Day 15 - Berlin

Dec 28th - After reviewing what was left on our list of Berlin 'must-sees', we decided today's goal would be Olympiastadium and the Berlin Wall Memorial. So after a breakfast at the hotel, we were off to the Hoptbahnhof to catch an S-Bahn out to Olympiastadium. We picked up some audio guides to help explain what we were seeing & some of the history. The tour took us around the grounds around the staduim - past the cement columns that list all German Olympic medalists through all of the games (the column for that last couple of Olympic games is not yet erected), past the outdoor pool & diving platforms, and around the back to the Maifield that had been used for polo matches.

As we rounded the back of the stadium, we could enter via the marathon gate to see where the Olympic flame had been lit & to see the inside of the stadium. Very impressive indeed. Originally used for the 1936 Olympic Games during Hitler's rule, it was reopened in 2004 with many updates, including a very cool roof. When they made the recent updates, I have to say, they were done very well as the structure & feel of the original stadium is definitley still in tact. Just inside the Marathon Gate are stone slabs, listing all of the gold medal winners of the 1936 Games - very cool to see & think of the amazing performance of Jesse Owens's four gold medal wins here. More recently the stadium is now regularly used for sporting events - 2006 FIFA World Cup was here - and concerts - Bruce Springsteen will be here in May...how excellent would that be? :)

All toured out for the morning, we were off to find lunch at a brew pub called Brauhaus Lemke that Rob had heard about on an NPR aricle...one of NPR's Berlin correspondents had said it was one of his favorite spots in Berlin. It was a great spot...and the first place we have been in on this trip that offered a sampler taster - so we ordered one up to get a small tasting of each of their 4 brews.

Our final stop for the afternoon was to go to the Berlin Wall Memorial which is a memorial to the victims of the Berlin Wall - for the at least 136 people who died at the wall between 1961 and 1989. This site is another one of the few places where a section of the original wall still stands. There is a picture wall memorial with pictures of all of the victims, and around the grounds, some of their stories. One info pilar had an audio reading of the victim's names, ages, datee of death, and how they perished, so many drowned or shot trying to breech the wall - I have a short video/audio clip that I attempted to include here, but can't seem to upload via the connection I have. A very touching spot, especially when taking in the wall of pictures to see how young many of the victims were. A very moving memorial.

We decided to head back to the hotel for a short rest and to warm up before heading out in search of dinner. We found a couple of brew pubs located close to Alexanderplatz, which we had not yet explored, so we decided to head there, walk around a little and then enjoy a couple last beers and dinner in Berlin. There was a lot of construction going on in the Alexanderplatz, but we did manage to see the tall Television Tower and Rotes Rathaus (Red City Hall) before stopping in at Marcus Brau for a drink and then Brauhaus Mitte, where we also found a sampler taster of their 4 beers and dinner. Odd spot in that is is located in a mall, but decent beer & great food and service. We decided we should try the Berliner Weisse with the syrup...so I ordered up a red (Himbeer raspberry) and Rob a green (Waldmeister)...and we recieved them in goblets, again with a straw. Rob tried ordering without the syrup, but the waiter told us we needed the syrup (otherwise we should just order another beer). We got a little more background from the waiter who told us that the Berliner Weisse is viewed more as a cocktail than a beer here...and typically only ordered by the ladies or the tourists :) The verdict...enjoyable if thought of as a cocktail...definitely sweet.

And that's a wrap on Berlin!

New Beers for the day - a lot of these were shared tasters :) : Brauhaus Lemke Original, Brauhaus Lemke Pils, Brauhaus Lemke Weizen, Brauhaus Lemke Weihnachts Bock, Maisel's Weisse Dunkelweisse, Maisel's Weisse Helles Hefeweizen, Berliner Marcus Brau Dark, Brahaus Mitte Pils, Brahaus Mitte Dunkel, Brahaus Mitte Hefeweizen, Brauhaus Mitte Christmas Bock, Berliner Weisse Kindl Himbeer (raspberry, with red syrup), Berliner Weisse Kindl Waldmeister (with green syrup)