Berlin Inspires with Its History, Street Art, and Christmas Markets

Visiting Berlin, Germany in late November meant the weather could be uncertain. However, Tuesday turned out to be warmer and drier than Monday which was nice. The streets of Berlin were not icy in most places. That was good as we did a lot of walking with the infamous Checkpoint Charlie as our first goal.

After World War II the allies divided up control of Berlin. The Americans had the third sector. Each sector had an entry point to East Berlin. The American entrance was the C section, and Charlie was used for the letter C, thus Checkpoint Charlie. The place is a simple structure where someone can sit when not talking to people who wanted to enter or leave East Germany. I also read the current location is not the exact location of the checkpoint. However it is an important point in Berlin’s history so we went to see it. It was within walking distance so we walked through town checking out the buildings along the way.

On a corner near Checkpoint Charlie is an outdoor exhibit which gives information about the checkpoint and some of the history that led up to dividing Berlin. While I still remember much of the concerns over the Berlin Wall as a teenager, younger generations are losing an understanding of it and its implications. Visiting this location reminds us of what can be at stake. A nearby banner reiterates this in the context of the modern political situation.

Andrea’s friend Jacob is a lover of street art. He follows some street artists on social media and was aware of some of their pieces in Berlin. Andrea had some addresses of these pieces so we just needed to find them. Some of them were easy to find; others eluded us. Our first find revealed a creatively painted elephant. Some other art work surrounded nearby buildings. It was at that point we became somewhat lost trying to find another piece.

That meant stopping for coffee so we could use the Wi-Fi to get more information. It also helped warm us up. With our new info in hand, we headed out again only to realize we were again walking in the wrong direction. So we backtracked, and we eventually found the mural Jacob was looking for along with some other pieces as well.

With our first two goals of the day taken care of, we headed to a nearby Christmas market I had read about. It featured a large slide advertised as a toboggan ride. I thought Jacob and Andrea might enjoy that. Unfortunately all was not as advertised. The slide was not all that great. It might work for kids, but not really for adults. The rest of the Christmas market was pretty weak. It was next to the Potsdamer Platz Shopping Center. Surprisingly the Christmas market was quite small with only 20 booths at the most, and they were spread apart. It was a disappointment again. The area, however, was quite modern and seemed a newer part of Berlin.

By this time we were all getting hungry so we decided to stop for lunch. We like Mexican food, and we spotted a Mexican restaurant nearby so we headed there. It was about 1:00, but when we entered no other customers were there which felt a bit uncomfortable. Fortunately the food was good so it was nice to see another group show up just before we left.

At this point we separated from Andrea and Jacob. I wanted to get back to the Berlin Cathedral we had seen on Sunday. I still wanted to see the interior of the church. We didn’t get far, however. About two blocks away we realized we were passing the Memorial for the Jews who had been killed in the war. We had to stop and check it out.

The memorial consists of large concrete blocks all lined up in rows which represent the victims. No names or anything on the cement blocks identify the victims. There are not enough blocks to represent all the victims. We walked down an aisle of blocks, and it surprised me how tall they became. Near the edge of the memorial the blocks are pretty short. Nearer to the center the blocks were above my head.

We then realized there was an information area below the memorial blocks, and it was free to enter. We did have a wait to get in. Once inside we followed the flow around the rooms. In the first room there was a timeline of events leading up to and during the time of the killing of the Jews. The stories were harsh and hard to read.

At this point the memorial tried to make it all more personal. In the room after the timeline, bits or fragments of writings by Jewish people are shared. Photo copies placed in lighted rectangles on the floor make it very personal. Some are diary entries; some are letters sent to other family members. All were touching and sad. I’ll admit I didn’t read them all.

The next room focused on families. The memorial displayed photos and information about some of the families on large boards. Again it was a lot to take in, and I only read about a couple of families. The other challenge was the room was dim so it was hard for me see some of the readings.

In the next room the screens would show one name with perhaps some dates underneath. Then someone would tell the story of the person’s life whose name was on the screen. They seemed to alternate the names in terms of language. One person’s life was told in German and the next person’s story in English.

In the final major room they displayed information about all the concentration camps. Most people focus on the well known concentrations camps, but there were a number of locations where the Nazis killed Jews and other undesirables. They even had vans they would use to travel to locations to kill Jews, gays, and the Roman people known as gypsies. It was sad to see all these locations.

It was now later than I had expected so we hurried over to the Berlin Cathedral. I wasn’t sure if they were still allowing visitors in. They were, so I went inside. The sanctuary was beautiful, but it was a little underwhelming. Somehow it was not as grand as I expected. Perhaps the European Catholic churches have influenced me too much. Remember this is a Lutheran church.

The experience was not over yet. Visitors could climb to the top of the church around the center dome. They were cautious to warn that the ascent involved going up 267 stairs. I hesitated at that number, but decided I could do it. I took it slow and steady and made it. The stairs changed as I went up changing from vinyl to brick to metal steps.

Visitors can walk all the way around the dome so they can see in all directions. Unfortunately it was now dark. The city was lit up, but the dark made taking photos a bit challenging. I enjoyed trying to get a good photo of the angels that were around the dome. Going back down was a different route with many of the steps being wooden before I got to the newer flooring in the church.

We had one more item to cross off our list before the end of our day. It was another Christmas market. It was very close near the base of the TV Tower. Known as the Berliner Weihnachtszeitso, it seemed foolish not to go check it out. We found it to be definitely better than the one we had seen earlier in the day. I think visits at night are more fun when all the lights brighten the sky. It’s also busier, and that community feel adds to the Christmas cheer.

One of the unique feature of this market is an ice skating rink. A number of people were enjoying this activity. My favorite skater was a younger man who was slowly skating without much confidence around the perimeter of the rink while looking at his phone the whole time. Priorities I guess.

Decorations at this market included some scenes from fairy tales as well as a nativity scene.

I did get a funnel cake here. I had my first one at a Christmas market in Budapest which was just sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. In Prague they used the cakes more like a cone and filled them with yummy things. Here in Berlin it was back to the more simple version, but you could choose what you wanted on the outside. Options included a coating of almonds or coconut, or maybe even chocolate sprinkles.

With the taste of funnel cake on our taste buds, we finally headed back to our hotel. It had been a long day, and we had walked over eight and a half miles. We have one more full day in Berlin. Check back next week to discover how we filled our final day. In the meantime write any comments or questions in the box below. I love to hear from you.