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Published: February 19th 2007
We arrived into Berlin in the evening around 8 p.m. The flight was easy and short and we knew we should be able to figure out the public transport system rather easily since we are seasoned travelers now. What we did not know about was the bizarre airport we had decided to fly into. Berlin Templehof was totally old fashioned; complete with the mobile staircase to carry you down to the runway as well as baggage claim as soon as you get off the plane. Also, the building looks as it where an old Nazi private airport. To make things ever more interesting we grabbed our bags and where greeted by a giant party in the lobby complete with full brass band and tuxedo clad waiters carrying champagne.
After skirting the party we made our way over to West Berlin to our little ghetto hotel, two trains later. The hotel was a little disappointing, because it was far out from the tourist spots we wanted to hit, but the transport system goes everywhere so it was no big deal.
The next day woke early to check out all of the sites. We hit Brandenburg Gate first, through which we
exited East Berlin (through the center columns, as did royalty) and walked the long stretch of road toward the Victory Column, which we never fully walked to because it is a long ass way down the street. About half way toward the column we stopped to check out the Soviet War Memorial, which was erected for the 2000 Soviet soldiers who lost their lives in WWII. In front of the memorial where some very impressive cannons, that as you can see from the video Suzy enjoyed as well LOL.
We headed North from here to the Platz der Republik, which is in front of the Reichstag Building (German Parliament Building) as well as the place that the Germany unity celebration took place in 10-3-1990.
We decided to wait in line to go into the parliament building which didn’t take too long but required passports as well as a strip search, just kidding, just a metal detector but these guys were being very serious about their job. We were then whisked away up and elevator, by a guard to the roof. Which is apparently the big attraction and it didn’t disappoint. From the roof you could see almost all
of east and west portions of the city and they provided tourists with a photograph layout map of which building were which in the landscape. In the middle of the roof is a giant dome which can be accessed from the roof and is beautiful. From floor to ceiling there was a giant cone shaped mirrored structure refracting a thousand images form every point of view in the room. It really make for and amazing photo.
After leaving the parliament we head south towards the Jewish memorial as well as the massive Sony Center to find a piece of “The Wall.” The Jewish memorial was cold feeling but did exhibit some incredible design work and was a huge memorial.
Next we came the section of the wall in front of the Sony Center and got the chills as well as buffed up our wall history. The feeling was quite amazing touching a piece of something that divided families as well as a country.
After wandering around a bit we headed back toward our hotel and decided on some German influenced Mexican food. The two pitchers of beer was the highlight of the meal, not the food. Tired
we retired after dinner.
The next day we headed off to find the largest standing portion of the Berlin Wall. After a bit of metro riding we exited the train station, Ostbahnhof, to find the East Side Gallery... well just to the east. The gallery, the portion of the wall that had been commissioned by the German government to portray the artistic emotions created by the concrete divide, had seen better days. Most of the original art had now been scared with tags and graf art as well as tourist names and countries, which was starting to piss me off. After walking the wall and snapping photos we decided to head to another outside exhibit, The Topography of Terror.
This was a real treat as we found nothing about it any tourist info and just happened to find it wandering the day before. The outside museum situated on Niederkirchnerstrasse, just west of Checkpoint Charlie, the museum came with and audio tour free of charge and outlined the grounds on which the self-guided tour took place. We where standing on the former grounds of the Gestapo Headquarters, the Reich Security Main Office as well as the headquarters of the
A piece of the Wall in Potsdamer Platz
This square used to be one of the most crowded square in Europe..SS, the Nazi Security Service.
The tour outlined the lives of the head officers as well as the “house prison” for detainees interrogated at Gestapo headquarters and was incredibly interesting, horrifying and detailed.
Next we headed over to Checkpoint Charlie which was the crossing point between East and West Berlin after the Berlin wall was erected. Checkpoint Charlie was supposed to only be used by diplomats, embassy members and allied forces, but as we found out in the Checkpoint Charlie museum across the street this was not the case. The museum was a bit cheesy but did recount numerous escape schemes by people impersonating guards, creating armored cars, and hiding people in two connected pieces of luggage on the roof.
This being our last night here, we decided to call it a night and get up early and head to the Oranienburg Concentration Camp, just outside of Berlin.
The train ride to Oranienburg took about 45 minutes and when we got there it started to rain. Prepared for rain we headed off to find the Tourist office and get directions to the camp. This was easily accomplished but now it was starting to rain even harder.
Walking to the camp was a bad idea, but we did it anyway. The rain started coming down harder and harder and we were wearing raincoats but the jeans where getting soaked. We found the Oranienburg (Sachenhausen
was its name from 36-45) Concentration Camp easily and went into the office to get tickets and map of the area. This is the point in which the tide turns against us and shit gets crazy. I will try to recount the conversation as well as possible.
Me: Hi, can we get two tickets to the camp?
Office Lady: Two tickets? We are closing early today...@ 3
Me: Really? Why?
Office Lady: The Hurricane is coming!
Me: LOL What?
Office Lady: The schools are closed and the hurricane is coming! You should leave now....
Me: Now? Why?
Office Lady: The trains will shut down soon!
Me: I’ll take two tickets and hurry, thanks!
We stepped back out into the deluge and pondered what in the hell the lady was talking about. Could she be right? Are we going to “Hurricaned in?” Our train ride home was suppoed to be a romantic private sleeper car for two with beds and all. Whatever
crazy lady!?! We went in and checked out the Concentration Camp just long enough to snap a few photos and read some plaques. The camp was really spread out so we ran between the covered areas and tried to hide from the rain. Which was not working well. Soaked and cold we caught the bus then train back to center Berlin. After some internet time and some Thai food at Hauptbahnhof, Berlin Main Train Station, we started to notice that trains were now running late, a lot of them. Ok, so we sit and have a beer and wait on our train, which is about 30 min from departure. The next time I went to check the train board nothing was on the sign except, “Bitte Ansage Beachten” flashing over and over. It took about 20 minutes for us to realize that this meant you are screwed.
Now we guessed go back to where we bought the tickets and talk to the man. Well upstairs we went and “the man” was a useless ass who said he could do nothing besides cancel our tickets and give us money back. Oh, and one more thing you could get a voucher
for a hotel from customer service. Ok, to customer service we go. This line is ridiculously long now. After about 45 min. the CS guy tells us no voucher will be given but our ticket will be valid for hte following day. Ok, so we have the same reservation and everything for the following day? Sure, Sure. This was not making complete sense and I was worried we would not get what we payed for, since a private room is not cheap. So, back to ticket office we go. This gentleman explained that our reservations where gone now, and that if we showed up tomorrow for the train the tickets would work, but the conductor would put us where there was space, not a room, these are already booked. Fumes are now raised from my ears. Ok, screw the night train and we’ll leave tomorrow on the day train. Fine, canceled tickets, got new tickets, and decided to store luggage in the train station instead of lugging them there and back. Now we go to tourist office, line is once again ridiculously long and wait take another 45 min. We get a great deal on a hostel in Kreuzburg, Aletto
Hostel. Wonderful, lets put this all behind us and get dry, we are still soaked by the way, and get a drink.
The hostel was a happening place, and we were the Sr. Citizens in the bar. A few pints later we go to bed.
The next morning we ate breakfast in the hotel and noticed several faces from the night before in the train station, stuck as well I suppose. We talked to the people at the front desk and apparently Berlin was and is in the middle of hurricane force winds and torrential downpours and people had died. What if you were in another country and a hurricane hit? Would you know?, because we had not a clue what the hell was happening. It should be noted that this was and is the only time ever all DB trains had been stopped and shut down. Oh joy!
Well back to the train station we go. Upon our arrival at Friedrichstrasse, the stop before main train station, we are told that Hauptbahnhof is closed and this is the end of the line. WTF!!!! We found the local DB rep and he pointed us toward the customer
service deck once more. 30 minutes later, I am told we should be able to retrieve our bags at the closed station, a DB rep should be able to get them. Simultaneously, Suzy is told that we could not get our bags until the train station re-opens, sometime later. The good news is the trains are now running from a different station. OMG, now we can’t leave because our bags are in a closed station. In a rather feeble attempt Suzy and I ran outside and grabbed a cab to the main train station. We arrive at the station to find the military and police everywhere, and we can’t get to within 100 yards of the doors as everything is roped off and sealed up. We explained our situation to anyone who would listen and not a one person gave a damn! Not even the DB reps on the other side of the station, who assured us the station would be open in a few hours, a few hours after our train left from the other station. Apparently a metal support beam had fallen 80 ft. separating from the giant glass roof of Hauptbahnhof. Glad we missed that.
So
we grab another cab, back to the open station, and once again back to customer service. Cancel our tickets, one more time, get new night train tickets, and head back to Aletto hostel to see if we can get a room again. Luckily we get a room for one more night and at the same rate.
That night we called, and met up with, one of Tracy and Gustav’s friends in Berlin. Jeff, who was totally understanding and accommodating to our situation and offered to meet us for dinner at a local Kreuzberg spot. We met at a chill spot serving Egyptian food on low tables and while relaxing on plush couches. It was exactly what we had needed. We laughed, chatted and ate delicious food while sharing stories of our common friends. Jeff also clued us in on the right place to go after a night of drinking, the sauna. Which as we experienced the next day was quite the experience in itself. After dinner we had a few drinks and we headed off, very thankful to Jeff for meeting us and taking us out.
The next day, we took Jeff’s directions and headed to the sauna.
Consolation Prizes
DB reps gave us gummybears and coffee as we sat in the numberous lines. This was crazy not only for the fact no one in the place spoke English, and we had no clue where to start but the whole co-ed nude sauna thing was a trip in itself. While there were kids splashing and playing downstairs “the adults” were upstairs in the sauna, steaming, sweating, and soaking away all sources of pain. After trying all of the 8 saunas, steam rooms and even the just above freezing cold bath, I was dared, we had our fill of nudes and changed out of our birthday suits and into our smelly clothes we had been in for two days. Remember we still had no bags.
That evening we headed back to the train station, scooped up our baggage, and hopped on the train ride home. Its about time, we were finally able to get our romantic night train ride home and even shared a bottle wine and some chocolates.
Sorry about the delay here, I had been dreading writing this based on all the details and no way to show the issues we had without all the details.
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