Berlin Berlin

I had the great opportunity to visit Berlin to visit my parental units. Despite my love for history, I never really had any desire to visit Berlin. Why? Who knows. But boy did I change my mind. We were living in Düsseldorf in 1989 when the wall fell and I was 3 years old (read: 8 years old). There are a few memorable historical events that I will always remember; the fall of the wall, Rabin being shot, September 11th, fitting into a pair of size 2 Gap jeans (I am, sadly, shallow). The feeling of that November day was filled with hope and joy and blows my mind that it was 21 years ago.. before I was born right?.. sigh.

The plane ride is about an hour and 15 minutes from Vienna and the great advantage about flying from one Germanic country to another, is that everyone is on time. My dad picked me up and we made our way to their apartment. They live in the most incredible area, there's like Louis Vuitton and Galerie Lafayette and because I am pregnant I can't buy anything nice and I'm getting a little tired with tunics and dammit I'm fat and we're adopting next time around. So anyway, my mom and I took a boat ride on the first day. Now the river is called Spree and I confused it with Speer and then I wondered why they named it after Hitler's architect and look how smart I am. The boat tour takes you through the city and you get to see the Reichstag which is like historical and stuff.

The city is a fusion of modern, Eastern bloc, old school Hohenzollern and is dotted with green spaces. A population of 3.8 million (almost double Vienna) but yet oddly empty. The next day, my mom and I took a double decker bus tour and I cannot believe that was my first time on a double decker bus, in Berlin, on a double decker bus.. it's a mad world. We saw the Brandenburger Tur which seemed small after seeing it featured in so many beer commercials. Unter den Linden (the large avenue) reminded me of the Champs Elysees. If you do go to Berlin, take one of these bus tours. It is a great way to see the place!

One night we checked out the Jewish memorial. I had seen pictures of it but those pale in comparison to real thing. Walk through it and you'll understand why it is so hauntingly beautiful.. Note to people with children: please don't let your kids jump onto the blocks. It's disrespectful. Thanks.

One thing I noticed while in Berlin are the people. They be all sorts of friendly and helpful. Stand on a street corner and look lost and they will come up to you and help you out. It blew my mind.

Probably the most poignant thing I saw was Checkpoint Charlie. This still exists but is now surrounded by modern buildings. I felt like I was in an alternate universe. Check out the museum, a little pricey but my mom and I got to see a full length film while there so it made up for the cost. We are Jewish.

I can't wait to go back to this city. It's full of charm, the shopping hours are AWESOME, the people are friendly, and next time I'll be able to wear heels all day and not feel like the elephant man. Mazel Tov!

In other news, I'm starting to wake up. It's been a hellish few weeks for me. The Husband has commented I'm nicer in pregnancy but that's just cause I haven't had the energy to yell at him or throw things at him. This place is a sty and I'm itching to break out my Cillit Bang which I will in a couple of minutes. Sorry G, your comatose wife is no more..