Our second and final day in Berlin was filled with marvelous tours, sight seeing, and history. To start off our morning we took the subway, which was an experience of its own, to the 1936 Nazi Olympic Games Stadium. The stadium was
filled with breathtaking views and historical memorabilia and was also a dream come true to soccer fans like Coursey and I. Now Berlin’s soccer club, Hertha Berliner Sport-Club, competes there. The pitch and surrounding track are in mint condition giving a soccer player the itch to play on the perfectly cut grass. Our tour guide took us through many corridors inside the stadium that are now furnished and up to date. One of the room
s he took us to was the visiting team’s changing room. There he informed us that it is a step in the right direction to befriend the Hertha club because if they don’t like the visiting team they give them the farthest changing room away from the field. By the time they get there, most of their half time is used up! Overall, this tour gave us a greater understanding of the history of German sport and architecture.
Right after the the stadium tour, we had a three hour bus tour of Berlin. On the tour we saw many famous buildings and monuments. Some that you may be familiar with are the Reichstag, the Brandenburg Gate, and remnants of the Berlin Wall. We took time off of the bus to visit The Topography of Terror on our tour which is an indoor and outdoor museum of WWII and the Nazi Party. During 1933-1945 this area was that headquarters of the Gestapo and SS. Roaming the streets of Berlin, the tour lead us to the Holocaust Memorial which was comprised of many cement slabs. This memorial was so moving when walked through. It overwhelms you. Generally, the tour have us an overview of Germany’s history. It was fun and interesting to see the differences in styles and architecture between East and West Berlin!
After that tour we hopped on the subway for another tour. This tour was of an old bunker used during air raids in WWII. This tour was fabulous. Many artifacts were on display. It was humbling to see the bunker. Many things were still intact and some were remade with descriptions from eye witnesses giving the bunker an eery and real feel.
After that jam packed day, we settled down for dinner at Der Ulte Fritz. We had a traditional German meal with cabbage, goulash, and potatoes followed by a sherbet.
What wonderful day in Berlin!
Auf Wiedersehen,
-Rachel and Coursey