We were on and off the rails in Berlin with the U-Bahn and the S-Bahn. Their transit system is very efficient and extensive. We decided to buy the Berlin welcome card which paved the way to frequent travel. Our apartment was close to Check Point Charlie and a short walk to Brandenburg Gate. We tried to pack as much as possible into our two days starting with a tour of the Olympic Stadium built in the 30’s for the 1936 Olympics. The tour provides a mix of history and current use of the stadium. From there we travelled to the centre of Berlin to explore the Berlin Tower, Unter den Linden boulevard and Alexander Platz with the world clock.

Our second day we focused on learning about East Berlin and life during the Cold War. Our travels took us to various memorial sites as well as the longest surviving stretch of the Berlin Wall. Memorial sites provided detailed recollections of attempted escapes, the solidification of the wall, and former border crossings. The DDR museum was interesting as it chronicled life on the east side. We missed out on a tour of Reichstag, the Parliament buildings, but strolled down in the evening.

Our final stop was walking through Tiergarten Park to Siegessaule (Victory Column), and climbing the tower steps for a look from the top. We didn’t make it out to Potsdam, so we will be returning to Germany. Our flight out of Schonefeld, the old East Berlin airport, was incredibly smooth and we landing in Luton to visit with a former colleague of Frank’s in no time!