Last stop....Berlin

We have three days in Berlin.  Two with our tour group and one on our own.  We arrive in Berlin and meet our local tour guide for a tour of the high lights of the city.  He is really good and provides more of an insight into the city beyond just the visual landmarks.

The mark where the Berlin Wall once stood.

This area is where the SS (secret police) headquarters once stood in the centre of Berlin prior to WWII.

The Berlin Wall (this is a reproduction....it has not been rebuilt!)

This car is called Trabant.  This little car was a sign of the times during communism.  If you wanted a car you had pay for it in full and then wait TEN YEARS for it to come.  You would be notified where and when to pick it up.  When you arrived there would be several people there.  All waiting for their cars too so when the gates opened it was a free for all and you just had to pick one and put your hand on it.  Then it was yours.  If something didn't work or something was missing, too bad!  This is what our tour guide told us because as a child she remembers her dad picking up their car.

The story of the Berlin Wall.  It's hard to comprehend the control and lack of freedom experienced back during these times.

Before and after.  The first picture was after the Second World War showing the destruction.

The same area today.  The cost of reconstructure is staggering.

Check Point Charlie.  Between East Berlin and West Berlin.  This is a reenactment but this was the spot where the standoff took place between the Soviets and the Americans.  They had their tanks lined up facing each other and not a shot was fired.   Very tense moments back in the day.

The Opera House.

Memorial to the many Jewish people that were murdered.  It's very interesting how the artist used height and shadow to tell the story of how millions of Jews disappeared.

Memorial to those that were shot and killed while trying to cross from East Berlin to West Berlin.

Berlin is a clean, modern beautiful city.