Germany - Berlin and Potsdam

We’ve managed to jettison a few items along the way so far, and packing is getting easier.  We had another EasyJet flight ahead of us to get to Berlin, but their packing restrictions were not as much a burden this time; we didn’t have to resort to much devious activity to circumvent them.  After this flight, we won’t be traveling by air again for another month, and we’re thankful to be away from airports for a while. The security process was a breeze this time, and by some miracle, I didn’t set off any alarms as I walked through the metal detector.  I almost felt cheated without receiving my usual x-ray and frisking.

After an uneventful hour-long flight, we touched down in Germany and began the process of traveling to Potsdam, a city located about thirty minutes outside of Berlin and site of the Potsdam conference of 1945.  It’s also the former headquarters of the KGB in East Germany during the Cold War.  We had a long, quiet taxi ride with a driver who spoke no English and wasn’t interested in pointing out the sights—a good thing, because there weren't any.  The land was flat, brown, and mostly empty with a few copses of trees here and there breaking up the long expanses of fields.  At interchanges there were a few squat, graffiti-covered buildings that looked like abandoned sentry posts, and my vision of a castle-covered, Bavarian forest slowly evaporated as we motored along deeper into the country.  I had an infusion of hope at one point as two plump, colorful pheasants burst from a field, plopped down in the middle of the road, and skittered around a moment before taking flight again.  My medieval dreams had new life again thanks to two wayward game birds, but my reverie wouldn't last long in this area of Germany.

We arrived in Potsdam and pulled up to our flat, and unlike previous experiences, gained quick entry.  While the exterior of the apartment building wasn’t very attractive, the interior of the flat was bright and cheerful with crisp white walls and honey-toned wood floors.  It was also spacious with a large kitchen and dining area and a living area which also doubles as the bedroom.  The bathroom was recently renovated, and all of the fixtures are shiny chrome.  We’re pleased with our own headquarters for our four-day stay in Potsdam, East Germany.  

Deena and I walked to the grocery store on the corner while the kids got settled in, and we felt we had found the land of milk and honey at the REWE market.  This store was fabulous, and we spent an hour translating German and finding bargains.  Did you know the German word for olive is “olive”?  Similarly, the German word for ham and turkey breast is “schinken und putenbrust.”  French, Spanish, and Dutch to some extent are languages with similar roots to English, and one can get by where they are dominant by inference and a bit of common sense.  German ain’t that way.  It’s a real jaw cracker of a language, and we’re hoping for the kindness and pity of strangers to get us through the next few days.  We managed to buy several days worth of food for minimal euros, and we walked triumphantly back to the flat and cooked bratwurst and potato pancakes for supper to celebrate.  Did you know the German word for bratwurst is “bratwurst”?  Similarly, the German word for potato pancake is “kartoffelpfannkuchen”.  And now, we have to figure out the public transportation system here, Lord help us.

Next day I got up early to do some writing while the rest of the family slept off the travel hangover.  There’s a coffee maker here, and I made a big pot of strong brew from a bin of aromatic grounds provided by our host.  I sat at the kitchen table to write and looked out on the grounds of the apartment blocks as the sun’s rays crept up the sides of the buildings.  After the rest of the family rolled out of bed, we had a big breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast and jam, and fruit with yogurt.  We chopped up the leftover bratwurst and mixed it with the eggs—sehr gut!  We had hoped to go into Berlin to church today, but we haven't figured out the buses yet,  and another taxi ride was cost prohibitive; so we sat on the sofa together and watched last week’s sermon from Pastor Alex back home.  Since we didn't get much schoolwork done in Amsterdam, so we decided to make this day one for studies and rest, and it was a good call as we all needed to recharge.  But by 4:00, we needed to get out of the flat for a while, so we took a walk around the neighborhood and wound up at McDonalds and, of course, ice cream consumption ensued.  I don’t think we gave ice cream enough consideration when we were in the budget stages of the trip, but with careful planning, it can become a permanent line on the ledger.  We have a walking tour scheduled in the center of Berlin tomorrow, so we’re heading to bed early tonight in the hope that sleeping on the computer logged into Google translate will result in German fluency in the morning.  

The leading authority for speakers and writers on all words containing letters of the alphabet, Webster’s Dictionary, gives the simple definition of communism as:  “a way of organizing a society in which the government owns the things that are used to make and transport products (such as land, oil, factories, ships, etc.) and there is no privately-owned property.”    The slightly more complex definition adds:  “which results in a society of people living in fear of the government while suffering cold, hunger, and exploitation while leaders erect statutes and commission paintings glorifying the success of the state and its heroes, and everyone sits around in ugly buildings and drinks cheap vodka wondering what went wrong.”  Or something like that.

When Deena and I were planning this trip, Germany stumped us for a while.  There are many places to visit where one can soak up traditional German culture and marvel at the beauty of the Rhine, the Black Forest, and soaring medieval castles.  We ended up choosing Berlin, a city tarnished by a cruel dictator, leveled by war, and rebuilt during the uncertain period of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union.  Woo hoo!  Let’s pack up the RV and go!  Part of our decision was based on proximity to our next destination, the Czech Republic, and travel logistics, but the rest was based on our desire to teach the children about communism, a form of government that Deena and I grew up fearing and one that Joseph and Deveny have only read about in books.  World history and American history converge in a unique way here, and we knew we could give our homeschool curriculum a serious boost in Berlin.  We were also curious to check out the vibe of the city and its recovery after many decades of torment and uncertainty.

We prepared for our big day in Berlin by loading up on a hearty breakfast, and after much research, we faced our fears and boarded the 693 bus bound for the S Bahn station and a train that would hopefully take us to the city center.  With no tickets in hand, we had to conquer the machine on the bus and its many options for public-transport passes in under five minutes before we arrived at the train station—no pressure.  We somehow pulled it off and jumped off the bus bearing four ABC passes that allowed one-day unlimited travel around Berlin by means of bus, train, or tram, and the whole bundle cost only 28 euros, roughly a quarter the cost of one taxi ride into the city.  We managed to board the correct train, and forty-five minutes later, we stepped onto the platform in the Alexanderplatz train station and began our day in Berlin.

Here’s a quick Cold War primer:  After WWII, the victorious allies sat down in Potsdam and divvied up the what was left of Germany.  The Soviets under Josef Stalin took East Germany; West Germany went to Britain, France, and the United States.  The initial intent was administration of postwar activities in those sectors, but things got out of hand.  Control of Berlin was split the same way with West Berlin becoming an island surrounded by all of East Germany.  I never understood this division completely in school, and I grew up thinking that East Germany and West Germany were divided by the Berlin Wall running smack through the middle of everything.  With the communist government cracking down on citizens fleeing to the capitalist west, The Berlin Wall went up quickly in 1961 surrounding the circle of West Berlin.  It separated families and ruined lives on both sides of the wall.  The next thirty years would bring the escalation of the Cold War with espionage, tension, and the threat of nuclear war between the USSR and the United States.  

Deena had signed up for a walking tour that she found online which included the major sights in the central area of the city.  Billed as a two-and-a-half hour excursion, the tour turned out to be an amazing four-hour odyssey into the architectural, social, and political heart of the city, and it covered every aspect of Berlin we were hoping for.  The weather was perfect for walking with sunny skies, temperatures in the mid-sixties, and a light breeze.  We were led by Ben, a thirty-something Australian chap with family ties to Germany, who had a gift for succinctly delivering historical facts through the use of humor and clever background stories.  

The majority of the tour took place in what was considered East Berlin up until 1990, with a brief walk into the western sector.  We started with a visit to the TV tower commissioned by the government of East Berlin to demonstrate the might of the German Democratic Republic, and it’s still the tallest structure in Germany.  From there, we spent all afternoon walking from Checkpoint Charlie to the Brandenburg Gate with many stops in-between, including the site of the famous Nazi book burning at Humboldt University, the Luftwaffe headquarters, a section of the Berlin Wall, the site of Hitler’s bunker, the Reichstag, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, and many, many more.  Ben went into great detail about each stop and made sure we understood the political background involved and how it still affects the German culture today.  

On the side of the Finance Ministry building, the former Luftwaffe headquarters, there is a famous 18 meter long mural by Max Lingner painted on individual tiles from 1950 - 52, and it is classic communist propaganda.  Almost every character portrayed has the fake “I love communism” smile, and everyone is shown playing a joyful part in a successful society.  What a creepy reminder of the communist government in East Germany—it was my favorite part of the tour and Deveny’s as well.  Joseph enjoyed seeing the section of the Berlin Wall, and Deena thought the site of Hitler’s bunker was interesting.  The city government has spent a lot of money on historical signage and replicas in the area around Checkpoint Charlie.  For a couple of euros, one can be photographed in front of the guard shack with two actors in uniform—one tourist had the actors point a banana at him in place of a gun.  Considering all the death and despair associated with this area, I found it to be a bit distasteful, but that’s my problem.

Near the end of the tour, Ben had us sit and gather ‘round at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe where he told us about how the citizens of Germany and the city of Berlin are still very sensitive about the atrocities carried out in WWII.  One can face up to three years in prison for wearing a swastika or any other Nazi insignia, and there are no memorials of any kind to the German army or leadership from the 20th century.  He also talked about major companies still in existence today that are dealing with conflict for being associated with the Nazi government.  IBM has been linked to the information systems used in the concentration camps, and Hugo Boss designed the uniforms for the SS and other branches of the Nazi military.  From time to time, the large blocks at the Jewish Memorial where we were sitting get defaced by graffiti, and the paint is removed by a chemical that turns out is manufactured by the same company that produced some of the gas used in the concentration camps—unbelievable.

What an incredible day in Berlin—I’m glad our children could experience these things and understand a dark part of history in the not-too-distant past that have affected the people here and in the US.  The scars from those times are still visible in Berlin, but the citizens here are making the best of the reunification of East and West Germany.  We had a lot to talk about over another dinner of bratwurst (the kids’ request), and we ended the day by watching Bridge of Spies, an excellent movie directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Hanks.  The movie portrays the events surrounding a prisoner exchange against the backdrop of Cold War era Berlin, and it all made sense to the children after our day in the city.

Checkpoint Charlie

Financial Ministry Building

Formerly the Luftwaffe Headquarters

Looks creepy, right?

Propaganda Mural

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

Brandenburg Gate

Communist Walking Man Crossing Light

Leftover from East Berlin, the citizens wanted

the man to stay.

A Remnant of the Berlin Wall

Portable Hotdog Stand

If he had an actual cart, he would have to buy a permit

Sticking it to the man German style, I love it!

We slept a little later the following day, and the children spent the morning on schoolwork, while Deena and I did some research for our last two days in Potsdam.  Our host has a printer here, and he allows guests to use it—great for us.  We’ve used it to print our bus tickets to Prague, museum tickets for our last day in Berlin, and our self-guided walking tour of Potsdam.  We declared the printer A Gift From the Lord.  

After a big brunch, we walked to the nearest tram stop and waited for a ride to the historic section of Potsdam.  We’ve solved the mysteries of the public transportation system around here, which is inexpensive and convenient.  We usually completely figure out most systems by the time we have to leave each area.  We hopped the tram,  rode about twenty minutes, and found ourselves in front of the Glienicker Brucke, also known as the Bridge of Spies, yep, that one.  This was the place where Rudolf Abel was exchanged for Francis Gary Powers after complicated negotiations orchestrated by American attorney, James Donovan.  Our walking tour started here, and we crossed this historic bridge headed into the New Garden, a huge park designated a World Heritage Site. 

 We followed the gravel path along the river and talked about how this place reminded us of the greenways back home in North Carolina.  We were a mile deep into the park and had just rounded a bend in the path when we saw a completely naked man about 100 meters away fwaffing his towel, the sun’s rays glinting off his backside.  Our walking tour paper warned that this stretch of the park was frequented by nude sunbathers, but we hadn’t read that part yet.  Joseph and Deveny started laughing maniacally, and we tried our best to shush them as we frantically searched for an alternate route around the nudist and his equally naked female companion.  They both appeared to be in their 60’s, and Deena and I wondered why anyone would want to be naked outdoors on a 60-degree day.  I guess if one still has it, one might as well show it off.  We managed to circumvent that obstacle and made our way to the Schloss Cecilienhof, the tudor palace that hosted the Potsdam conference attended by Harry Truman, Josef Stalin, and Winston Churchill, later replaced by William Atlee.  These men made the decision here to divide Germany and Berlin into four sections, and the world would never be the same.  We enjoyed walking the grounds of the palace, and we saw the large red star fashioned from a garden of geraniums, a gift from Stalin to Churchill, who was not happy about meeting in Soviet-occupied territory.

Our three-mile walk through the garden ended near the edge of town where we walked through the two-hundred year old Nauener Gate into the Dutch Quarter of historic Potsdam.  Most of the buildings in this area of the city date from the 1700s, and the streets are lined with small shops and coffeehouses.  Accepting the history lessons were over for the afternoon, as we selected a bakery with outdoor seating and enjoyed pastries, coffee, and cokes while the setting pre-autumn sun cast long shadows on the streets.  The old oaks and sycamores on the sides of the streets were starting to turn yellow, and the leaves already on the ground were rustling on the sidewalks in the breeze.  We relaxed for a while, savoring our treats and talking about the historical buildings and naked people we had seen on our walk in the park on a sunny day in East Germany.

The Bridge of Spies

The Kids Crossing the Bridge

Pretty cool after learning about this bridge last night

Schloss Cecilienhof

Home of the Potsdam Conference

One of the Many Gardens in the Park

Potsdam

The Dutch Quarter

Our Reward for Studying Communism for Two Days

We ended the day with chicken salad sandwiches and tomato soup and then watched a documentary on the city of Prague, our next destination, before heading to bed.  We leave Potsdam and Berlin tomorrow, and we’re glad we made the decision to come here.  The history is deep and complicated, but we have a decent understanding of the events that took place over the last century here, and we are still wondering how people lived under the oppressive governments in place during those times.  We have a visit at the DDR museum scheduled in Berlin before we board the bus to Prague, and maybe we’ll understand a little more as we prepare to leave this fascinating place.