Berlin, Germany

We were lucky enough to have been invited along on a trip with our brother and sister-in-law to Berlin this December.  Renee (married to Jonathan's brother Joel) earned the fabulous trip through her work; she places foreign exchange students all over the Northwest area.  So, she was kind enough to ask us to go along with their family (3 of their 5 kids joined us). The trip was completely paid for by her business, we only had to cover a few meals, and our shopping (and potty breaks - more on that later).   Our kids stayed home and were chauffeured around by Grandma and Grandpa Rippon.  (Everyone survived here at home!)

We headed out on Saturday morning (December 3) and flew from Portland, to Dallas/ Fort Worth, to London, to Berlin.  Each flight was definitely different, but all took a toll on our bodies since we traveled through the night and lost 9 hours due to time differences. I think the lack of sleep was the biggest problem; it wasn't created by the flights alone.  I blame "Stinky Feet Guy" entirely!  Someone in our area of the cabin, presumably right within my reach based on the strength of the stench alone, removed their shoes just after take-off.  It was so horrible.  If there had been an empty seat ANYWHERE on the plane, I would have moved away from the stink!  When I said something to the flight attendant, he told me that their policy would not allow them to say anything to the guy, but he was TOTALLY aware of the situation.  The crew had apparently been walking past spraying air fresher at regular intervals, but to no avail.  I got out my Bath and Body spray and sprayed it a few times (you would think that would be a hint to nearby passengers, not so much!)  I even sprayed the inside of my coat, and pulled it up over my face in an attempt to sleep - NOPE.  There was just nothing that was going to cover up that smell short of removing the offender.  If we had taken a vote, I bet we could have turned him into an airline version of Jonah.  (Perhaps he could have even been tossed without a parachute for such heinous crimes committed upon all the passengers of the aircraft.)  I don't see why those machines they use in the airport (the ones my daughter calls the "sniffers" can't be used to detect such odors - Just imagine, it would beep and say, "Sorry, you will be required to BATHE before boarding this aircraft!"   By the time we got settled into our hotel, we were pretty much useless for the rest of the day.  We did manage to drag ourselves to a special reception dinner that was held at the hotel.

We stayed at the Scandic Hotel at Potsdamer Plaz in East Berlin.  The hotel is new and really nice; however a little strange.  This is the fall window between our bedroom and shower:

The hotel couldn't have planned better for me...I love fall (see previous posts).  So, as you can see the room is beautiful.  It is only a year old, and the design is very clean and modern; it's Scandinavian, so that makes sense.  It was a bit like walking into an upscale IKEA.  We discovered that having TWO separate comforters is a fantastic idea.  We slept so much better when we didn't have to fight over the covers.  The room did have it's quirks however.  For example, if you look closely, you can see a mirrored glass sliding door that covers the bathroom entrance....Here's the thing...from INSIDE the bathroom, it was difficult to see through the glass into the other room.  However, from OUTSIDE the bathroom, it was not difficult at all to see INTO the bathroom (AND SHOWER which had no curtain, just a small 3 foot glass window to keep the water in).  How much fun is that?  Raise you hand if you like to be watched as you shower?  I might be really glad that I can't see you right now, if your hand is up!  The thing about this is, not only can your spouse see into the bathroom, but if anyone comes to the door.....they've got a clear shot of the shower.  WHO designs a hotel room like that?  Beautiful, it was; ideal for us, it was not!

The second really odd thing was the electricity.  When we went into our room for the first time, we couldn't get any of the lights to work.  When we called the front desk, they suggested sliding the circuit breaker again to see if that would work.  When it did not, the desk clerk said, "You did place the hotel card into the slot in the wall by the door, didn't you?"  Ummmm, NO!  We said, "We have to place a card in a "slot" in the wall?????"  The answer Jonathan got was "Obviously!!"  WHAT?  To whom is this obvious?  Not your average American citizen!  (Apparently, this "new" feature is all the rage in Europe.  It keeps people from leaving all the lights and other appliances on in their room when they leave the hotel.)  Clever as this may be, it's something the front desk staff should explain to hotel guests, especially if they speak ENGLISH when they check in.  (I'm just sayin', it would save them a ton of time in the long-run.)

Third, the hotel had motion activated sounds and lights in the common areas.  For example, every time we rounded the corner from one hallway to the other, we were "treated" to the sound of a distant train whistle.  We were told that the restrooms by the bar played the sound of church bells.  Perhaps the most discomforting sound (to me, as a former "Lost" watcher) was the whispering in the hall near the elevators.  The elevators had a beautiful glass ceiling with a photo of a tree canopy overhead.  The sound of chirping birds were heard inside the elevators, and a quiet whispering voice would announce each floor; the voice was so quiet, however, that my husband claims to have never heard it.  When standing outside the elevator area, I could hear chirping birds as if I were in a forest, and 5 different elevators whispering stuff.  Straight out of "Lost" I tell you!  (Ask anyone who's seen the show if you're not familiar with it!)

Fourth, the cooked and uncooked herring on the dinner buffet.  Although most of the food in the hotel was quite good, the raw fish (with heads) was just too much for me.  All the food was Scandinavian, which was much different than the German food.

Fifth, is a flashback to the first issue.....those same doors in each private hotel room are also in the common gym area.  So, should you want to use one of the three showers/bathtubs in the gym....everyone else in the gym can enjoy watching you!  WHY, I ask??  I just can't decide if it's hilarious, or disturbing.  Okay, enough about the hotel.

We were treated to a bus tour of Berlin on Monday.  We got to see a lot of things, but as you look at my pictures, keep in mind that they were taken from the window of a moving vehicle (so blurriness is NOT my fault).



For some unknown reason, I was fascinated with the double-steepled church in the background.  It's called St. Nicholas church, the oldest in Berlin.

This is the radio tower that was put up during communist rule in Berlin.  They forbade all worship and religion in Berlin, even removing crosses from churches.  The funny thing about this colossal tower is that when the sun shines on the reflective surface, a cross forms across the round "ball-like" area.  How ironic, right?

This is an old church that was destroyed during the war.  All that is left is the "shell" of the building.  It was not restored, nor repaired to remind the people of Berlin of the history they have survived.

This is part of what remains of the Berlin wall that once divided Germany in two.  Artists came after the wall was "removed" and painted portions of what remained.  I question some of it as being "art", but that's in the eye of the beholder, I suppose.  I'm just saying (especially in the case of the painting below - and may others like it) that my kindergartners might have been a better artistic choice!

Here we are in "no man's land" between the inner and outer parts of the Berlin Wall.  I was surprised that most of the soil we saw exposed within the city area was very sandy and light tan in color.  Behind us is a river which was also part of the division line.  On the opposite bank once stood the other wall.

Here's the gang (minus Makayla who wandered off with another friend on the tour).  Left to right: Lance, Jonathan, Jennifer, Renee, Joel and Dillon.

I wish I could have got a better shot of this portion of the wall.  It reminded me of some of my sister's high school era work.  It's really blurry, but it was one of my favorite areas of the wall.

This building is one I wanted to see when I heard we were going to go to Berlin. It is the Reichstag, the seat of the German parliament. The glass dome on top has a spiral ramp that climbs to the top of the dome for spectacular views of Berlin.  We weren't aware that a recent terrorist threat had changed the rules for visitors.  We weren't able to go inside because we didn't make arrangements 3 days in advance.

This is perhaps the most famous landmark in Berlin.  It's the Brandenburg gate.  One of many gates into other "townships" in Berlin that once stood throughout the city.  Only a few remain, and this one is the most beautiful.  We came back to see it at night, and it is just as spectacular.

This is the Berliner Dom, a Lutheran church in the heart of the city.  The dome was once destroyed during war time, but has since been repaired.  We were able to take a tour of this amazing building on Tuesday as well.

Views of the city and St. Nicholas church from the top of Berliner Dom. 

Below, you can see a view of the Christmas market where we spent a good chunk of our evening.  Although December is a cold time to visit Berlin, it is also a magical time as many of the town squares turn into these Christmas markets.  There are about 20 of them around the city...they just pop up for the holiday season.  Every lighted triangular peak is a little shop in the market.  My favorite thing about this particular market is that it surrounded a beautiful, old, brick church.

And this is HOW we got to the top of the Berliner Dom to see the amazing views of the city at night (and this is only a small portion of the stairs we all climbed).

I will post about the rest of the night in another post....I;m sure you're sick of reading about Berlin already :)!