The Last Hurrah

Saturday March 26, 2016 - Berlin, Germany

Our final day in Europe. Thankfully we have been blessed with a beautiful, sunny day. Having decided to visit the concentration camp on our next visit, our last day was active, but easily manageable. After finishing our daily allotment of complimentary Nespresso coffee, we were off to the Kaiser Wilhelm Church, one of Berlin’s most famous landmarks.

As we mentioned before, over 70% of Berlin was destroyed during WWII. In November of 1943 the church burned down after it was hit by British bombers. Only the partially destroyed west tower of the church was still standing. Instead of rebuilding or restoring the church it was made structurally sound, and the west tower of the church was kept largely in its damaged state. It is one of the few (if any) original structures left and you can easily imagine the extensive  damage from the Allied bombings. This part of the church is now an exhibition, and one worth visiting.

Mom Tip - Be prepared for history to hit you in the head and the heart. It’s one thing reading about the war and it is entirely another to see it up close and personal. The damage to the infrastructure is unimaginable.

Upon exiting the church, we unexpectedly found ourselves in a bustling street market - how convenient! It turns out Easter is a big deal in Germany, and there were decorations in front of, next to and behind the vendor stalls. From cool homemade jewelry (we could not resist buying) to traditional German food and beverage, today was the day to be outside. We strolled through the market en route to the KaDaWe, which is like Macy’s meets Harrods. KaDaWe was mentioned several times during our trip and if a supermarket in Rochester can be a tourist destination (Wegman’s) why not a department store in Berlin?

Several blocks from the church and we were at the KaDaWe’s front door. It’s impressive. The Kaufhaus des Westens- KaDeWe- is a Thai-owned department store with over 60,000 square meters (645,830 square feet) of selling space. It is the largest department store in continental Europe.

Store information in a dozen or more languages is available upon entrance. Seven stories, one half floor just for luggage, and a market on the top floor, this place is an impressive ode to capitalism. We picked up some high end chocolates as gifts and decided to take a break at the champagne bar. Yes, that’s right, Veuve Clicquot has their own champagne bar -  you know if you just want to stop and toast to life. You can reserve space - reserve your stool - at the champagne bar! Stopping made sense to us.

We could have spent all day in KaDaWe, but we had plans so it was time to move on. We caught the HOHO to the Berlin Wall, which was just around the corner from Checkpoint Charlie. Finally, the wall. It was what I’d been waiting to see and touch. The Berlin Wall divided Berlin from 1961 to 1989 and of the 87 miles of wall, there is not much of it left standing. And what is left of the original is the 4th generation wall. The wall was continually being reinforced and redesigned to make it more difficult to go over, around, through and under. It’s difficult to get an idea of how the wall cut through the city but there are two preserved sites in the city and three or more museums with reconstructed representations.

I wanted the real deal so we stopped at the stretch of the original Berlin Wall that displays the ravages of time and souvenir hunters. People pick and scratch at the wall and the Berliners call them “woodpeckers.” While the visit through the Mauer Museum the day before was overwhelming with so many stories of escapees, standing next to the wall helped put into perspective the bravery of those who made daring escapes to the west. Along the wall there is documentation of the rise of the Nazi Party, the events that took place during its reign and the building and eventual demolition of the wall. It was truly a highlight of the trip and a place that is worth a second visit. A powerful experience.

Across the street was a kitsch food stand with prices that reflected their proximity to a major tourist attraction. It was the first time we would be charged for catchup. We needed a break and the food stand had tables and chairs. The Wall and the accompanying museum Topography of Terror is fascinating, but can take a long time to be done right. During our lunch break (sausage and fries), we were treated to the sight of tourists on the weirdest bike contraptions cycling down the street, and the sights and sounds of a warm spring day in Berlin.

After a short walk to Checkpoint Charlie we grabbed the HOHO back to the Gendarmenmarkt and rested in the Sofitel for a short break and to make reservations for dinner. No street food and room service for us on our last night. A real meal at an authentic German restaurant. Out again by 4:30pm, we checked out the menu at the Augustiner am Gendarmenmarkt and confirmed our plans to return for dinner at 7:30pm.

Around the corner from our hotel was Galeries Lafayette Berlin and another street full of shopping. It would be rude to not see what was on offer. A quick in and out and we were on our way to the Nespresso store. Our few days with the Nespresso machine in the hotel convinced us that we should window shop in the Nespresso store. We ended up talking to an expat from Maine that had lived in Germany for 30 years. After he schooled us in the working of the different espresso machines, he invited us to enjoy a cup at the coffee bar in the store. He explained that Europeans did not take coffee “to go” in large cups and sipped leisurely from smaller cups while sitting and enjoying conversation. Although we could purchase, online, a Nespresso machine with large American-sized cups.

Leaving the Nespresso store, we found our way to Ritter, conveniently located around the corner from our hotel.  Ritter is a confectionary giant similar to Hershey or Cadbury, and the store was like F.A.O Shwartz for chocolate. The three floors and almost 10,000sf of space give you the opportunity to treat yourself to everything you fancy. Impressive and tasty. In addition to a Ritter chocolate statue over 10 feet tall, and every chocolate combination they sell, there is also a make your own Ritter bar assembly line. Yes please! Keep in mind this process takes at least an hour and is similar to the “build-a-bear” style with the end result - your own chocolate bar made to order. Gifts all around for US friends and colleagues.

We arrived back at the hotel just shy of 7:00pm and decided to walk over early and get seated for dinner. Augustiner is decorated in the style of a typical Bavarian winter lodge with dark paneled ceiling and walls.  Lederhosen wearing staff carry giant steins of beer, while the smell of roasted meat wafts through the air. 1.5 liters of beer later, one giant pork knuckle and another entree of pork and cabbage between the two of us and we were ready to be rolled to our beds. Remember how I mentioned our hotel was perfectly located? Well about 240 feet after departing the restaurant we walked into the hotel.

What, back in the hotel by 8:30pm? How unusual for us. The rest of the evening was spent packing and getting ready for our long journey back to the U.S. We would be on our way by 6:00am.