Peggy does Deutschland...

Old Jun 9th, 2013, 09:19 AM
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Peggy does Deutschland...

Well, eastern Deutschland anyway. My trip encompassed a total of 25 days in Berlin, Dresden, Leipzig, Weimar, and Wernigerode. I'm very interested in WWII and Cold War history, so that was my focus.

The length of the trip was really an accident, since I cleverly made my plane reservations before counting how many days I'd actually be gone. I'm embarrassed to say that I'd meant to travel for 18 or 21 days, but I was careless.

It's difficult getting anywhere from my home in Spokane, so I did a mix and match of airlines. I flew Alaska to Seattle, then Lufthansa (non-stop) to Frankfurt, and finally Air Berlin to Berlin. I found to my delight that Alaska forwarded my suitcase to Lufthansa and then Lufthansa forwarded it to Air Berlin. Since I'd been dreading the thought of picking it up in Seattle, then checking it with Lufthansa and repeating the process with Air Berlin, I was pleased with the ease with which it was sent on.

Ten hours was a loooooong time on Lufthansa, especially since their entertainment selections don't include solitaire or free cell-type games. I can happily spend endless hours playing free cell, but I'm not crazy about movies, so I just read my Kindle.

I was in Berlin for only three and a half days, as I've been there several times before. I had a fairly ambitious itinerary, but what with napping, walking, and eating, I didn't see as much as I had intended, mainly because--as I've finally figured out--I became tired too easily, probably on account of my age and lousy physical shape.

I stayed at the Hotel-Pension Bregenz, which is near the Kurfurstendam and is convenient to bus transportation. I've stayed here before. It's clean, comfortable, quiet, and inexpensive. Kind of homey. I can usually hear birdsong outside, and sometimes the sweet voices of children. It's very quiet. I like it a lot.

Thursday: After my post-arrival nap, I had dinner down the street at La Vigna, a nice little restaurant with good food and friendly waiters. Yeah, yeah, I know. You're not supposed to take a nap after arrival. You're supposed to tough it out and go with the local schedule, but after a missed night's sleep and with a 9-hour time difference, my 77-year-old body says nap.

I then took a bus in search of adventure but found none. I was unable to figure out which bus to take home--for reasons which I will not explain here, because they will reveal the depth of my cluelessness. I finally took a subway partway home and then a taxi the rest of the way.

Friday: The next day I walked what seemed like a couple of miles to the hop-on/hop-off bus and did a tour of the city. I didn't hop off anywhere, but I saw various sights that I wanted to check out the next day. I had lunch at a restaurant called Maredo near the hop-on/hop-off kiosk. They had a nice salad bar, and I had a sort of Texas toast to go with it, and my favorite drink, an orangensaftschorle. In general, I find German food too heavy, especially away from the big cities, so I was pleased when I saw the salad bar.

As I walked along the Ku-damm, I noticed that many of the men wore odd-colored pants--maroon, or mustard yellow, or lime green, and I saw a lot of shorts, mainly on young girls. I don't recall seeing these particular fashion statements in the past, but then I haven't been to Berlin in four years.

Saturday: I took the hop-on bus to the area near Checkpoint Charlie, but didn't go into the museum there, as i'd explored it last time I was in Berlin. I thought back, of course, to the first time I saw Checkpoint Charlie, in 1966, when it marked the line between freedom and tyranny. Perhaps if I hadn't seen it then, during the height of the Cold War, it would be more impressive now, but I felt like it was kind of cheesy.

After that I walked to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, which consists of large gravestone-like columns, dark gray in color At first, when I looked at it from the outside, I saw these blocks of different sizes. But as I walked among the columns, I began to feel uneasy, then claustrophobic until I was desperate to get out. I assume that was the feeling the architect wanted to evoke. It was very powerful.

Across the street from the memorial was a nice little cafe into which I was lured by a cheerful young woman, a great relief,since the rain had started to pour down, and the wind had picked up. At the table next to me was a group of Italian men, talking away at a great rate and enjoying themselves. The contrast was impressive.
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Old Jun 9th, 2013, 10:39 AM
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When I first saw the Memorial it took a while to. " get it"
there was a group of young German kids running around, hiding from one another and laughing.
It was , at the same time, sad and hopeful.
Intersting about men in bright colours...I stayed in that area last year and did not notice.
Lokking forward to more posts...I 'll be in Berlin( again ) this summer.
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Old Jun 9th, 2013, 11:21 AM
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Hi Peg,

I'm thinking of Berlin, Potsdam, and Dresden for my next trip so I'm eagerly awaiting more from you.

The Berlin hotel looks nice and the rates are reasonable. What were the bathrooms like; I didn't see a photo of any bathrooms on their web site.

I've seen photos of the Memorial on the internet but your description of it is invaluable. Are the columns tall, such as over your head? It sounds eerie.
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Old Jun 9th, 2013, 12:00 PM
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Adrienne: The bathroom in my room was just your ordinary shower, toilet, sink arrangement. Sometimes the showers in these older hotels are too small because they're squeezed into a room, but this one was comfortable. Next to my room there was a separate bathroom which I think was used by a room on the other side. It had as tub, as I recall. I didn't pay much attention to it, though.

I prefer a shower, since I have artificial knees and would have trouble getting out of a tub.

Yes, the columns are over your head as you go farther in to the memorial. It's in a sort of bowl, so that the columns don't look so tall until you are a way into it.

I had wanted to see the film museum, the Käthe Kollwitz museum, the Pergamom, the Story of Berlin, the Haus der Wannsee (where the final solution was decided upon), and the Bendler Block, where Stauffenberg and other conspirators were executed. However, I had neither the time nor the energy to see all these attractions. I hope you do a better job than I did.
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Old Jun 9th, 2013, 12:14 PM
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Enjoying your report, Peg! I'm also interested in WWII and Cold War sites, so I am eagerly waiting for your next installment!
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Old Jun 9th, 2013, 12:24 PM
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I completely understand about the energy running out. I find if I see too much in a day then I get sensory overload and can't remember a thing since everything blurs together.

I was recently in Barcelona with a friend and at the end of the trip we decided that we could have done more but would it have been worthwhile. We had the same travel style and lingered at sights and stopped for lunch every day to unwind.

Another question on the hotel - do they serve breakfast? I would not expect a cooked breakfast but ham, tomato, cucumber, bread - those wonderful German breakfasts.

I happen to love German cooking but not at lunch - I want something light like a small salad or sandwich or soup.
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Old Jun 9th, 2013, 01:16 PM
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looking forward to the trip
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Old Jun 9th, 2013, 01:48 PM
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Wow... The 3rd interesting TR I've come across today. Go Peg!
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Old Jun 9th, 2013, 02:49 PM
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Hi Peg,

I've been looking forward to a trip report ever since I read you were going to Germany again. Can't wait for your thoughts on my native Saxony. Keep up the delightful writing and thanks for sharing.
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Old Jun 9th, 2013, 03:14 PM
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Yes, they serve breakfast. It's good, has a lot of variety and is inexpensive.
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Old Jun 9th, 2013, 06:08 PM
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I was in that same cafe across the street from Memorial to Murdered Jews.

Coloured pants are all the rage in Europe this summer. Thank Dries van Noten for that.

I like Berlin.


Thin
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Old Jun 10th, 2013, 08:57 AM
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When I left the cafe, I had to duck into a little store next door because the wind had started up and the rain became a torrent instead of a drizzle. I bought an "I heart Berlin" umbrella, which wasn't much use when the wind would grab it and turn it inside out or when I had to turn in toward the rain and was unable to see much ahead of me.

Somewhere in there--it must have been before the memorial to the murdered Jews--I visited what I thought was the Topography of Terror exhibit. It was a long wall below street level that displayed photos of the rise of Nazism. It was pretty grisly.

Suddenly I was struck with a longing for McDonald's. McDonald's, for crying out loud. I never eat McDonald's! I wandered through the shopping center under and around Potsdamer Platz, found the golden arches, and ate a burger, some fries, part of a shake and a sundae, after which I was filled with shame and worthlessness for giving into that terrible craving.

I took a taxi home because the wind was still blowing, I was wet and cold, and I wanted to get into some dry clothes, maybe take a nap and go to "The Story of Berlin." However, I never made it that far. I was worn out.

I did ask Christian, the hotel owner, for directions to St.Hedwig's, the Berlin Catholic Cathedral. He told me it was nearby, so I took a walk to locate it. It turned out not to be St. Hedwig's but St. Ludwig's. I always like to find a beautiful church with good music when I travel.

On the way there by back streets, an elderly (that means older than I am!) lady said something to me. It took me a second to realize that she was scolding me for crossing the against a red light. She said that young people did that all the time, but that since I was older, I should know better.

More later. I picked up a cold, so I'm going to baby myself even more than I usually do.
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Old Jun 10th, 2013, 09:49 AM
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St Hedwig (Harry Potter fan?)
Yes I get scolded by old German women, I think they like to do it.
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Old Jun 10th, 2013, 10:28 AM
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A German friend used to say "Typisch Deutsch." I was scolded by an old gentleman once because I wasn't crossing the street at the zebra-striped crossing, but rather at the non-striped crossing right next to it. Absolutely no difference but the striping.

In Munich, I saw a sign at a crossing telling people to give a good example for the children.
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Old Jun 10th, 2013, 05:29 PM
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Hi Pegontheroad,

I am also looking forward to your report, being a huge WWII buff. I am not that many years behind you and have enjoyed flying solo during the past several years. Leaving for London in two weeks. Do your friends/family at home have concerns about your lone jaunts?

Sorry about the weather. I have been reading about the flooding in the southern part of Germany and other mid-European venues. Look forward to more updates….
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Old Jun 11th, 2013, 07:05 AM
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lateday: My family does tend to fret a little, but not much. They know I've been doing this for a long time. My sister, with whom I traveled on 8 European trips until she became unable to travel, says that I am "bulletproof."

My nephew, known in the family by his real name--"Tech Support"--is coming over this afternoon to help me load my pictures on my camera so that I have better reminders of things I saw and did. I'll continue my report after that.
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Old Jun 11th, 2013, 05:41 PM
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Well, back to the trip report. Mass was quite nice. Beautiful church and good music. There was a really fine tenor who sang and then the congregation did the responses. These Germans are singing fools. I'm always impressed with how responsive they are to music and how well they sing.

On the Monday after the Mass, I took the train to Dresden and settled in to the Hilton, which I liked a lot. It was comfortable and quiet, and it had a little tea/coffee setup in the room, PLUS an ironing board and an iron. The Hilton is very centrally located, right across the square from the magnificent Frauenkirche.

The Frauenkirche is huge, with three or four galleries around the interior. It's the most beautiful Protestant church I've ever seen, since most of those eschew the decoration of the baroque churches that are so prevalent in southern Germany. It's really impressive, stunningly beautiful, decorated in pale pink, blue and white, with a lot of gold around the altar. The windows are large, made of clear glass, so that the interior is very light.

The church is built of stone, some of it quite dark and some of it much lighter. I had assumed that the darkness in much of the stone was due to its having been damaged in the horrendous firestorm of February,1945, but someone told me that the darker stone was just older.

The other momumental buildings have the same dark/light mixture, though not to the extent as the Frauenkirche. My next destination was the Albertinum because I wanted to see the romantic paintings by Caspar David Friedrich. I enjoyed the paintings, especially the one called "Zwei Freunde," (Two Friends). I didn't enjoy the rest of the Albertinum as much, perhaps because I'm a philistine when it comes to a lot of abstract art. There was a scattering of works by well-known painters, such as a Picasso and a Braque, as I recall.

For me, Dresden is an odd sort of town. Instead of having a real old town such as you'd see in other German cities, there were 8 or 10 magnificent buildings situated within a fairly small area, with very large squares surrounding some of them, and with the other buildings being fairly new hotels and various shops and restaurants devoted to serving tourists.

There were also some large building sites or potential building sites nearby. Once I got away from the "Old Town," I did find areas that seemed less geared to tourists, though there were lots of restaurants near the Kreuzkirche, too.

The first full day I was in Dresden, the sky was intensely blue, and I was very glad to be in Dresden. The siutation deteriorated pretty quickly, though, and most of the time, it was raining and windy. Though I had repeated checked the weather reports before I left home, I guess hadn't checked far enough ahead, because it was much colder than I had expected, and I didn't have a warm jacket, which I really needed.

I had mentally set aside some days for trips to nearby towns, but it was all I could do to get myself out of the hotel to visit the nearby monuments such as the Zwinger, the Semperoper--(gorgeous), and the Catholic Court Church.

A lovely surprise at the Catholic Court Church was the boys' choir who sang at Sunday Mass. They were wonderful.

After having seen the Frauenkirche, I was at first not too impressed with the Catholic Court Church,the Cathedral, but it grew on me.As I wandered around after Mass, I found a side altar dedicated to three priests of the Dresden Diocese who had been murdered in Dachau and whose ashes were returned to Dresden in a ceremony in 2011. I read that there was a "Stolperstein" commemorating them in front of the cathedral, but I never could find it.

If you've been to Germany, you may have seen "Stolpersteine," or "stumbling blocks." They are brass plaques which have been sunk into the sidewalk or the courtyard in front of a residence, commemorating the deaths of inhabitants who were killed in the concentration camps. I've seen them in Schwäbisch Hall and also in Berlin.

They give the birthdate, the name, and the date of death of the person, often saying "ermordert in Auschwitz." Sometimes there are three or four together--a family. They're very stark reminders that these were real, specific people who lived here and who were murdered by the Nazis.
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Old Jun 11th, 2013, 06:08 PM
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Enjoying your report. Hope you will include more and share some of yourpictures as well. thanks for sharing!
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Old Jun 11th, 2013, 06:29 PM
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One day trip I did take was to see the "Saxon Switzerland," the rock formations above the Elbe. I took the train to Königstein (I think that was the name), then took the boat back on the Elbe. Once again, weather was a problem, as it was very windy and cold. Part of the time I stayed on the deck, but it was mostly too cold, so I went down to one of the galleries where people were eating and drinking....and talking.

There's a German expression that I think is very funny. It's what you say when you're reading or hearing something difficult and you understand very little. You say, "Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof," or "I understand only 'train station.'"--or "All I understand is 'train station.'" (I guess I'm easily amused, but that saying cracks me up.)

Anyway, I'm sitting at a table in the gallery. It's jammed with people and they're all talking at a great rate. I speak German after a fashion, but I can't understand a SINGLE word they are saying. They're speaking the Saxon dialect. There's even a dictionary for sale there of the Saxon dialect. I guess I should have bought one, though I'm not sure my standard German is good enough that I would have appreciated the dialect.

A day or so after the trip on the Elbe, I went to my favorite city, Leipzig. I wasn't expecting it to be my favorite, by any means. I thought it was an industrial city, and I imagined it would be filled with that horrible uninspired blocky Communist architecture. But I loved Leipzig.

One thing I liked about it was that it was a real city, not just a series of monuments. Many of the buildings in the narrow pedestrian streets sported carefully restored art nouveau facades. I wasn't looking in the store windows but rather up at the facades--though I did buy one souvenir in Leipzig in a DDR store that contained articles from or reminiscent of the DDR times.

My purchase was a little shopping bag decorated with emblems of the "ampelman," the little figures on the East German traffic lights of which many Germans are quite fond. The green light ampelman is a walking figure, whereas the red light ampelman is a standing figure with his arms stretched out. Both figures wear hats.

So after I finished looking at the facades and buying my souvenir, I went to one of my main interests, the Nicholaikirche, which played such an important role in the fall of Communism.

More later.
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Old Jun 11th, 2013, 06:42 PM
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"and settled in to the Hilton, which I liked a lot. It was comfortable and quiet, and it had a little tea/coffee setup in the room, PLUS an ironing board and an iron. The Hilton is very centrally located, right across the square from the magnificent Frauenkirche. "

I stayed at the same hotel severals years ago.
The ironing board is a huge plus for " light" travellers.
As beautiful as Frauenkirche is, I could not get it out of my head that it is sort of a reproduction
Felt the same about the Opera House.
Looking forward to hearing more about Leipzig....
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