Greetings friends and family,
I hope this email finds you well. After our awesome August adventure in Spain, September started horribly for me. Who knew that you could get slipped discs just by turning to the side? I literally reached my right arm across to the left and suddenly had the most searing pain I've ever experienced. Nick, who is not known for running anywhere anymore, came running when he heard me call his name and found me clutching the counter, trying to hold myself up. For anyone who hasn't experienced this, and I hope that's most of you, I suddenly couldn't move my legs and the bones in my back felt like they were just swimming around loosely. I was able to get a quick prescription for a mild muscle relaxer and ibuprofen but neither provided much relief, and it was the weekend. By Tuesday I was able to see the doctor and get a CT Scan. The results: my L2 and L3 went one direction while my L4 and L5 went the opposite direction. The timing of this event was very unfortunate due to our upcoming 15-day trip scheduled to begin September 24th. Two days prior to departing, I received a steroid injection in my hip. Armed with a bag full of pain killers, we flew to Berlin on the 24th to meet up with our friends from California, John and Sylvia.
This was our first trip to Berlin, and I must say that Nick and I were pleasantly surprised at how much we liked it. Berlin is a very interesting and beautiful city with some terrible history that we wanted to explore. What I really appreciate about this city is that they don't shy away from their horrible past but rather acknowledge it and vow never to let that happen again🤞. Fortunately, I managed to get through a 4-hour walking tour called "Alternative Berlin" on my first day since John and Sylvia weren't arriving until early evening. The tour covered street art and focused on some specific street artists who each have their own style/theme. The tour also highlighted how the artist community stepped in after WW II as well as after the fall of the Berlin Wall to try and bring life and art back to the city. Another interesting tidbit according to my tour guide was that Berliners are renters and just don't believe in buying a home/apartment, which is so contrary to what we're used to. I posted a number of photos on Instagram and highly recommend this walking tour if you plan to visit Berlin.
The following morning John, Sylvia and I were going to tour as many WW II Nazi and Berlin Wall memorials as we could handle, starting with a tour of the glass dome of the Reichstag building, which is home to the German Parliament. On top of the Reichstag building is a spectacular glass dome that you can tour for free with an advance reservation. From the base of the dome we walked up a gradual incline to the top of the dome and caught some fantastic 360 degree views of Berlin. It was a gorgeous day, so the views were crystal clear.
Once we exited the Reichstag building we passed the White Crosses Memorial outside of the Tiergarten, which consists of 13 crosses inscribed on both sides, honoring 13 specific individuals and the countless others who were either shot or drowned in the Spree River while trying to flee East Berlin for West Berlin during the 1960's. Not far from the Tiergarten is the Brandenburg Gate where we stopped for the required photo op taken by Sylvia, our designated selfie master. The Berlin Marathon was taking place that same weekend so you might notice some people in the background with medals around their necks.
Our next stop was the Museum to Murdered Jews of Europe, which is truly a very solemn place to see. It consists of 2,711 rectangular concrete pillars of varying heights arranged In a grid pattern on an undulating landscape. The memorial is meant to create an intentional sense of disorientation and unease. Walking through it definitely was disorienting at times, giving us the feeling of being trapped in a maze. We had to take a little break and process that experience. Also on this site is an underground museum that documents the individuals murdered by name.
Next up we toured the Topography of Terror, very aptly named, documenting the Nazi persecution and terror organizations. Upon entering the building, there is a model of downtown Berlin depicting the Reichstag building and all surrounding buildings requisitioned/taken over by Hitler and his ilk to house the SS leadership, the Gestapo, the SD (the Intelligence part of the SS), among others. The museum houses permanent exhibits detailing the history and crimes of the Gestapo including many written and photographic displays. It was quite crowded during our visit. Seeing photos of some people working at the Auschwitz concentration camp, smiling and laughing, chilled me to the bone. A friend in Porto had recommended that we see this exhibit specifically because it outlines how Hitler and his party managed to take over every aspect of government quickly and how closely that parallels what's taken place in the U.S. in the last 20+ months. It's a gut-wrenching exhibit. Outside the museum is a portion of the Berlin Wall along with more documentation and exhibits, but we were exhausted and in need of a drink so we made the decision to skip that. Not far from there we made our final stop at Checkpoint Charlie, the most famous border crossing between East and West Berlin. This was not nearly as disturbing as what we had seen, thankfully. Once we made it back to our very nice hotel it was time for drinks and a chance to decompress.
The following day we took a boat cruise around Berlin on the Spree River, something I would also recommend if you visit. And, since we were in Berlin during Oktoberfest, John, our Foodie in charge of restaurant selections, found a Biergarten so we could enjoy some German food and beer.
Thankfully, the steroid injection I received just prior to this trip helped me get around without too much pain. Nick and I departed Berlin by train the following day heading for Basel, Switzerland, where we were meeting up with my sister and brother-in-law to begin our Rhine River cruise. Stay tuned for that story in my October update.
Adeus, abraços e beijos,
MaryLou
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