Our first international trip was to Berlin in early February. I took Anna & Tessa while Matt and Carson stayed behind (see the blog post by Carson titled "The BEST weekend EVER!") To be fair, the impetus for the spur of the moment trip was that Taylor Swift was performing there and tickets were still on sale! So, as a surprise for two Taylor Swift fans in our house, I bought tickets. The girls are pretty young to go to a music concert so I purposefully bought tickets in a section near the back so their little ears would survive the loud music and theatrics. It was amazing and a really good show for sure. Anna is going to write all about Taylor Swift, so I will let her give all the detail about the concert.
We only had one day to see the sites of Berlin. Fortunately, we had two very knowledgeable and wonderful companions.... thanks to Marie-Christin & her sister Anne-Catrin. They were wonderful hostesses and spent most of the time with us.
Berlin is a fascinating city. The differences of the East & the West are still quite apparent. The East, now 25 years after the wall came down, seems to me like it has experienced and continues to foster a cultural and artistic renaissance. The vibe and the attitude of the city have a distinct feel, beatnik in a way but with a true German spin. Not sure I have the words to really describe what I mean. The streets were filled with specialty shops, art galleries, great restaurants and very fun people watching. We will be happy to return to explore even more of this city.
Still we accomplished a lot in one short day. Here are some of the highlights.... in pictures!
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Our flight on Ryan Air. First time flying this no frills carrier...
you pay for everything a la carte... no free sodas here! |
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In front of the O2 Theater in Berlin. The girls have just
been informed they will be seeing Taylor Swift in concert.
Their squeals could be heard around the world! |
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With Marie-Christin, who now lives in Berlin. She lived with us from 2008-2009.
It was great to see her again!! |
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| Near our hotel in Alexandr Platz in front of the TV Tower (Funkturn). |
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View of the river Spree. Many newly constructed buildings
throughout the city as much of the city's architecture was destroyed during the war. |
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Tessa touching one of the longest remaining stretches of the Berlin Wall.
This section is now famous as the East Wall Gallery with 100's
of amazing paintings by artists from around the world. |
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With Marie-Christin & Anne-Catrin in front of another of the paintings.
Image captured by Tessa ... she liked this one. Hmm, wonder why? |
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| Perspective of one side of the East Wall Gallery. |
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| This painting titled "Perestroika" |
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| A group shot at another favorite painting. A real edge is ever present in this city. |
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Tessa and Anna in front of the Berliner Dom. Among many of the
destroyed buildings, this cathedral was commissioned to be reconstructed after the war. |
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| Front view of the Berliner Dom. |
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| Anna peering down at the Book Burning Memorial, which is simply a window into a completely white room of empty bookshelves.... makes the point pretty clear. |
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The Brandenburg Gate! There was a Turkish wedding going on
which is why there are so many cars parked ... a full party going on in the plaza. |
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East Berlin traffic light man... unique to traffic lights in East Berlin.
Love this guy! Love the hat!! |
