After a miserably long drive from Dusseldorf, we finally made it to the German capital, Berlin. I was excited to visit since there is so much recent history here. The Nazi headquarters were located here (at the Topographie of Terrors exhibit), the Holocaust was planned here, the city was separated into E and W sectors following World War Two, and the Berlin Wall was erected in 1961. We started at the Topography of Terrors, an outdoor museum located at the former Nazi headquarters. Additionally, the longest extant segment of the outer Berlin Wall is located here. This is one of the only parts that was not torn down.
Next we went to Checkpoint Charlie, one of the biggest cross points between East and West Berlin. The sight looks much different than what it once was but it has extra significance for me. My dad and his family crossed here on Christmas Day of 1969 as they made their way from the Middle East to America. I remember my dad describing the stark contrast between the depressing atmosphere of the Soviet-occupied East side and the well-decorated, lively streets of West Berlin.
I think my favorite sight here was the East Side Gallery. It is a long stretch of the interior part of the Berlin Wall that has been turned into a series of murals. The themes of the murals range. Below you can see us in front of some of the murals, and some nice quotes I found within the murals.
In front of the wall near the Topographie of Terrors
Checkpoint Charlie
Brandenburg Gate
Berliner Dom (Cathedral)
Me on the Altar of Pergamon at the Pergamon Museum
We saw statues of bears all over the city (known as the Berlin Bear) and couldn't help but take pictures with a few of them!
East Side Gallery
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