The TV Tower
First stop, the Fernsehturm (the television tower). Built in 1969 it was a huge symbol of the success of socialism. Today its a great way to get a view of the entire city, but if you want to dine in the revolving restaurant, book at least six weeks in advance. It was great to have Felix there to give us a narative of what we were seeing and where East and West had been divided. As he spoke, nearby tourists were hanging on his every word adding to the fun.
Life in the East
Our next stop was one of the most interesting experiences of the trip, the DDR Museum. The museum is full of real life artifacts of daily life from East Germany including a reproduction of a bathroom, kitchen and living room of a typical home. Felix talked about how he had the exact same object, in the same color in his house growing up. Joe and I pointed out that it was all pretty similar except you had more choices of color and objects, though we did wonder if everyo
ne got to have all the objects. A really informative and fun stop on the agenda, try not to miss it.
From there we walked toward Gendarmenmarkt, which is one of the most beautiful square's in all of Berlin. It is all about the architecture in this space, but if the weather's nice and you have time it looks like a great place to hang for a meal or a drink. The concert hall is flanked by two dom's (cathedrals) the French and the German.Leaving the American Sector
Keeping to our schedule, it was off to the Checkpoint Charlie Museum, which focuses mostly on the construction of the Berlin Wall, people's attempts to escape and the efforts of the East German State to keep them trying let alone succeeding. When Jennie and I had been there in 1989 it was quite small. Today it's in the same location, but about 5 times as large, though most of the exhibits are identical (I'm not sure they've even been dusted), but the stories are still as moving as the first time I read them. The oddest part for me was stepping out of the museum and not having any visual clue that the Wall had been just steps away or of the massive East German checkpoint that Jennie and I had plodded through to get to the East after checking in at Checkpoint Charlie with the American authorities. Weirdly though, a replica of the original Checkpoint Charlie booth is there with actors dressed in American and Soviet military uniforms and flags - for a Euro you can have your picture taken with them.
Then we went over to Potsdamer Platz to grab some lunch. With the Wall running essentially through the middle, it had ceased to be a key neighborhood in the city. The Wikipedia entry on Potsdamer Platz is worth a read as the history of the platz gives great insight into the history of the city itself. Today's it's considered a shining example of the unified Berlin. Almost all new 
construction with a giant outdoor food court area that is under an amazing glass roof that must be 40 stories up that has wings to create shade when it's warm. You'll also find a part of the hotel that I think inspired the setting for the movie the Grand Hotel.
After lunch we went to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. When w
e had driven by in the cab it had been moving, but when Felix took us and we went "in" it really spoke. As you wander about the stones are really close together and then you become isolated, only catching glimpses of other people who seem far off. Beyond that it's very hard to describe.
On our way to the Reichstag, the home of Germany's parliament we passed by the Brandenburg Gate, it was cool to walk back and forth through it. All of the new government office buildings that have been built since the capital of the country was moved back to Berlin form a beautiful space on the edge of the Tiergarten, Berlin's main park. We didn't go into the Reichstag, though visiting it's new glass dome is a favorite tourist activity, in part due to the long line and also because it has been a long day of hard touring.
Just as we arrived at the Reichstag, Sam called to say she was done with work so we met up with her and headed toward their new apartment in Wedding for a home cooked meal.
The Ice TrayDuring the dinner preparations Felix had a little learning moment that while very funny, is a great reminder of how important it is to be open to new ideas and to be extremely empathetic about other people and their cultures. The new apartment features a refrigerator/freezer, in their old apartments they had only had refrigerators. As an American, Sam was very excited about the prospect of her own ice supply. It's not that Germany doesn't have ice, it's just not something they're in to.
So, Felix is making us a couple of drinks and Sam offers ice, which we're very happy to have. Now Felix is trying to pick the cubes one-by-one out of the tray so I say, "Didn't Sam teach you how to use an ice tray?" while giving him the universal symbol for twisting an ice tray and just like that ice everywhere! Sometimes, it's the littlest things.
