way to end a trip!

We go with Jeannie and Frank back near the hotel along the river to the same restaurant we went to last night. We have a light meal, then say our goodbyes to Frank and Jeannie and go home to pack. I am ready to go home. I'm a bit tired of the heat here and sightseeing weary. I do think we've used our time well here. Now to bed for early reveille tomorrow.

                                          View along the Spree River

                                           One of the many modern government buildings

                                     New Berlin main train station

                                At the Cafe am Neuen See in the Tiergarten

Further Exploring of Berlin - Audio tour, Under the Berlin Wall Tour

I was so tired last night but have a good sleep. Our apartment does not have air conditioning. We use a small fan provided by the hotel and with windows open, it isn't too bad. We are refreshed and energized. We prepare to be tourists on the streets of Berlin. We want to be sure to look the part so we take inventory. Sunscreen. Check. Sun hat. Check. Camera slung over neck with strap handy for pulling out for a picture. Check. Sunglasses with cord around neck. Check. Backpack with water, trail mix and banana. Check. I have learned to organize the straps around my neck so as not to get tangled up with each other. That's an organized tourist! We are ready to hit the streets.

We are fairly early and the air is cool, it is quiet, the streets not yet crowded with traffic and people. It is not long, however, before it starts to heat up and the noise of traffic and crowds of people begin. I almost wish we had left even earlier. We do the Rick Steves audio walking tour of Berlin which starts at the Reichstag. We like these Rick Steves tours because it gives one a focus for things to look for and just enough information and we can go at our own pace. The tour goes mainly down Unter der Linden, the main street of East Germany. We see much construction and the building of East Germany continues 26 years after reunification. We have learned so much about this time period when East and West Germany were separated. One gets the real impact of that situation when we see it in person. We stop for a coffee break and end the tour at the big TV tower near the Berlin Cathedral. We have lunch in a pedestrian street near the cathedral. 

We have an interesting experience on the U-Bahn train. A man comes through checking tickets and tells us ours has expired and he is going to give us a fine of 63 Europe each. We explain that we bought the ticket at the hotel and that we had been told it was good for 24 hours. He gets off the train with us at our station and consults with his colleague, then says he will give us a lighter fine of just 63 Europe. He asks for ID and Kathy gives him her drivers license.He writes up the ticket and tells us to have the hotel call the Customer Service Center. Either that or we have to go to the Center on Monday which we can't do because we are leaving on Monday. He helps us buy a ticket for the day in the machine. He has been polite and tried to be helpful. (The hotel does call the Customer Service Center but they say we have to pay. We probably will pay but Dave will email the manager about the situation. We hope the woman who told us isn't docked 63 euros from her paycheck.)

We have just enough time to take the U-Bahn to the start of the two hour Under the Berlin Wall tour and are successful in getting tickets today. In fact, the tour isn't even full today! The tour is in English and is done by a man from the Netherlands. I think he is an aspiring actor as he is dramatic in his presentation. He talks about the three ways East Berliners tried to escape from the East to the West, i.e. by using the subway tunnels, using the sewer tunnels and by digging tunnels. People must have been desperate to do that! Most of the tour is underground. Some of it is in areas we visited on the other tour. There is a repeat of some information we have learned over the last few days but it is, nevertheless, interesting. 

In our walking around Berlin, we take note of the fun walking green man, called Ampelmännchen, on the Walk signs. This was started in 1961 in East Berlin as a universal way to tell people what to do. After reunification, the government wanted to do away with any signs of East Berlin so got rid of the Ampelmãnnchen. There was such an outcry and an organized effort to bring it back that the government relented and he is still around. He has become an iconic symbol of Berlin. One sees this green guy as a logo on all kinds of merchandise. The government did demand that the green guy be turned to walk toward the left instead of the right as he originally was positioned.

We return to the room for a rest, then go to dinner along the river again. We have a light meal which suits us fine. We are pleased with this day. We have held up well and done a good job of planning. One more day before we go home.

                      Brandenburg Tor, the dividing line between East and West Germany

                                      Memorial to murdered Jews

                                       Berlin Wall Memorial

                            Iconic green guy - Ampelmännchen - seen on Walk signs in Berlin

                      Reproduction of underground tunnel

                                                  Berlin Cathedral

End of Tour - Saying Good-bye

We thoroughly enjoyed our beautiful room last night. The sun is shining on the Brandenburg Tor just outside our window and I take a picture. This small Brandenburg Tor leads to the big one in Berlin. The square is empty this time of morning except for the street sweeper. It is early because we have to be ready to go to Berlin at 8:00 for our tour at 9:00. Guess there wasn't any flexibility in the time for the tour. We have breakfast at 7:00, a yummy one, too. It is about a 45 minute drive to Berlin from Potsdam. We go in two taxi vans. Jessica will take our luggage to the hotel in Berlin. The four of us are staying in a two bedroom apartment in the hotel - HSH-Mitte.  We have enjoyed this arrangement on other trips.

We have a tour of a couple of the underground bunkers in Berlin. Our English speaking guide gives an interesting, sometimes humorous tour and talk about these bunkers. One was from WW II and the other was built in 1977 during the Cold War. These bunkers were meant to protect the citizens of Berlin but they were woefully inadequate. They could only hold a fraction of the population. It was a very interesting tour. We walk with Philipp and see other Berlin Wall related sites. We see where the dividing line was on Bernaustrasse. It is very hot and we are roasting! We get to the hotel and our luggage has been delivered to our rooms by Jessica. Philipp tells Dave that he has left his iPAD at the hotel. (He later arranges for a taxi to bring it and it arrives within the hour.) A bunch of us go to lunch with Philipp at a nearby biergarten. Philipp says goodbye but nobody moves. It's obvious people are reluctant to say their final goodbyes. It's always hard at the end of a trip.

We are hot and tired but decide we will do another underground tour by the same organization that did our tour this morning since it was highly recommended by Philipp. We ask the person at the desk how to get there. She says it is easy by S-bahn train. There is a station just a short walk away. We buy a ticket good for five people and specifically ask if it is for 24 hours or just the day and are told 24 hours. When we get off at Gesunmundsee station, we spend at least 10 minutes trying to find our way out of the station! It is very confusing. By the time we do, it is 3:10 and there are only 3 tickets left! We see Linda and Chas who have gotten their tickets. We feel disappointed, frustrated, hot and tired. We decide we need to go back to the room and regroup. We find a supermarket nearby to get stuff for breakfast. It always takes a lot of time to find what you want in a foreign food store. 

None of us have done much preparation for this trip in terms of reading, thinking about transportation and so on so we take some time to read the chapter on Berlin from the Rick Steves book and to study the metro map. We discuss what we want to do for the two days we have here and come up with a plan. 

The day ends with a light dinner at a restaurant along the Spree River, a short distance from our hotel. It is pleasant sitting by the water with a breeze providing much appreciated cooler temperatures. In the end, we feel better about the day. I think we are all exhausted from the bike trip and the heat. Hopefully, we can get a good rest tonight. The hotel has provided small fans.

         Miniature Brandenburg Tor in the morning light as seen outside our hotel window

                                       Jessica, Michela, and Philipp - our leaders

                                        Shows where the Wall was off Bernaustrasse

Day 12 - Cycle to Brandenburg

The hotel we stayed in last night - Hotel Schloss Tangermünde -  is just a beautiful place. I'd love to spend some more time here. It is up on a hill overlooking the Elbe River so has wonderful views. The morning light always shows things off well. I greatly regret that I don't have any time to walk to the town which others say is lovely. (More about this issue later.)

It is definitely going to be warmer today. We soon take our jackets off. I am on the e-bike today. Good thing as I am quite tired from our two back to back 96 km days. We cross the same bridge over the Elbe that we came in on yesterday. This will be our last sight of the Elbe. Our first stop is at 12 km at the Jerichow Romanesque Monastery built in 1148. It is one of the most impressive examples of brick buildings in northern Germany dating from the Romanesque period and as such is an important stop along the "Romanesque Road'" a scenic route in this region that links all churches and cathedrals from 950-1250 AD which characterize the rise of Christianity in this region. 

We pedal along the Havel River and its nearby lakes as we make our way to Brandenburg. We are sometimes on a very busy road with big trucks, buses and fast cars and no shoulder (but nice smooth pavement) and then cut into a bike path running through a dense forest. It is Iike this all day. Some of the paths are really bumpy and we ride on quite a bit of cobblestone. It is windy in some places. We are really ready for a break so stop for coffee in Genthin at  34 km. It is quite warm and I know that saps my energy, too. Guess it's just a low energy day for me. That happens sometimes. 

We stop for lunch at 57 km on a lake. Most of the group is here and I think we have overwhelmed them because it takes forever to make our order and then another hour to get our food. I am grumpy about having to spend this much time at lunch! I get cooled down and stiffen up when I stop this long plus I want to get to the hotel and could be riding in this time. I must say the salad I ordered was beautifully presented and delicious when it came. We take a small ferry across the Havel River like the ones on the Delta in California. Brandenburg is a big busy city so, as it is in big cities, it takes awhile to make our way to the hotel. We get there at 3:45 and have an hour to shower and get ready for a tour of a museum at 4.45. I am tired and don't want to do any more standing today so opt not to go. The down time will help me a lot. 

                                     Grounds of Hotel Schloss Tangermünde

                                       Our room is the first green door

                                      Dining room of the Hotel Schloss Tangermünde 

                                 Jerichow Romanesque Monastery

                                      Hear no evil; see no evil; say no evil

           Riding on a pretty bike path

Day 11 - Cycle to Tangermünde - Elbe River Natural Areas

We start biking under cloudy, drizzly skies. We have another 96 km to ride today. I am a bit sore and achy from yesterday's 96 km ride. Today's ride is, however, perfectly flat. The drizzle soon stops but the overcast remains. We are riding south along the Elbe River in what used to be "no man's land." It was the division between East and West Germamy during the days of the Iron Curtain. For 40 years, no one set foot in this area. The result was the evolution of a very bio diverse population of flora and fauna. After reunification, this area became a nature reserve and these days is open to everyone for nature related activities. Seems like justice was served in that what was once such a sad area is now one where people can have their spirits fed by being in nature. We ride up on the levees that keep the Elbe from flooding the surrounding land past green fields with rolled up bales of hay that were part of the planned economy of the German Democratic Republic. Farms were collectivized and independent farmers forced to participate in this collectivization.

We see many differences in this part of Germany compared with West Germany. The towns seem dreary, drab and deserted. The gray weather contributes to the drabness. There don't seem to be any people around and no retail businesses. We find no coffee shops to stop at and no ice cream places. According to Philipp, these towns were not kept up during the East German regime and became dilapidated. After reunification, there wasn't enough money to really make them vibrant modern places so the people began to leave and many are now mostly empty. Under the GDR, people were given jobs, they had health care and were taken care of in every way. They didn't have any say in what job they had or anything else. Yet, some people, especially older people, have never adapted to a democratic system. Under the old system, they had jobs but under the new system, they lost their jobs and did not have the skills to get jobs in the new economy. The castle where we are staying tonight is an example of a place that has benefitted from reunification.

Our leaders once again provide a picnic lunch for us as there are few places to stop and eat. We are tired of the bumpy bike paths so we ride in the street. There is little traffic and we can sure make better time on the road. There is also a fair amount of riding on cobblestones, a jarring experience! 

We are all a little saddle weary from two consecutive long days of riding plus few stops to take a break given the lack of retail businesses along the way. We arrive at our hotel about 3:00 p.m. It is a beautiful hotel in the former castle of Charles IV. Tagermünde, the city it is in was a member of the Hanseatic League so prospered during that era.

We enjoy the beautiful pool (unfortunately no spa with warm water to soothe aches and pains). We have dinner at the hotel. It is Billy's birthday and we toast him with champagne at the briefing. Don and Chas are sick.

     Sylvester on an interesting sculpture we pass

                                           Our hotel last night

         Our hotel,last night. It is run by the BUND, the largest environmental organization in Germany

                                      Entering Wittenberg

                                A typical East German town

      An interesting trompe d'oeil

                                  Our hotel tonight. A castle on a hill.

Day 9 - Cycle to Lüneburg

It is surprisingly quiet on the streets this morning. I expected more noise from race announcers and such since we are very close to the race route. Since it is Sunday and the core is closed off, there is little or no car traffic. Our morning exit from the city goes well. The leaders have done a good job of planning. At 9:00 we take our luggage as a group to the van which is parked outside the closed off area of the cycle races probably a quarter of a mile away. We are on our own until 11:00 when we get our bikes and walk them with Philipp leading until we get away from the closed off area. Then we ride a short distance to the ferry. We get in a long line of people waiting to get on the ferry and I wonder if the bikes will get on but we get in line with everyone else and there is a special place to put the bikes. Plenty of room. We go up on deck. It is a little lighter today so our pictures will look a little better than on our other boat ride. I enjoy visiting with the woman sitting across from me. Her granddaughter and husband are with her. They are taking her to the zoo today. 

We get off at the fifth stop where the van meets us. We start riding our 60 km about 1:00 p.m. We stop for lunch around  2:00. I have the biggest hamburger I have ever seen! It must have a pound of meat in it. I eat half and have the rest wrapped. I will give it to Philipp. I don't think the marker always has time to eat lunch. After lunch, it starts raining. We are under a big dark cloud. We are just beginning to get seriously wet when thankfully it stops. I have taken out my rain jacket from the rack pack that morning because the weather has been so nice and no rain In the forecast. If I had brought it, it wouldn't have rained, right? Of course, I am therefore responsible for the rain! It is also windy at times. We are on mostly bike paths but some are really bumpy and others one has to watch for tree roots. Some are through woods. Amazing these bike paths. It is a nice ride but we feel pressure to keep going because it is already 5:00 and we still.have 10 km to go. We arrive at 5:15. This is a nice hotel. Our room is on the river. This is a picturesque town just as one imagines a pretty German town. Unfortunately, we won't have any time to explore it. We've done the best we could under the circumstances with the race going on in Hamburg.

 We have a delicious dinner at the hotel.

Well, I am tired and must get to bed. We have 97 km tomorrow. It is our 51st anniversary today.  Whoever thought we'd be doing a riding our bikes in Germany on our 51st anniversary?! Our group toasts us at dinner.

                         We all take our luggage to the van in Hamburg.

                                           The big race in Hamburg

                                           Shoreline on ferry in Hamburg

                                          A pretty church bathed in sunlight along the way

                                    View from window of our hotel in Lüneburg

Day 8 - Rest day in Hamburg

This is a rest day and I thoroughly enjoy sleeping in a little, putting on regular clothes and having a leisurely breakfast. We meet at 9:15 and take the metro to the harbor where a private charter boat is waiting to give us a ride on the Elbe River. We have a guide who tells us about the port, about Hamburg, and about some of the ships we see. The river is crammed on each side with all kinds of ships, boats, loading equipment. It is a hub of activity.  Some cargo ships are no longer in use because of the advent of container shipping. Philipp shows us the cargo ship he worked on for three years when he was a young man. It is no longer in use. 

After the tour, people disperse to do what interests them. We go with Philipp, Evelyn and Carlota to St. Michael's church to go up in the tower to see the view. When we get there, we see that an organ concert is starting in a few minutes. There are three famous organs in this church. Carlota is amazingly good during the concert. She falls asleep in Philipp's lap. After the concert, we go up in the tower where we enjoy a gorgeous view of the city. We have lunch nearby in a Portuguese part of town. A couple of us have grilled sardines and the food makes us remember Portugal last year. 

We say goodbye to Philipp, Evelyn and Carlota. There is a huge bike race tomorrow. There will be 20,000 people in town for the race! It is a big event! There are many, many tents set up showing bicycles and cycling gear. I've never seen so much in one place! We make our way to the tent area and look at all the stuff. Kathy and I get new helmets, the same as the one Joanne got earlier in the week with the light on the back of the helmet. Kathy gets a red one and I get a white one. Experience Plus! will take our old helmets.

We go back to the hotel for a rest before our briefing. Our hotel is right in the middle of the race area so streets are closed off and it will be impossible to get the van to the hotel to get luggage and difficult for us to get out on our bikes. We will carry our luggage a short distance to the van and will leave later after the races start. Should be interesting. 

After the briefing, we give Carlota the book we have gotten for her. She seems pleased and is familiar with the main character. The book is in German. We purchased it at a bookstore around the corner. It was recommended by the bookstore person and by a customer who said she had a 5 year old daughter and she loved this book.

We go to dinner with Kim and Billy and Kathy and John in the same Portuguese area as lunch because Billy wants some Portuguese food.  Dave and I just get fish soup and split a salad, perfect for us. We take the metro back to the hotel. There is a station very near the hotel. It has been a relaxing fun day.

                                       Here is our guide on the boat

                            New Phiharmonic Hall, a controversial,project 15 years in the making

                                HUGE cruise ship, a floating city

                                      Inside of St. Michael's Church

 

                                     View of city from tower on St. Michael's

                                    Sylvester the Chicken and his friend the monkey