If it is at all possible, I think June went faster than May! I have been to Berlin and Kiev (Ukraine) and returned home to work at the airport during the G8 and G20 summits, which were in Ontario this past June. My travels as always were fabulous experiences and I'll tell you about both starting with Germany in this post. Arrived in Frankfurt on June 6, pretty wiped out - hardly slept on the flight. Since I had a five 1/2 hour layover, I had thought about perhaps catching a quick tour of the city but by the time I got my luggage and checked back in and wandered over to the tourism desk I had missed the only possibility, so I had to hang around the airport.
Well, for most people that would be a dire experience, but I have become an airport geek after working in one for 28 years, so I managed to amuse myself - this airport had much to offer. It was busy with more than just travellers - the German team was flying out today for South Africa and the airport had scheduled a whole slew of activities, from musical entertainment to interactive soccer goal nets and more. And they have a massive observation deck - I think it's almost a kilometer long! So my five hours flew and before I knew it I had arrived in Berlin. Ah Germany, the country where taxis are Mercedes or BMW's and everyone speaks English! How civilized. Despite a mild case of jet lag, I sat up with my niece till the wee hours and then got up early to catch a ride into town with her. I was taking one of those hop-on, hop-off city tours, which are fabulous to help get your bearings in a new city. I did the full 90 minute tour to see all the sites so I could decide which ones I wanted to explore more in depth. This is an incredible city - so full of history, architecture, art and culture - and the choice was tough. Of course one of the best-known things about Berlin is the (former) Berlin Wall, which after more than 30 years of dividing east from west, came down in 1989. This was a dire time in the country's history, but credit to the Germans who recognize that terrible things should not be swept under the carpet, but should in fact be memorialized in some way to teach the coming generations and ensure that bad history does not repeat itself.
In a nutshell, the US was open to letting residents escape the east, in fact, often helped in some way and this is commemorated on a hoarding wall that tells the stories of escapees, some who survived and others who did not (shot by Germans as they were leaving the east). I simplify here, for the sake of the blog, but you get the picture.
Although the wall is gone, the location has been marked by a double row of cobblestones all across the city. It is possible today to retrace the steps of the wall and see how it split residential neighbourhoods and quickly separated families and friends on either side. However today there is no separation - east is indiscernible from west. Well almost - the west is marked with historic beautiful architecture in its museums and government buildings and the east offers up gray slab blocks of building. But the people are no longer separated!
From there I walked around the area and came upon treasures like murals commemorating a labour strike of 1953 on the Ministry of Finance building's exterior wall and a cool sculpture by Claes Odenberg dedicated to the suffering of bohemian immigrants, refugees from other countries arriving with nothing and the challenges of starting life all over again in a new home.
I walked and walked for the next three days, in spite of the sweltering heat of 30+.
I wanted to capture as much of the city as possible so between the bus, the bahn and my feet, I saw the main sites like the Brandenberg Gate, the Reichstag building (their main government building where parliament meets), and the radio tower towering over an ancient cathedral. Like so many European cities, Berlin has wonderfully mixed in the new while still embracing the old and every corner you turn you are struck with how complimentary glass and steel is to stone. 
A green city, Berlin offers parks throughout, so it is easy to rest and cool off under a large shady tree, next to a water fountain or inside a beautiful museum. One day I walked the length of Unter der Linden (Under the Linden) Street which literally has linden trees lining the wide European boulevard. 
Near the eastern end of the street, I stopped off at the Berliner Dom to take in the cool interiors - a magnificent cathedral that overlooks the River Spree - and marvelled that this building had survived two world wars and bombings in the city. Then onto the majestic buildings of Museum Island - literally an island between the arms of the River Spree, with several museum buildings, most reminiscent of ancient Roman and Greek styles.
Built in the early 1900s, the government needed a place to house the many treasures that German archaeological teams were bringing back from early Mediterranean civilizations. The Pergamon is a definite must stop for any visitor with its soaring ceilings and its Blue Walls of Babylon transporting visitors back in time. You can almost hear the horses hooves as they bring chariots through the wide hallways into palace courtyards. All I can say is Wow!
On the hottest day I was seeking cool refuge and took the bahn to Tiergarten, the city's largest park (bahn is train - I love the transit systems here and have mastered it - there is u-bahn which are the underground and S-bahn which are the above ground and the D-bahn which is the long distance rail system. I love the German's efficiency!). I think many other people had the same idea. This park was originally some king's hunting grounds and there were deer and all sorts of other animals running free into the early 20th century. Much like High Park in Toronto, it is decreed that the city must retain it as a public park and although Berlin is not as busy a city traffic wise as so many other capitals, it offers a fabulous refuge, for all of those people who work in the government offices, being situated next to the Reichstag, the Bundestag and most of the consulates and embassies.
At one end of Tiergarten is the zoo - another wow - this is a massive place and although you might think it's a good choice when the temp is near 40, in fact it was very cooling. So green and leafy, a lovely breeze blowing through and of course I was immediately distracted by the animals anyhow. This zoo is internationally renowned and I can see why. It originated the concept of not caging the animals but instead creating moats or deep crevices where the animals could not cross and touch or be touched by humans. What that offers is a spectacular unspoiled view - so I, like may others, felt like I was strolling next to elephants and zebras and giraffes without any barriers. Of course the monkeys are caged or behind glass - mischievous and smart creatures that they are - they would definitely figure out a way to get out! But I delighted in their antics nonetheless - so human-like, they show off for the audiences and the more we chuckled at them, the more they performed.
I walked and walked for the next three days, in spite of the sweltering heat of 30+.
I wanted to capture as much of the city as possible so between the bus, the bahn and my feet, I saw the main sites like the Brandenberg Gate, the Reichstag building (their main government building where parliament meets), and the radio tower towering over an ancient cathedral. Like so many European cities, Berlin has wonderfully mixed in the new while still embracing the old and every corner you turn you are struck with how complimentary glass and steel is to stone. 
Near the eastern end of the street, I stopped off at the Berliner Dom to take in the cool interiors - a magnificent cathedral that overlooks the River Spree - and marvelled that this building had survived two world wars and bombings in the city. Then onto the majestic buildings of Museum Island - literally an island between the arms of the River Spree, with several museum buildings, most reminiscent of ancient Roman and Greek styles.
Built in the early 1900s, the government needed a place to house the many treasures that German archaeological teams were bringing back from early Mediterranean civilizations. The Pergamon is a definite must stop for any visitor with its soaring ceilings and its Blue Walls of Babylon transporting visitors back in time. You can almost hear the horses hooves as they bring chariots through the wide hallways into palace courtyards. All I can say is Wow!
A friend asked me what was my highlight and I was hard-pressed to answer - there were so many. SO I thought of the two things that moved me most, one in a manner not so positive and the other very beautiful. The Topography of Terrors is an exhibit that that has been installed at the former Reichstag headquarters location. Next to a four foot high portion of the main building, there is a piece of the wall where someone had scribbled a fitting piece of graffiti - Madness. Plaques on the outside give an overview of how the Gestapo and its members plotted the horrors of the 30s and 40s. A new modern glass building has a walking series of panels (50 plus) that tell the full stories through text and images and give homage to all the countries that were taken over, vandalized and destroyed, and their people who were imprisoned or killed during the Nazi regime. A section was devoted to Ukraine and I found myself looking deeply at the photos to see if I could recognize my parents or other relatives. Of course there were too many and I felt myself choke back tears of horror and pain several times as I walked through the space. I will never forget this and so while it is indeed a topography of terrors, I sought the positive and believe that these kinds of exhibits and memorials offer a reminder to any who visit how easy it is to slip into evil, so we know that through education, we can never let such an abuse of human life occur again. I learned that these tours are mandatory for German youth and perhaps this should be extended beyond to youth around the world.
The positive highlight was definitely the Pergamon. I have seen many museums in many countries, but this truly is the only one where I left the present and felt completely immersed in history. I'm not sure why, but suspect that the uncluttered approach and perfect recreation of what used to be thousands of years ago, even in part, allowed me to live in the past even for only a minute or two.
The positive highlight was definitely the Pergamon. I have seen many museums in many countries, but this truly is the only one where I left the present and felt completely immersed in history. I'm not sure why, but suspect that the uncluttered approach and perfect recreation of what used to be thousands of years ago, even in part, allowed me to live in the past even for only a minute or two.
If you have a chance to go to only one city in Germany, I urge you to pick Berlin. Its character is warm and friendly and easy and it is a fabulous learning experience. It is open and free and acknowledges that humans are not perfect but that we are smart enough to do better. Of course this may be a disservice to other parts of Germany, and I must admit I have only been to Koln (which I loved for many different reasons) but I was definitely charmed enough to want to go back and see those places I missed. In the meantime thank you to my lovely niece for being such a fabulous hostess and her roommate for letting me crash in their living room.
