After dropping off the bags we headed to Potsdamer Platz where we wanted to grab some coffee and what do we see first thing off the u-bahn? A Balzac coffee shop. (This is a chain I had heard about several times before and I found that my inner 10 year old couldn't not giggle and my inner 15 year old couldn't refrain from bringing it up in conversation. Luckily Rachel found it equally amusing.) So armed with one of the best cups of filter coffee I have had in a decade, we headed past the Brandenburger Tor and to the Reichstag (beautiful parliment building). The line to go in was so long that we postponed the tour to the next morning.
Then we strolled down Unter den Linden and saw all the sites, then to Museum Island, the s-bahn to Kurfurstendamm, and finally to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. (A "finally" is necessary here because up until this point I had declared every church tower I saw as the "bombed out church" memorial. None of which were correct until now.) But to be honest it was quite a disappointment. The tower was impressive and really showed the destruction, but then they had built this new "modern" tower next to it as part of the memorial and it was horrible. It was ugly and was filled with a flea market/tourist shop. I don't know, but that just feels wrong to me.
Moving on, we headed into the KaDeWe (supposedly continental Europe's largest department store) because I needed a toilet and ended up in the discovery of the trip. Let me explain. The 7th floor of the store was the food section and exactly what I see in my dreams. An entire section for every type of food you could want. Huge cheese counters, meat counters, bread counters, multiple dessert counters, and on and on. BUT not only could you buy the groceries, but each section had a place where you could sit down and eat: fresh seafood restaurant, dessert restaurant, sushi restaurant, multiple wine and champagne bars, and on. So we went to the sausage section and I had my very first currywurst! (Appropriate since they were "invented" in Berlin). And I have to admit it was fantastic. It had something to do I'm sure with the gourmet sausage they started with, but still. We spent lots of time on this floor. Oh and they had a fairly large American food section where the combination of items they actually carried and the prices that they charged for these items about stopped my heart. A Duncan Hines cake mix for 8 euro, a can of Diet Dr. Pepper for 4 euro, and even a Whatchamacallit for 3 euro. Crazy.
After a bit more wandering we decided it was time to find the chocolate stores. The Ritter Sport store was cool because they had a place where you could create your own chocolate bar. They had all these mix-ins like nuts, candies, etc. that you selected and they mixed it into chocolate and then created your bar. Genius as far as I'm concerned!
Then we finally made it back to The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe and I have to say that this is one of the most impressive memorials I have ever seen. It is a huge plot in the middle of the city consisting of 2,711 concrete blocks in rows but that are different heights while the ground is also rolling up and down. (sorry this is hard to explain) The thing I liked about it is that there is no symbolism here. The artist just created this space and I found that it just sort of allowed you to walk through it and think. It didn't tell you what to think, it just gave you the space and opportunity.
At this point we headed to dinner where we sat just across the street from the Deutscher Dom which provided the perfect view. Plus it took our food so long to come that our waiter brought us free ice cream. My kind of appetizer.
Day two started with the Reichstag again where the line was shorter, but still crazy for 9 am. After waiting for over an hour (during which 5 people cut in front of us in line which still amazes me) we made it in the building and through security. Then you go up an elevator and to the huge glass dome with a ramp spiraling up and then back down the inside of the dome. Not only is it free to go in, but they even have this great free audio guide which tells you what you're looking at! Worth the wait.
Then to a late breakfast at Einstein's where I had the greatest cafe au lait ever. This declaration isn't based on the taste, but merely on the fact that it come in two small pitchers, one of the coffee and one of steamed milk, so that you can combine them to the proportions you like. Loved it! Plus the meal was fantastic and I don't think it is only because I was so hungry from waiting in line for so long.
Later we made it to Checkpoint Charlie (disappointment, aside from the guy in the currywurst costume) and to the brand new Topography des Terrors.
Finally we ended up at the Ritz for a well earned afternoon tea. We spent over 3 hours eating and drinking tea in the Ritz and it was wonderful. We even had a fresh batch of scones baked for us right before we had to leave. I am still full.
Berlin was great and while Munich wins for cleanliness and efficiency, I think Berlin is just as livable, if not more so. Definitely lived up to the hype. Nice work Berlin.
