DAY 7 - SIGHTSEEING IN BERLIN
Day 7 of my vacation already and how the time flies. Today would be a busy day with sightseeing and visiting family.
Breakfast was at 9 at Uschi and Harald's apartment and consisted of the normal fare. Following this, Uschi, a cosmetologist, suggested that she give me a make-up demonstration. She works from her home and has a room designed for her cosmetology. This was fun as she is excellent at her job and it was nice to have somebody pamper me for a bit.
Following this we traveled by car into Berlin proper to do some sightseeing. Our first stop was at the Berlin Holocaust Memorial. I failed to understand the significance of the display and Gerhard himself told me that he really didn't know why the memorial was built in the style that it was:
There were some gift shops nearby and I did purchase a small music box for my mother.
We next continued to walk some distance to the United States Embassy which is adjacent to the Brandenburg Gate. I had been to the Brandenburg Gate in 1993 with my brother and family but it was interesting to see it again with corresponding dialogue from German cousins who had lived through the time of the falling of the wall. This was especially poignant in that my cousins live in what was East Germany and had previously had great difficulty getting to the West side. They told me historical facts and how their lives had been before the wall came down:
US Embassy in Berlin
Turning a different direction we visited the Dem Deutschen Volke (Reichstag) and the Gendarmen Markt (Concert House & Theatre) before returning to the car:
Another short drive and the car was parked and we walked through the business district of Berlin, stopping in various shops (including a lovely chocolate shop) before finding a beautiful restaurant, Loewenbraeu, to eat dinner. At this restaurant, which is near Friedrichsstrasse, we ate outside in a courtyard. I again had wiener schnitzel but the portions were so large that it is near impossible to eat the entire meal. I cannot believe the size of portions here. The piece of wiener schnitzel filled the entire large dinner plate and the corresponding potatoes that came with the meal were served in a separate bowl.
Following this meal we again walked through other areas of the business district where buildings of interest were pointed out including the location of the business where Gerhard worked during his career as a graphic designer.
Back to the car and a drive out to Victoria Park where there were walking trails and a lovely waterfall. While Berlin is a huge city with the noise and hustle and bustle that a huge city brings, there are equally peaceful and serene areas as well:
It was now nearing 5 pm and we again returned to the car for a drive of some miles to the home of Kai and Steffi. Kai is the oldest son of Uschi and Harald and I had met Kai in 2000 when he came to the US to visit my mother and myself along with his brother and his Opa Gerhard.
Now 8 years later he and Steffi are awaiting the birth of their first baby and they have a very large apartment that I enjoyed seeing. In true German style Steffi had prepared the afternoon cakes, coffee and tea as well as other treats and we sat and visited, viewed all the baby items they have accumulated and met their dog and 3 cats. Steffi speaks perfect English as she works in a local hotel where the staff must speak English to accommodate the guests. I enjoyed meeting her and talking with her as well:
We left their home at 8:30 and headed back to Marzahn and our apartments. We will see Kai and Steffi again on Sunday when we gather at a local Chinese restaurant with the rest of the family for a Kolberg family reunion!
Despite the amount of places we saw today and the amount of walking done, I wasn't tired at the end of the day and the memories stayed with me. Through this long day, little Kira, Harald and Uschi's dog, accompanied us. She is the most well behaved dog and I remarked about this to Uschi asking her how she had trained Kira so well. Her remark was "a lot of love and patience". I think I better send my little poodle, Zoya, to Berlin for some training because at 10 years old Zoya would never have been able to go on a day long jaunt!
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