Germany: the schnitzel

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We've really been looking forward to Germany. Perhaps Brian felt some sort of draw to his ancestral land (or at least the half of him that is German), and Alissa was definitely looking forward to staying at the Marriott in Berlin (Thanks entirely to Lisa Rooney and her employee discount). Berlin also turned out to be a totally appropriate place to transition between the formerly Communist eastern and central European countries and the unadulteratedly capitalist havens of Frankfurt, Dublin, and finally back to Boston. The Marriott, in fact, was 5 meters from the (former) Berlin Wall.

To start off, Berlin is enormous. Over four and a half days we were able to visit only a handful of the city's dozens of distinct neighborhoods, and wish that we'd had another month to fully feel the place out. Perhaps this vast geography helped it survive 40 years of division. Considering that the Wall only fell fifteen years ago, it's amazing that the former division is not more evident. Aside from the bricks running along the Wall's former path--sort of an anti-Freedom Trail for you Bostonians--there is little evidence that half of the city was Soviet. All of the areas that we saw had the same mixture of boroque, neo-classical and very modern architecture, some of the more happening neighborhoods are actually just along the former dividing line.

Thanks to yet another "friend of a friend" connection, we were able to get together for dinner with Barbara, a self-designated U.S. ex-pat who has lived in Berlin for five years. In addition to a wonderful conversation about the complexities of life in Berlin, Brian enjoyed his spaetzle, sausage, and lentils, while Alissa reveled in the first proper salad since before entering the Eastern Bloc.

We had been dreading the high cost of living in Berlin, but our well-honed backpackers instincts proved useful in finding the free museums and most cost-effective bus tour in the city (actually, it was just a ticket on a regular city bus that passed by most of the major sights). For all of you scheduling trips to Berlin--the major museums are free from 6-10 p.m. on Thursdays, so plan accordingly. Most of all, we enjoyed walking around Berlin. It is a really clean, beautiful city and has some great people-watching opportunities. The German population is made up of a mix of Goths, Skaters, Punks, and Bankers all living side by side. Quite refreshing if you as us.

Our final stop in the non-English speaking world was Frankfurt...the birthplace of Brian's grandfather. Brian was very excited to see Grandpa's former haunts, albeit haunts that had since been appropriated by Nazis, bulldozed or bombed, and rebuilt as (ugly) office buildings. His former family homestead is now the American consulate, and his mother's family's house nearby has been replaced with a Jewish Community Center. Even so, Brian enjoyed walking around his family's old stomping grounds, and especially staying in a hotel that happened to be only two blocks away.

We're heading off to Ireland in a few hours. Alissa is looking forward to seeing her own ancestral homeland, and Brian's eager to get behind the wheel of their rental car, even if that wheel's on the wrong side. That should be an adventure.

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Photos

German going to work
Did we mention this country's...um...social diversity?

Comments

[Dan Rooney]

What atrip
I have enjoyed every minute of this incredible and exciting journey its been a blasat following you guys now enjoy Ireland and have a wee pint and a song safe home Slanter Uncle Dan Rooney