Getting to know Berlin

Our first evening in Berlin we walked to a restaurant that our Airbnb hostess said was Vegetarian and was liked by other guests who are vegan.

FREA it was called.  But when we walked toward it in our sweatshirts and slacks, there was a guy wearing a tuxedo walking in.

We went in anyway.  The hostess didn't hide her opinion that this was not the place for us.  She told us the only place she had open was at the bar and told us to look over the menu first.  

The cheapest meal was $65.  It didn't look like enough food.  The four course meal featured spinach dumplings.

We stepped back outside.  I searched on my phone for Italian.  There was one right next door!  It was a lovely little place that was happy to serve us.  It was orgasmic-yummy and satisfying and the whole meal and drinks came to about 65 EU.  

We didn't sit outside, it was about 45 degrees and breezy.

I took the picture below as we were arriving into Berlin on the train.  

Our hostess had directed us to take the S-7.  I had no idea what she meant by that but we soon made sense of it and did another quick train to East Germany.

We have a small apartment right in the Mitte (Middle) of Berlin.

She said it was on the 2nd level.  But in Germany, I guess, they don't count the entry level.  To me it is on the third floor and the suitcase was heavy.  Her pre-teen son came running down to take my bag as I struggled up the second set of stairs.

Below is the kitchen.  In the first picture you see two cabinets under the counter.  Behind one door is the dishwasher and behind the next door is a little front load washer.   In our bedroom closet is a nice rack for drying clothes.  

To the left of the little sink is a fridge that looks just like the cabinets.  Steve says electricity is expensive here.

I was already impressed with German engineering.  But I am delighted with the design and quality of the windows.  They open two ways (just tilting out when the handle points up, and opening like a door when the handle is horizontal.)

Our apartment is on the courtyard side and is very quiet.   We can see the phone tower from our window.  

We can hear a low rumble of the subway once in a while.

There aren't screens on the windows.  Below is a picture of the first floor entry.

When we arrived in Berlin we were both miserable with our cold symptoms.  I had pre-booked a walking tour for the next morning.  We decided to not go and take it easy in the morning instead.

After lunch, Steve used Rick Steve's guide book to take us on a little walking tour on our own.

We were going to walk through here to avoid crossing a busy street.  But decided against it when we saw it held a homeless encampment.

This tower was erected near the wall by the soviets as a sign of power.  The sun hits the ball and a cross appears.  Since they were against religion, the cross was referred to as the pope's revenge.

A statue of Carl Marx and Engle.  Economists that advocated for workers (putting it simply).

Behind them was a sculpture showing the struggle of workers.  In front of them was some metal panels with pictures about the protests.  And then a sculpture showing the ideal of happy content workers and families.  It might have worked if humans and money and greed weren't part of the real world.

These pedestrian traffic lights were one of the few things from the Soviet-era that the people liked.  After the wall fell, the people fought 10 years with authorities to have the lights remain.  Western Berlin now has a few too.

There was a statue of Martin Luther.  This is a picture taken before WWII.  Martin Luther translated the bible into German.  This not only made the bible accessible to more people but standardized the German language, untifying the country.

All the surrounding figures were removed and melted down for the war effort. The sculpture of Martin Luther was put in storage for many years.  But not before it sustained some damage from the bombing.  Part of a heel is missing and there are pockmarks on his robe.

Though the soviets after the war removed the crosses from the churches, some of the church buildings survived the war and occupation. 

The doors on this church were bronze.  And they survived the war!

During Hitler's time the Jewish people were killed or sent to camps to die.  Some of the last ones were those married to Aryans or with mixed blood.  We saw a sculpture honoring a group of women that gathered after their friends and spouses were taken.  This is one protest that worked!  The spouces were returned.

We found a huge supermarket right in the busy shopping district.  We shopped for cold medicine.   Steve used Google to find the cough drops and the decongestant.

The market was two stories with an escalator kind of ramp with tempting cookies with easy reach.

There is a big swing on the top of this glass building.

We got to see the world clock.  I was trying to figure out why the 19 didn't represent 19:00.  The time didn't match Berlin.  It didn't make any sense to me.  I had Steve stand in front of Berlin. And then in front of New York.

Propaganda tiles on a Soviet era building.

All the tour and we were only about four blocks from our apartment!

Thanks to all of you that commented on the last few posts.  Thanks for the well wishes!

It is great to hear from you and to think of our friends doing their own lives back home.  Thank you.

And thanks for the emails too!

And Seester Mary, they tell me the bulbs will arrive sometime before October. 

This morning we go on a guided walking tour and tomorrow we take a bus to a concentration camp.  I am still coughing and blowing, but feeling better every day.