*Loooong blog warning*  *Lots of pics*

So many things have happened during our week here in Berlin, Germany.  I’ve wanted to share as much of it with you as possible. Seeing as we are flying home tomorrow, I’m going to tell you as many things as I can today along with pics.  They say a picture is worth 1,000 words, so here we go!

From the first day of our arrival, I’ve noticed these double rows of bricks.  They would be going here and there.  Crossing the streets.  Seemingly disappearing into buildings…I especially noticed them while racing this past Sunday.  The reason I paid attention to them on Sunday was because they wanted to twist my foot/ankle if I stepped on them funny.  It was because they weren’t following the lay of the road.  Finally yesterday while MFH (My Favorite Husband) and I were out walking it dawned on me.  These bricks marked where the Berlin Wall had stood!

When I think of all the times MFH and I walked over these bricks on our sightseeing adventures this past week and the many, many times I crossed over them on my race~well, it was very sobering.  VERY sobering.

The Berlin Wall came down in 1989. The same year my son was born.  It hasn’t been down all that long.  The people of Germany have not had freedom for a long time.  It is staggering!  That wall was evil.

The evening after the race, a FB running friend, her husband, MFH and I went out for dinner.  It was a place called:  White Trash Fast Food.  It was an interesting place!  They had great burgers.  The thing that was unique about this place was it was built by the river where people had try to swim/escape Eastern Berlin to the Western side of Berlin.  Many, many people were shot and/or drowned trying to gain their freedom where we were enjoying our post race dinner.

 

It’s been funny and interesting to see how American culture has been adopted and interpreted overseas.  Check out the menu for this place!

Hahaha!!!  The food was actually very, very good!

Yesterday, MFH and I went to Potsdamer Platz.  Today, this is a big shopping center.  In 1989, it was the site of the Berlin Wall and desperation.  They had a anniversary display of pics from the beginning of the Berlin Wall until it was torn down.  I’ll try not to bore you with too many pics. Seeing as I remembered a LOT of this stuff from my childhood up through Reagan yelling to “Tear down this wall!” I dunno…it just really strikes a chord in me.

When I ran through the Brandenburg Gate on Sunday, that was in Eastern Berlin!  Actually, a LOT of the race was in the Eastern part of Berlin!

How sad is it that people had their windows blocked shut by the gv’t so they could look out and see the free/western side of Berlin!?!

This is where I met MFH after the race.  It is a beautiful building!

Today, we visited one last “famous” landmark in Berlin. The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church.  From what I read on the inside of the church, this church tried to save a large number of the Jewish population by baptizing them as Christians to keep from being sent to the concentration camps. It didn’t work. The church was bombed in 1943 and what we visited today is the remains of the church. The Nazis wanted to rip down the rest of the building but somehow, the remains are still here. It is a beautiful place! I bet the real deal before the bombing was breathtaking! It was only open 10 years before the war started.

I’m sure you can probably tell that I’m a history nerd.  WWII has always been something that, I don’t know…can’t really put my finger on it, but has been one of the most terrible things I can ever imagine.

Back when my kids were little, I read a book entitled, Memoirs of the Third Reich.  This book was just transcripts of interviews.  They interviewed people who had survived Europe and primarily Germany in WWII.  They interviewed little old women and men.  People who had been in concentration camps.  People who were civilians.  People who were in the armed forces.  People who had been Gestapo. They interviewed survivors.  Before each interview, there was a brief bio of the person being interviewed.  How old they had been during the war.  What they did during the war.  What they did after the war and where they lived currently.  The bio also specified if the person had passed during the compilation of the book.  It included pics of these people pre-war, during the war and post war.  It showed where they lived.  Their families.  Themselves in uniforms.  If they had been tried for war crimes and the verdicts.  It was quite the book!

Maybe that’s why this has been such a staggering place for me to visit.

Anyway, enough of all that nonsense.  They whole trip hasn’t been visiting sad stuff!  It has been so much fun!!!  I got to run a HUGE marathon!!!  Hahaha!!!

I’ve been in Germany during Oktoberfest!  I’ve tried lots of different beers while here.  I’ve learned that Pilsners in Germany are much better than those in the States!  The dark beers that I love so much in the States are not as good here in Germany.  Live and learn, right!?!   😉

Today, for lunch, MFH and I went to Berliner Kindl Biersalon.  MFH tried Schnitzel.  I got pasta.  I had a taste of the Schnitzel.  meh.  He liked it, though!

While we were there, a couple was seated next to us.  They asked if I had run the race on Sunday and I said yes.  So had the man!  They were from Scotland!  So, through our meals, we chatted.  They were such a nice couple.  🙂

He was trying to talk me into running a marathon that goes along the Loch Ness.  He asked me if I had heard of Loch Ness.  I said that I had.  His wife looked at him and said, “Everybody has heard of that dear.”  Hahaha!!!

Apparently, you meet at the Loch Ness and they bus you up to the start and you run back.  He says it’s nice and flat until mile 15 and the rest is uphill.  Ugh!  Sounds like fun!  🙂  We may need to make a trip to Scotland!  HA!

We’ve met some amazing people while we’ve been here!  I really, really like Germany!

Things we have noticed.  People are very creative with their parking.

Hardly anybody drives big vehicles.  People can parallel park at the drop of a hat.  They also will park anywhere.  Lots of people park in the middle of the sidewalk!  HA!

Important things:  The coffee here is amazing!  Nobody here drinks nasty, weak coffee.  It’s strong stuff and wonderful!  Our hotel has 5 espresso makers in the breakfast area.  They’re as serious about their coffee as they are their beer.  I could soooo live here!

They do not give free refills at restaurants.  A soda here will hit you for a minimum of 5 Euros and NO free refills.  A small cup of coffee starts at 3.50 Euros.  MFH has been having kittens trying to get a glass of ice water.  He knew ahead of time that they do not serve water with ice so he asked for water with ice.  The server brought him a glass of water and a dish of ice.  Hahaha!!!  MFH was not amused.  I thought it was hilarious!

If you order bottled water, you have to specify still or sparkly.  MFH complains that all he wants is ice water!!!  Poor guy!  🙂

Finally, broke down today and had some ice cream.  Haven’t had any for a whole week.  Between no ice cream and no Nutty Bars, I was in a bad way.  Hahaha!!!

Heading home tomorrow.  We are looking at 19 hrs in the air and another 3 hrs driving once we land.  It’ll be nice to get home and MFH can’t wait until we pick up Paxton, Kali and Castro!  *your sarcasm detectors should have gone off with that last little bit.   😉

So many things have happened while we’ve been here.  It’s been educational, exciting and tons of fun!!!  Thanks for following along as we’ve traveled.  Hope this post didn’t completely put you to sleep!