So Tuesday evening I got some very exciting news. I had been picked to be a tour escort into Berlin. Our ship docks in a cute little German town known as Warnemunde, which is about three hours away from the city.
The morning began on a train ride with Val and Sarah from the spa. We cracked jokes and talked about people and goings-on on the ship. We excitedly waved goodbye to the Century and felt great about the fact that we wouldn’t be seeing it for another twelve hours.
In Berlin I got on my bus for the “Berlin: The 20th Century Experience” tour. Our first stop, naturally, was the Berlin Wall. I had my giant Panasonic video camera ready to take shots for the Voyage in Review movie I have to put together every cruise. I must say, at first I really wasn’t impressed with Berlin. We saw the outskirts and I thought there wasn’t much to it and a tad dirty – sort of like Londonderry. Our next stop was Checkpoint Charlie. At this point I was really wishing I had paid more attention to Mr. Crile’s World History lessons. Checkpoint Charlie was in a much more bustling area of the city, so it was starting to impress me, but I wasn’t sold yet.
After Checkpoint Charlie I had the most fabulous lunch. We walked into the dining room of the Westin to see giant salads waiting for us with the best feta cheese and mushrooms. The salad was followed by a breast of chicken enveloping spinach with carrots, potatoes, sauerkraut, and little German sausages on the side. Oh my gosh it was amazing. I don’t even like sauerkraut and this was delicious. Then for dessert, again I tried something I swore I didn’t like. It was apple strudel in vanilla sauce. I washed it all down with a great glass of German beer. Fantastic. I am more obsessed with food these days since the food on the ship is so awful.
Our next stop was the Reichstag and North Gate. It was very lovely. The North Gate reminded me of the Arc de Triomphe with a long, beautiful street leading away from it – just like the Champs-Elysees. The Linden Street was charming with elegant and trendy shops and trees with leaves such a bright green they looked like white magnolia leaves. I really wished I could get off the bus and just stroll around. I always thought of Germany as harsh and rough, but I was starting to see it had its charm. I was starting to see it differently.
We passed the Holocaust Memorial of concrete slabs. The guide explained that the red roofed buildings behind the memorial were old Nazi bunkers and that one was the sight of Hitler’s supposed suicide. I got a slight eerie feeling.
The day provided me many reasons to smile as we passed things on the bus. We passed a Lidl, the grocery store we girls frequented in Dublin. I was thrown back to my tiny Irish apartment and our pesto pasta. We passed people walking dachshunds and I thought of Tootse. I couldn’t believe I was seeing real German dachshunds.
Our next stop was the Allied Museum. Out front was a Berlin Bear (much like the Lexington pigs) decorated fro the candy-bombers. The bear begged for a photo with me. So I just had to. A giant plane was surrounded by two museums. The first was a museum converted from an old American soldier movie theater. It was filled with old artifacts from WWII. On the other side was more documentation of WWII, including an excavated spy tunnel which was really great.
Next we rode to one of the city’s main squares. I was instantly drawn to Emperor William’s Memorial Church. It was stunning. The original building stood between two new buildings. The original was bombed in the war and the two new ones were built as a symbol against violence and destruction. I strolled into one of the new buildings and it was easily the most beautiful sanctuary I have ever seen. Every wall is covered to the ceiling with small squares of stained glass. The color was the most brilliant blue. I honestly don’t have the words to properly describe this church. It was that moment I realized Berlin officially had a small piece of my heart.
The square outside had street vendors, entertainers, and a fountain with an outdoor café. It was so charming and wonderful. Our tour stopped at a few more memorials, and at the end of the day I was ready for a long nap on the train. Unfortunately my mind was racing with thoughts of the beautiful city that I am ready to visit again.
Today is a sea day, and we are headed to Stockholm.
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