Berlin is both the capital and largest city in Germany with around 4 million residents.  That also makes it Europe’s most populated city (twice as big as Paris!) particularly since London is now not part of the European Union (EU). Interestingly, the city is also the largest by geographic area in Germany.  Allita and I suspect this is because Berlin was literally chopped in half by the wall following World War II.  You take a big city like Berlin and cleave it, then allow the two parts to grow independently and a lifetime later, you put them back together and ta-da! you have a huge metropolitan area.  Berlin has long been the capital of Germany (since the 1400s) and was only replaced by Bonn for about 45 years as the temporary capital after the war and occupation.  When the wall came down on 9 November 1989 (I remember this day – nearly 18 months after we left Germany and I was attending university at the time – it’s one of those moments in history that, if you live it, you remember it – like 9-11 or the day Princess Diana died), Berlin was eventually restored to its former position of glory (October 1990 reunification).  Since East Berlin was still the capital of East Germany, you can see how Allita and I came up with our idea about the city’s double-sided growth.  When you consider the historical significance of Berlin to Germany, you may also get a feel for the massive impact on the country and the people when the city was forcibly divided for nearly half a century.    

In any regard, the next destination on our Sweet 16 tour of Europe is, you guessed it, Berlin!  

Saturday evening a major storm blew in to Frankfurt and the downpour even affected the Euro 2024 Football (Soccer) match between Germany and Denmark.  The slight delay did not stop Germany from winning the game, however. Ha! As a result, Sunday was much of the same – overcast, rainy, colder than usual, so Allita and I were very glad we had already toured some of Frankfurt.  We woke Monday morning to another day of dreary weather and the long drive to Berlin.  Over breakfast, I discovered Allita was very interested to stop on the way to Berlin (and it really is “on the way”, Mom), and take a little side-trip to visit Wittenberg, and the All Saint’s Schlosskirsche (Castle Church) with the world-famous Theses Door where Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses and started the Protestant Reformation. We had an interesting chat about the Elbe River, which runs through Lutherstadt Wittenberg, as well as the evolution of Christianity, and monotheistic religions in general, while we nibbled our fruits, cheeses, and boiled eggs.  The fare was light even if the discussion was not.

The drive there was not particularly noteworthy except there was an extraordinary amount of road construction, which frequently reduced the already quite narrow autoroute lanes, and coupled with the on-again-off-again rain, was not exactly the relaxing journey through the country I had imagined.  In case you don’t know, the German road construction signs are absolutely hilarious – we enjoyed them immensely. Lutherstadt Wittenberg is located off the A9 on Highway 187, a route that connects a number of small villages along the Elbe.  It’s one of those slow-down-in-town-speed-up, rinse and repeat type, two-lane roads where you hope you don’t meet a car passing another in a turn or get stuck behind a farm vehicle.  You know what I mean.

The nearly 300 foot tall church tower spire was clearly visible as soon as we rounded the bend into Lutherstadt Wittenberg.  The words “Ein feste Burg is unser Gott” (A mighty fortress is our God) are inscribed near the top.  The original wooden doors to which Luther nailed his famous document were replaced by King Frederick William IV (there’s just so many of them!) in the 1800s with massive bronze doors that literally weigh over a TON and are inscribed with Luther’s Theses. Do you think they replaced the jams too?  What about the hinges?  I mean, that’s a lotta door, right?! 

We drove all around the old city, on cobblestone streets barely wide enough for our car, simultaneously relieved and frustrated there was no on-street parking. Finally, we found a park-and-ride spot near the train stop where we ditched the car and headed off on foot.  We explored the StadtPark (City Park) at the church, walked around the church grounds a bit, interacted with snails and mushrooms (those other living beings who relish the rain as much as we Arizonans do), and, then, we started to make our way back to the A9 for Berlin.  

We do not backtrack.  We seldom revisit places we have been.  There are just too many alternative options and too much to see with very little life available. That said, the route we took to exit Lutherstadt Wittenberg was sometimes little more than a paved, forest path that wound through places not even identified on the map.  We discovered little villages with names like Schmilkendorf (sh-MILK-in-dorf), Nudersdorf (NUDE-errs-dorf), and finally Straach (STRAAAAAAH-khuh) with a growing joy – to the point that we went from giggling to flat out laughing-out-loud with silliness.  It was also along this route that we first noticed the naked pine trees.  An observation that did not help our sobriety. 

After a total drive time of 8 HOURS, we finally arrived at our B&B in Berlin.  Some of that drive time was admittedly spent in a stau (stand still traffic jam) on the A10 just prior to our exit, of course. 

So, what’s the plan for Berlin, you ask?  Will we visit the famous Museumsinsel (Museum Island) in the heart of Berlin and explore all the beautiful museums and their lovely architecture?  Maybe.  Will we visit any of the many famous palaces or parks in Berlin, such as Peacock Island, the Marble Palace, the New Garden, or the Glienicke Palace.  Well, we might drive past one or two.  What about the Berlin Zoo – the most visited Zoo in all of Europe?  Probably not.  So, what then is our focus for our Berlin visit?  Everything related to World War II, of course.  The family history buff has her sights on a visit to the Schöneburg Rathaus where JFK famously spoke in German; thus charming the delighted locals.  She also wants to see the notorious Checkpoint Charlie where a literal tank-standoff occurred between the East and West as the wall was being built (by the East) through the city.  The Berlin Wall itself, of course, and the historic Brandenburg Gate, one of the city gates designed by the King of Prussia, Frederick William II (another one!) and intentionally obstructed by the Berlin Wall.  This is also the site where the late U.S. President, Ronald Reagan, directly challenged his Russian counterpart, the head of the Communist Party, Mikhail Gorbachev, in 1987 by shouting, “Open this gate. Tear down this wall!”.  Again, U.S. Presidents delighting the locals with impassioned speeches.  We will also undoubtedly pass by the nearby Reichtag (government building) home to the German Bundestag (Parliment) and possibly the Berliner Dom (Berlin Cathedral).  

We spent some time settling in and familiarizing ourselves with the transit map of Berlin.  You don’t think I’m actually going to DRIVE in this city, do you?  Now we are winding down for the evening, and getting ready for another fun-filled day of exploration and touristing.  Exciting times!