gruezi

TDudette - You will love Normandy and I think Sept will be a beautiful time to go. Enjoy and do post back.

Yes, MSM would be best in early evening or morning. It's a very spiritual and beautiful spot. The crowds distracted a bit from that but even still you can't help to be in awe.

Hi Dawn - hope you survived camp!! I am trying to get my trip reports in before I go back to work. It's a lot of time to do them so in future I am going to be extra kind to others who take the time to share with all of us. I guess I should finish my Morocco report too...

gruezi

MomDDTravel

I barely survived... about 40 plus of us (students and counselors) got a bad case of food poisioning. Oh my... back to work??? You better bring me up to speed!

lucy_d

Thanks for posting, gruezi. I have followed your planning with much interest. Looking forward to reading more of what appears to have been an interesting and meaningful trip for you and your children.

Underhill

It's possible to visit Mont St-Michel from Paris in one day by taking the TGV to Rennes and then the special bus to the Mont. There's just no good way, unfortunately, to add Bayeux to the mix.

freberta

Four years ago we took our two children (ages 10 and 7 at the time)to Normandy. For them, it was probably the most fascinating part of our 2-week trip to France and Switzerland. Nothing that's taught in a classroom could have compared with what these kids came away with after our visit. We stayed in Crepon, a small village not too far from Arromanches-les-Bain (Gold Beach), one of the beaches that the British landed on. At the American Cemetery at Omaha Beach, my 7-year-old son collected stones and placed them on the headstones of as many Jewish soldiers as he could find (it is a custom in the Jewish religion to leave a stone when visiting a grave to show that someone has been there). It was very touching. We also visited the German cemetery, which in contrast to the very peaceful and beautiful American cemetery, was a dreary, gloomy place. On our drive back to Paris, we stopped at the WWII museum in Caen, which we all enjoyed very much.

gruezi

Hi Lucy,

Thanks for reading!


Hi Underhill,

Thanks for the train info!


Hi Freberta,

Thanks for sharing your trip. I would have liked to visit the German cemetery as well. I was curious how it compared. We also have found traveling provides opportunities for learning you just can't have in school. I wish I had done more of it when my children were your children's ages.

gruezi

gruezi

<b>London, Imperial War Museum, Churchill Cabinet War Rooms and Churchill Museum</b>

London June 28 – July 1

This leg of the trip it was the whole family. London was not in the original plan but my husband had to host a business meeting at Wimbledon and couldn’t in good conscience go without his two tennis-partner daughters. So, we had to quick change some summer plans and squeeze this in between our time at home and a visit to granddad in the US (a WWII vet) for his 90th birthday celebration.

We stayed in the beautiful Pelham Hotel in Kensington that was recommended by a number of Fodorite’s. It is situated right across the street from the tube and in a really nice little neighborhood I wish I could have explored further. Our rooms were beautiful – exactly as the website shows them to be. The breakfast was delicious and basically consisted of whatever your heart desired and was served in a cheerful, sleek dining room decorated with pretty contemporary artwork. Service was slow, and very spotty, and a bit unprofessional at times, but the food was so good it was hard to care. Service at the front desk and concierge was similarly “off the mark”, but we were hard-pressed to complain as the intentions were always good - just a matter of people being rather young and probably new to the job.

www.firmdalehotels.com

A history buff friend highly recommended the Imperial War Museum and the Cabinet War Rooms in London as well as the London Walks specialized Blitz tours. We only had a few short days and lost time due to a late flight. We took the tube early Sunday and spent a long morning at the Imperial War Museum. We were all so impressed by what an amazing place this is. Admission to this incredible museum is free, but you will definitely want to leave a donation on your way out.

www.iwm.org.uk/

You could spend a couple of days here. I’ve borrowed some bits from their website as they explain it much better than I.

“The Imperial War Museum is unique in its coverage of conflicts, especially those involving Britain and the Commonwealth, from the First World War to the present day. It seeks to provide for, and to encourage, the study and understanding of the history of modern war and ‘war-time experience’.”

This is a very accurate and humble description of the museum, which incorporates video, photos, artifacts, text, letters, etc. to tell the stories/impact of war.

The exhibits were thoughtfully done with something for every interest. On the ground floor there were torpedoes and fighter planes, tankers and missiles and every kind of large-scale artifact you could imagine. Our younger daughter loved the simulated submarine, as she is the science buff and sailor of the family. Well, it was pretty cool to all of us and we spent a bit of time in there “playing” navy.

Other exhibits we explored included: D-Day, The Blitz, The Battle of Britain, The Homefront, and the other fronts of World War II (every conflict area is represented).

There is a special experiential exhibit, “The Blitz Experience” which recreates the whole bombing of London and how it felt to live there at the time. (We passed on this. We are mostly all a bit claustrophobic. It seemed very popular with others.)

Beyond the permanent exhibits are some temporary ones dealing with other war topics. We tried to stick mostly to WWII just to narrow down things. We saw:

The Children’s War – Detailed exhibit about WWII and how it affected British children especially those who left their families and went to the countryside or abroad to Australia or America. Really heartbreaking, in that some were not recognized by their own families when they returned.

The Holocaust Exhibition – from the web: “the story of the Nazis' persecution of the Jews and other groups before and during the Second World War. Photographs, documents, newspapers, artifacts, posters and film offer stark evidence of persecution and slaughter, collaboration and resistance.” This is an excellent exhibit starting with a history of the Jewish people, moves on to the roots of anti-Semitism, and all the way through the various events of the holocaust. It ends with compelling taped video of holocaust survivors discussing their thoughts on war, forgiveness, how their lives were shaped by the holocaust. Again, more tears from me.

Crimes Against Humanity – From the web, “A specially-commissioned 30-minute film is the central element of this exhibition which examines the theme of genocide and ethnic conflict - looking at some of the common features shared by the horrendous bloodshed in Armenia, Nazi-occupied Europe, Cambodia, East Timor, Bosnia, Rwanda and elsewhere.” This movie is only for 16-year-olds and up, so my husband and daughter went while my other daughter and I were elsewhere in the museum. I think the movie was pretty bleak – similar to the “Hope” movie in Normandy from my daughter’s point-of-view. She said, “I’ve seen enough, and I’m done, and can we leave now?”

I don’t remember when, but somewhere in the midst of all this we stopped in the cafeteria for a break and a hearty lunch. I do remember it was a very nice little spot with some comforting foods and especially nicely done and reasonably priced children’s meals. Both girls enjoyed the kiddie trays (they are small girls and often still order children’s menus) including little sandwiches, milk, grapes, and Kit Kat bars…Okay, the Kit Kat bars were huge and my husband and I stole one from the girls. We needed to keep our blood sugar up…

Early afternoon we pretty much limped out of the museum and headed back toward central London.

I don’t know how we mustered our stamina, but somehow later that day we decided to visit the Cabinet War Rooms so that Monday we could just relax and do some shopping. (The walking tours were voted by both kids but I would still like to do one some time as a good friend has done several through London Walks and says they are quite good. There are a few that specifically cover WWII.)

The Cabinet War Rooms did not have the tragic feel of the IWM. In fact, something about them seemed almost unreal in a sense because they look a bit like a movie set. But, they perfectly re-create the original rooms and where Churchill ate and slept and the decisions were made. Fascinating.

We really rallied in the War Rooms and so having caught a second wind we then continued on to the Churchill museum next door. Oh, I loved this museum about this amazing man! I had no idea he was a rather accomplished painter. I’ve always loved all his famous and witty quotes and you can see them all here along with his art, a video of his state funeral, anecdotes about his sassy wife, etc. etc.

We stayed until the museum closed and they kicked us out (very politely of course!)

It was quite a full day, and there were some cranky family squabbles along the way, but we accomplished so much and I would say the bulk of our “education” about the war occurred in this day. I can’t say enough good things about the IWM. Every student of history should spend time there.

What did I think about WWII at this point? I have 2 very clear thoughts about WWII as it was fought on European soil. I know I’m no expert on any of this but here goes…First, the British were the first and foremost heroes of WWII. I just keep thinking of this tiny island, the air attacks of the Nazi’s, the resolve of this whole nation and the leadership of Churchill that inspired Great Britain to stand strong. I keep hearing Churchill’s voice and words, “We shall never surrender!”... Brings tears to my eyes. Second, the Russians in the horrible and gritty Battle of Stalingrad were really the ones who finally weakened the German army. So ironic, when you go to Berlin and realize the stage for the Cold War was being set as WWII was being wrapped up.

My daughter and I both had the same realization that the American participation and sacrifice in the war was nothing compared to so many other countries, especially in terms of percent of total population. If these kinds of statistics interest you, check this chart:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_casualties

Sooooo, what else did we do in London? Saw “Wicked” and “Les Miserable” (I know, what was I thinking with more battles? 14-year-old was studying French Revolution!) And then spent a day at Wimbledon – did get to see Venus and Serena so that was exciting for the tennis players in the family as when they were little the girls often called themselves after these famous players. In the middle of all this, my daughter phoned for her AP test scores and had a small breakdown as she didn’t fare as well as she’d hoped on one of them. She’s a pretty intense kid. Sigh… I kept telling her that she needs to look at the big picture – she’s not living in London during the Blitz or being sent to a concentration camp. “Mom, I know, I know.” She gave herself a 15-minute time out and then said, “I’m not going to ruin Wimbledon for myself!” And, so, back to center court.

We also squeezed in a trip to Harrod’s (too expensive for us to do more than look), some wonderful Indian food albeit with less than friendly service (sorry I can’t remember the name!), and a most elegant and delicious afternoon tea at The Dorchester where the sandwiches and scones just keep coming until you holler, “Uncle!” My husband ate for at least 3, but was never made to feel greedy by our friendly and enthusiastic waiter. There was beautiful harp music and some very interesting people-watching. A diverse, international crowd has tea at the Dorchester. We surreptitiously watched as fully veiled women scooted scones up under their garments. This was just beyond comprehension to my girls….you know about the veils, but no one ever talks about how you eat in public with all that on.

The few days were a wonderful whirlwind and then it was time to head to the US for a few weeks for visits and other obligations. We still hadn’t even finalized plans for Berlin, but that was next on our list. Thanks to those who helped me out at the last minute with ideas and itinerary because I was not my usual pre-planner self. Again, with Berlin there was just too much to see and not enough time.


<b>Next: Berlin</b>

flygirl

I cannot believe I missed this Gruezi!

Bookmarking to savor later...

Kristinelaine

Bookmarking to finish later. It is excellent and we're going to Germany in October.

gruezi

Hi Flygirl and Kristin,

Thanks for stopping by.

Let me know if you need any help planning your trip Kristin. I will post Germany soon. We loved Berlin.

gruezi

gruezi

Sorry for the long break (if anyone is still reading!) but I've been traveling and also started a new job.

Here is the Berlin report:

<b>Berlin August 4-7</b>

I just have to start by saying that Berlin has found a place in my soul and I know I’ll be back. Kind of like I feel about Paris, but these are two such very different cities. I honestly had no idea what to expect – I had such a busy summer, I barely had time to book the flights and hotel (actually my sweet husband took care of all that) and so never even looked at photos of the city before we went. Although, I am beginning to realize that with travel, sometimes going with no expectations is best.

I also must warn that 4 days is not nearly long enough for this city! I did run the girls ragged, and so we saw a lot, but I don’t think that is the best way to travel. I think a week is a good amount of time for a first trip to Berlin. If you are a history lover than you might need to make it 10 days! Again, I had to work within the fact that one daughter has a short summer, about 40 essays to write, schoolwork to prepare, and a boyfriend who leaves for University in another country in a few weeks. And we still were planning to visit Dachau before the summer ended.

We stayed in Postdammerplatz as we had a special offer on a hotel through my husband. Some here on Fodor’s don’t love this location, but for first-timers with the busy itinerary we had, it worked out quite well for us. The underground to everywhere was right across the street and we could walk to the Brandenburg Tor, The Reichstag, Unter den Linden, the Topography of Terror, Checkpoint Charlie, and plenty of places for eating.

Again, brutal cuts were made to the itinerary. I tried to schedule a variety of activities so it wasn’t all depressing and so that we still covered a lot of the WWII history and didn’t miss the opportunity to learn about the wall and the Cold War as well. Those of you who shared so many great suggestions, I apologize if we didn’t get to them all – we really, really tried!

Cost-wise I found Berlin relatively reasonable especially since most things we visited were free. Only Checkpoint Charlie and The Pergamon Museum charged admission and The Pergamon had ½ price for my 17-year-old and the 14-year-old was free (18 Euros total for 3). Checkpoint Charlie struck us as a bit expensive, but I don’t recall the price and can’t find the receipt.

Here is what we did:

<b>Monday</b>

Our flight was delayed so we were unfortunately in quite later than expected losing much of the day. We walked to Typography of Terror and spent an hour or two there. This is an outdoor exhibit at the physical sight of the actual institutions of the National Socialists. The Secret State Police, the SS leadership and the Reich Security Main Office set up their offices: the administrative headquarters of the Secret State Police and the Gestapo prison were here.

The exhibit is comprehensive and is a combination of photos and historical reading. It was a lot of reading for me, and also for my 14-year-old, but it does present a thorough account of the activities of the Nazis and was a good starting point for our visit to Berlin.

Then, hoping for something more hands-on, we walked on to Checkpoint Charlie and visited the museum there. I found this museum really chaotic and some of it hard to follow but there were many worthwhile artifacts from the Berlin Wall and lots of documentation of attempted escapes. Actual cars that had been fitted to sneak people through the checkpoint were on display. A hot air balloon that 2 families built from scraps and used to escape was there as well. Worth going just to see these things.

We continued our walk up to Franzosischstrasse where we had a contemporary German dinner at Aigner, which was very pretty and the food good, but the service was not very welcoming or helpful. We had been told by our hotel that we didn’t need a reservation, but maybe we should have phoned ahead. By the time we left, the staff had warmed up a bit, but things were frosty for a while.

It was a lovely evening and just dusk so we continued our walk and headed down Unter den Linden for a view of the Brandenburg Tor at night. Very impressive. Then we headed back to Postdammerplatz and were fast asleep seconds after we got into bed.

<b>Tuesday</b>

We were up early, had a big breakfast including some yummy Berliner doughnuts, and hit the underground to head to the House of the Wannsee Conference Memorial and Educational Site. This is a “must see” for the study of the Holocaust I think. This is the actual site were the SS held a conference to discuss the final solution. The building now houses a permanent exhibit called, “The Wannsee Conference and the Genocide of the European Jews.” It is extremely comprehensive. Lots of reading, but my kids did fine and you can’t possibly read everything unless you plan to spend all day so you can pick and choose how much to read in each section. You may want to plan for at least a very long ½ day at this site.

For us, the most chilling part was the number of documents dealing with the issue of “mischlings” or those of partial Jewish blood. Pages and pages of correspondence spent on determining exactly who is really a Jew, and what rights are given to those married to Jews, or the children of one Jewish parent etc. etc. Sickening in its detail and analysis.

The exhibit traces from the beginnings of racism and anti-semitism to the persecution of the Jews in Europe to the Wannsee Conference, the deportations, the ghettos, concentration and death caps.

At the very end of the exhibit are photos and quotes of survivors, their descendants, and the descendants of high-ranking SS. A very real examination of the past, that brought tears to our eyes. My daughter copied some of these quotes to use in her essay she’s writing about this trip. Imagine being the niece of Himmler and having your grade school classmates ask if you’re related to him. Talk about carrying around a pain body.

After we took a little walk outside to sit in the garden, look at the lake and regroup.

I thought it would be nice to spend the afternoon doing something outdoors in a bit of nature and not related to the holocaust as this was a pretty intense morning. We took a bus back to the train station and headed for Potsdam to Sans Souci. I thought a palace built for retreat from worry was just the ticket.

Oh, sometimes I do get it wrong with the teenagers! It was a longer trip than I anticipated, with a few mistakes on the way. I forgot my kids have seen a lot of palaces and castles this past year and it really ate up the whole day. The girls were under-whelmed and I felt our itinerary was so chock-full that perhaps I’d made a bad decision on our use of time. But hindsight is 20/20….The line was very long to go in the palace so we took a walk on the grounds, saw the teahouse, and then headed back to Berlin. It is a very lovely place if you are not with kids who have seen too many European palaces and are a bit tired from reading very sad holocaust history!

How to save the day? Stopped on the way back at KaDeWe for a bit of retail therapy. Way out of our price range but glad we got to see it. And, on the way we got a nice view of the Kaiser-Wilhelm Kirche. I understand there is a good memorial inside, but I was not in the mood for a mutiny from my travel companions, and my little feet were pretty sore anyway, so we looked from afar.

We took the tram back to Postdammerplatz and had a little stroll through the whole Sony Center area en route to our hotel. This would be a fun spot to have a cold drink and just watch the crowds if you have a bit of time.

Back to the hotel to freshen up and then I had a surprise for the girls. I had reserved at Restaurant Kaefer (Kaefer means ladybug) at the Reichstag. They like to dress up a bit so were pleased to get to do that and it was a beautiful clear evening. We walked up to the Reichstag taking time to see the Dieter Appett Socialist Memorial and then were swooshed right up in the elevator to see this incredible dome. I’m still thinking about this wonderful piece of architecture! If you love the Pantheon in Rome, then you will love this clever structure. Gorgeous 360 degree views of the city, but the dome itself is a star too.

We had a wonderful dinner – again I had low expectations (think tourist trap!) and was very pleasantly surprised. The most memorable dishes were small soups from unexpected ingredients – very innovative and delicious. The wait staff was friendly and attentive. One of the girls ordered a warm chocolate cake for dessert and while we waited for it, I went up the dome one more time and then read the history of the Reichstag. I loved that the architects of the new dome intended that light would shine onto Parliament to illuminate their decisions. As we learned more about the history of Berlin, the Berlin Wall, and the reunification, it made me love this building even more. What a wonderful symbol for this re-born city.

Re-birth is a word you think of a lot in Berlin. Here is a city that was completely destroyed. The new city isn’t a replica of the past. It doesn’t look like anywhere else. Yet, it still has character and it still commemorates it’s history – no matter how dark some of it was. You can’t walk 3 blocks in Berlin without coming upon a memorial for some one or some group of persecuted people.

On the way back from dinner we spent a good deal of time at the Memorial for the Killed Jews of Europe. The accompanying museum was closed so we theorized amongst ourselves why the architect designed it as he had. For us, the memorial was a special place of quiet and reverence and gave us time and space to reflect on all that had happened to the Jewish people and all we were learning on this journey through history.

A funny thing…. The lobby of our apartment building has many photos from cities around the world taken by a famous Swiss photographer who I believe is of Jewish descent. Last week I realized I had been passing by a photo of the Killed Jews Memorial every single day for the past 18 months right in my own building. I love that it is there. (Not far from a photo of the WTC which hangs in the hall by our apt door.) I haven’t pointed the Jewish Memorial photo out to the girls yet. I’m waiting for them to discover it.

Then we hopped on a crowded bus and did a turn about lovely Under den Linden before we headed back to our hotel.

And then, after a very full day, on to bed….Before sleep I struggled with the itinerary. Too much to see, what to cut out, how to keep it upbeat and not wear down the companions…

<b>Thursday</b>

Here is what I decided. What makes Berlin unique regarding WWII? The German point of view and the Berlin wall! So I planned for German Resistance Memorial Center, The Memorial of the Berlin Wall and Documentation Center, and if we weren’t too tired, the Anne Frank Zentrum. This meant we wouldn’t have time for the Jewish Museum, which I really had wanted to see, but it gives us a reason to go back to Berlin. Additionally, another Fodorite had mentioned a Kristallnacht memorial which our concierge had gotten me a map to but that too will wait for our next visit.

The German Resistance Memorial Center offered an audio, which was quite good. The center is somewhat like a library or reference area and is built on the site of the execution of some of those who plotted against Hitler. There are some memorials outside in the courtyard where the executions took place. Inside the audio gives an interesting and comprehensive overview of the entire German resistance. For us, the most shocking stories were those of the young students who were killed for distributing anti-nazi literature at their university. There were large pictures of a brother and sister – they were so young. We all thought the museum was worth seeing and that the audio was quite helpful.

From here we took a taxi to the Gedenkstatte Berliner Mauer. I didn’t know what to expect as I hadn’t found a lot of information on this. It’s at present not fully finished, but enough has been done to make it a very meaningful introduction to the story of the Berlin Wall and what it meant to the people divided by it. I highly recommend this memorial and especially the film shown in the documentation center across the way. There is a beautiful memorial chapel on the site where a Catholic Church had been destroyed to erect the wall. Each day, a different victim of the Berlin Wall is memorialized in the chapel at noon. We were too late for that, but we spent some time in the chapel and the girls lit a candle. (They later did the same at Dachau.) I could go on and on about how this memorial has been designed, but instead I just say, if in Berlin do go and see for yourself.

After that, I decided fresh air and a walk were in order. We had some cold drinks and walked toward the Anne Frank Zentrum. On the way, the plan was to stop and see the Memorial at Grosse Hamburgerstrasse. We got a bit lost but eventually found the site where the oldest Jewish cemetery in Berlin once stood until destroyed by the Nazis. The actual memorial later placed here was missing. It seems it’s being renovated or something. The tomb of Moses Mendelssohn is here but the cemetery itself is completely uncared for.

We continued our walk through Hackescher Market and I remembered that Thingorjus had recommended it as a good shopping are for my “snappers” and indeed he was right. Lots of cool shops and they had a nice little break trying on leather jackets and such.

We continued on in this neat little neighborhood in search of Anne Frank Zentrum where I had heard there was a model of the Anne Frank House. I thought my younger daughter would appreciate that. Both girls have read the diary. We were disappointed to find there was not a model of the house, but we were told there was a movie they could show us in English if we liked. The movie was excellent and worth the trip to the museum. The film was designed for students so it really brought the whole war, anti-Semitism, the plight of the Franks and their hiding, and the holocaust down to the level of a student. It was equally good for an adult. Both girls really liked the film. After, we poked around in the exhibits for a bit, and then headed out to see the neighborhood. (There is another museum in this complex that is supposed to be quite good that we didn’t visit – Otto Weidt’s broom factory that employed and protected blind and deaf Jews during WWII.)

Here is where I made another mistake. My older daughter and I had wanted to see the East Side Gallery – a very long painted section of the wall. So I tried to add this in to our afternoon. Big mistake. We got there, everyone was very cranky, the younger daughter said, “I’m not getting off the tram.” Well, she finally did, but then we couldn’t find the wall. Then we found the wall, and it truly was fascinating, but no one cared anymore -including me. There was a lot of finger pointing about whose idea it had been to even see this wall. We voted to make peace with each other at the wall, spend 10 minutes, and call it a day. God was good and an empty cab drove by when we were ready to go and rescued us and our weary bodies. Hurray, our feet were so, so tired and we needed food.

After that, we went out for a long tea. This is something we always love to do and is a bit of a tradition since the girls were little. They ate a ton of scones and had a mountain of clotted cream, amazed and shocked the waiter with how much hot chocolate 2 tiny girls could drink, and then got very silly.

Do you know what they did then? They began to tease their dear mother about her “addiction” to Fodor’s. A little playacting began right in the restaurant. One pretended she was me, sitting at my laptop, tapping furiously away at my keyboard, while the other tried desperately to get my attention.

First the innocent and sweet daughter said, “Hi mom, I’m home from school! Want to hear about my day?….

Actress playing Mom, “mmmmmhmmmm” Tap, tap, tap on the keyboard.

Then the daughter, “Mom, can you help me with my homework?”

Mom, “mmmmmmhmmmmmmm, just a second….” Tap, tap, tappity, tap.

Then, “Mom, I think dinner is burning! Can you come in the kitchen!!”

Mom, “mmmmmmmhmmmmmmm….I’ll be right there…..” Tap, tappity, tap, tap, tap.

Oh, they were merciless, and then giggling hysterically. Well, I guess they needed some comic relief, but seriously do you think this is really what goes on at Gruezi’s home? Okay, don’t answer that question!!!

We had had a very full day and so we decided to have the night in and room service and a movie (a special treat for us as we don’t have TV in Zurich) and an early night to bed. We all packed our bags so we’d be ready to go in the morning. Perfect. Sigh… I have got to stop over scheduling my trips!

And now what did the mother of these ungrateful little teasers have planned for them tomorrow? Well, I certainly agreed we had seen enough of people being tortured and shot by evil men, so I thought we should try something different. I even let them sleep in until 8:30. Aren’t I a nice mom?

<b>Friday – our final morning</b>

Big breakfast, including every sort of doughnut, and then off to the Pergamon Museum to see the Babylon antiquities before we headed home. I knew nothing of them, but the art history student knew all about the Pergamon Altar and the Ishtar Gate and was pretty excited to see them in person.

The Pergamon is an amazing museum and you don’t need or want an art history lesson from me, but I just urge you to go see for yourself. You just cannot even believe that this building is full of the most wonderful and huge pieces of antiquity. Audio here just okay in our opinion, but the museum, esp. the main exhibits, is a “must see.”

It was a beautiful day so afterward we strolled along the river a bit and then headed back toward Under den Linden and strolled some more there. We stopped for some ice cream drinks at a caf&eacute;. They were unbelievably refreshing and delicious and our straws were making that empty slurpy sound way too soon.

We had a last sight of Brandenburg Tor, walked back to our hotel, collected our luggage, and headed back to the airport and home.

I praised the girls for how well they held up for four full days of touring. They really were pretty wonderful. I was particularly proud of my younger daughter. (It is already a family joke about how she announced she was not getting off the train for the Wall Gallery. You have to know her because she is normally so sweet.) I can’t believe how much I learned in 4 days and what a wonderful experience for them as well. We said good-bye to Berlin, but as our cab passed by the Reichstag I was already plotting my return. Soon I hope…

One final observation about Berlin, there really and truly is history on every block and the history is very accessible, well documented, and mostly free.

<b> Next:
Dachau Concentration Camp – Our final piece of this journey</b>

Mucky

Gruezi,
Thank you this is so so good !!

I have always longed to visit Berlin, and look deeply into the war from a German perspective, unfortunately my history hating wife has always blocked it.

I will soon go alone....I haven't told her yet lol

I will use this great thread as a basis for my trip.
Keep it coming
Muck

gruezi

Dear Muck,

Thanks for reading this. I know it's long and probably boring sometimes.

You must tell your wife to talk to me!! No one was more of a history hater than I!!!

I only came to appreciate history through my daughter. I never liked history in school, and I honestly have a huge void in that area of my education. I was more of a science and literature student and did whatever I could to opt out of a history class. History today is taught so differently and I envy the education my children are getting. Both have loved social studies and history.

Berlin is an amazing place, as were all the travels we took this summer. Perhaps a teaser trip to Europe to get her interested is a good idea beforehand?

What does your wife enjoy? You can tie into her interests so easily in any of these places. If she loves water and scenery go to Normandy. If she likes needlework she will love the Bayeux Tapestry. Architecture and art - go to Berlin. Just about anything, go to London. The Churchill museum is great if she loves great writing or painting - his pithy quotes are timeless, and his wonderful paintings are just a testimony to this diverse and amazing man. She doesn't need to care about history at all to enjoy these things.

You could be sneaky and start in Amsterdam - no woman will not be taken in by the Anne Frank House. (I visited this last year without my family.) From there you could start with the resistance movement and then she will be hooked.

WWII and the Holocaust and then the Cold War is a good place to start with your wife as she at least knows something about that period and who cannot help but care about the human side of this history? The stories are certainly not dry like the history books of my youth. Even a history hater like me was completely taken in. The movies we watched early on are what inspired our family. They humanize history for those of us who don't do well with history books.

I am so very appreciative to have opened up this part of my curiosity at this point in my life (I'm 48).

If you can inspire your wife, I think you will ultimately do a lot more travel. You know, my husband loves golf and I hate it. We have compromised over the years. We went to a golf resort in Provence. He golfed, I went to art museums and we both had a great time and ate wonderful meals together. He did go to a few museums with me and enjoyed them after his golf fix. I bet you could work out something with your wife, and if you are gentle and patient enough you might even convert her...

gruezi

PatrickLondon

If you could bear it, there is a very good and fairly recent German film based on the records the arrest, trial and execution of the Scholls (the brother and sister Gruezi mentioned), which is certainly available to rent on DVD in the UK, so I assume so elsewhere. The English title is, I think, &quot;Sophie Scholl - the Final Days&quot;.

gruezi

Patrick,

Thanks for your suggestion. I will find the movie. Someone probably mentioned it in the original thread I wrote asking for movie and book suggestions, but at the time we didn't get it and I think now we'd be up for another film.

Interesting you mentioned it now, because my daughter has written her college application essay on this trip and she says in the essay that of everything she saw this summer she was most profoundly influenced by the German Resistance Museum and the story of the Scholls.

She has decided she'd like to pursue a major in Peace and Justice along with History which is ultimately what came out of the trip for her...

gruezi

tower

Gruezi...


don't know why and how I missed this report....now that I found it, I must tell you it is an excellent detailed report, chock full of great information for people traveling to Normandy, Berlin, etc.

Thank you for taking the time to tap,tap,tap!!I was wondering why you hadn't written a report, after many of us had corresponded to your original post when planning the trip.... So happy it went so meaningfully well for your DD's, DH and yourself..new twist on the old saying...&quot;the family that learns together, stays together!&quot;

Keep on travelin' and truckin'..

stu tower

Mucky

Hi Gruezi,
Your spot on, however...
I have dragged the poor girl around Normandy so many times I can't remember, we have been in bunkers,casemates, tunnels, gun emplacements, pegasus bridge, museums as well as the Anne Frank house the imperial war museum etc etc etc etc etc.....the list is endless. This is probably why she hates history lol

When I went to Prague on a Heidrich research tour I took my daughter for the trip but left her doing her hair and having a lie in whilst I toured the assassins routes and the methodist church.

She is just like her mother and whilst I cannot understand why anyone could prefer going shopping to history, I guess we are all different and I have to respect that.
I took her to Terezine and she really wasn't interested ok she was only 16 then.

So in order to see exactly what I want to see its probably better I go alone lol. Unless of course I can tag along with your family as you seem to have a great time ;-)

Keep writing

Thanks

Muck

irishface

Gruezi, thanks for another great report. You are blessed with wonderful traveling companions in your daughters. (However, I know that their behavior does not com out of thin air by luck; it comes from hard work on the part of parents and good examples from their parents.)

gruezi

Hi Stu,

I'm so glad you found my report. I had hoped you would see it as you were so helpful and supportive during the planning. It's taken me a while, but I was determined to complete it and putting words on paper really helped me process everything we did. Thanks for reading and I'll post Dachau in the next few days.

Mucky,

I travel alone a lot and sometimes I really prefer it. I love travel with the girls or with my husband. Everyone together is too much. But when it's for something that really interests me, I'm pretty happy to go alone so I can see and do just what I want. You will enjoy Berlin alone I think but there is plenty of shopping there if you bring your wife and daughter!

Irish,

Thanks for reading and for your very kind words. We do try our best, but also we know we are pretty lucky to have nice kids...


Thanks all!

gruezi

LaurenKahn1

Very interesting trip report. I have seen many of the places you visited over the years, but not all.

How fortunate you are to live in Europe! Traveling there with teens is much easier if you break it up (as you were able to do) rather than go at it like gangbusters for two or three weeks straight!