The Blaus - South America and Europe

19th of October - Berlin, Germany

The three of us (Jen, Billy and Billy's mom) left Prague by train to make it to Berlin in time to meet Billy's Dad who was flying in from San Francisco. The train ride was fun, and we made it with no problems with the help of a very kind stranger. We went to the wrong train station and asked a guy for directions and he insisted on walking with us to the correct train station which was a 10 minute trip by foot. He waited while we purchased our tickets and even walked us directly to the gate to see us off. We were so impressed with this random act of kindness. Being jaded Americans we were sure that he wanted something from us, and we were even suspicious of him at first, but by the end of the experience he changed our minds. It is Fall in Europe, and seeing the rolling hills with all the leaves changing colors pass by was a nice treat for those of us from San Francisco who never see real seasons anymore. We took a few pictures out of the window of the train and arrived in Berlin exactly on time.

Berlin is another city that has that feeling of being part of the elite cities in the world club. It is orderly, has a great transportation system, and is very clean and nice looking in the city center as well as in the neighborhoods outside the center. They do, however, have a bit of a problem with graffiti, but that is exactly what we imagined when we envisioned East Berlin of old.

Our first couple nights were spent at the very chic and historic Adlon Hotel. The hotel is where Hitler stayed at periods while in Berlin during the war and along with much history it is beautifully restored. All of its current beauty comes with a big price tag, so in typical Blau fashion we had one room where all four of us were staying, under the radar of the hotel management, who have a strict policy of two people per room. We were very careful never to be seen together, and had worked out a strategy where those who were allowed to be seen together (Billy and his Mom, Jen and Billy's Dad) would go down stairs, walk around suspiciously, then wait in the back of the hotel for the next pair to come down. Hand signs and head nods were used as signals across the lobby as we would all then sneak out the back door so the guards in front would not catch on. We thought we were very slick in this endeavor, but we think the hotel management just let us get away with it out of pity. They must have had fun watching this charade every morning and evening.

The problem was compounded by the fact that the hotel bellman broke one of our cheap backpack handles while carrying it up to our room (they wouldn't allow us to take them ourselves, even though we tried). Once they re-examined the dirty and fraying backpacks, they knew they had intruders on the premises. One of the guys at the front desk was good humored and told us that they sure don't get too many backpackers in the hotel. That being said, we really enjoyed the hotel, to get a chance to sleep luxuriously on the floor in a very nice room. We even went to the spa in shifts, which was the height of luxury for the two of us who have had no exposure to spas, fancy hotels, or bellman for 10 months.

Billy's Dad arrived the following day, and after a 3 hour delay in New Jersey. He looked and felt great and hit the ground running. Our first adventure was to go to the newly built Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. The museum was underground, and had a very artfully designed series of zinc clad coffins rising from the cement shell of the museum (all at staggered heights), meant to memorialize the deaths of Jews under the Nazi regime. This covered about an acre or two of ground in the heart of Berlin. Inside the museum there were powerful pieces of writings, historical notes, and statistics from the Holocaust. It was another somber reminder of what happened right here in Europe not all that long ago, but it was good to see such a thing in Germany where it all started. It was a moving and sad few hours in the museum, but also was impressive and something that everyone who visits Berlin should see. The stories of the many families they highlighted that were wiped out completely had the most powerful effects.

That afternoon we also took a tour of the city by bus, as it is quite big and would be very hard to see it all just walking around. We were shown many important and interesting historical sights, including Check Point Charlie, the Brandenburg Gate, the last remaining pieces of the Berlin Wall, the university where Marx and Engels taught, and most of the glorious old government buildings.

After being terrified of our own shadows in the Adlon Hotel, we moved to an apartment in a quaint part of town that was right next to the river. We could go in and out as we pleased without having to go two at a time, and instantly became much more relaxed. Days were mostly spent walking to different parts of town and just perusing. Berlin has some very nice neighborhoods that are off the tourist circuit, and we could tell that most of what used to be East Berlin was quickly being renovated and upgraded for the more flashy and artsy Berlin crowd of today. The neighborhood of Prenzlaurberg was our favorite. There were little shops and cafes everywhere, with people eating outside despite the fall temperatures. It looked very livable and lively, probably a good place to live for anyone considering a move to Berlin.

Most of all, we enjoyed spending good time with Billy's parents. Hearing about everything that is happening and not happening at home, relaxing while cooking dinners, and drinking wine in the afternoon. It was all really invigorating for us. We realized how much we miss home, family and friends, and that we do not have that much time before we are back in the States, so we should take advantage of what time we have left. We were both nervous to see all our family members, fearing that they might look different than we remembered them, but that turned out to be an unfounded fear. We left Berlin a little sad to have the past two weeks of pampering by our parents over, but very happy to have had the opportunity to share our adventure with them.

posted by The Blaus @ 2:51 AM