Sunday & Monday, September 15 & 16

Arrived in Berlin around 2pm on Sunday. On our way from Dresden to Berlin we stopped at the town of Colditz. Colditz is famous for its castle which housed, during the war, Allied officers who were considered flight risks - several books and movies done on this subject. The castle was considered escape proof but as we found out that was not always the case. We joined a British tour group and got a guided tour of the castle. Many of the methods used by the officers to escape were quite ingenious - see photo of French officer dressed as a woman (didn't work though).


It's great to be back in Berlin - really love this city. Rainy day but we got up early today for an early appointment to see the Reichstag. Visited the local bakery to get a quick chocolate croissant and coffee. High security at the Reichstag...you have register at a website first...then show ID...get searched at the entrance etc. The huge glass dome at the top is an architectural wonder and gives impressive panoramic views of Berlin.



(View of the Brandenberg Gates from the Reichstag)

Then back to the bakery for a 2nd visit...From there we headed to the former Checkpoint Charlie - the best known crossing point between East and West Berlin during the Cold War. The museum there is quite good - gives a very detailed account of the postwar period in Berlin...quite fascinating accounts of all the escape attempts to the West.

(Carl standing at the old checkpoint)
Then on to a 3rd bakery visit. From there we headed to the Jewish History Museum. Daniel Libeskind designed the new wing of this museum - very dramatic and thought provoking...integrates and personalizes well the Jewish experience of the past 2000 years. Included a visit to the Holocaust Tower - an empty 80 foot high concrete silo lit only by a small slit near the top - in this unheated structure you stand and contemplate the victims of the Holocaust.

(Photo of old and new wing of Jewish museum. Looks a bit odd from the outside but the interiors blend very well)
And then on to our 4th bakery visit...and maybe not our last today.
Tschuss (Bye) for now!
Fiona & Carl

Location:Berlin, Germany