It was snowing as we disembarked onto the bus near the terminal, appreciative to have arrived in Berlin; and we had an unfortunate encounter. A Neanderthal like figure pushed past on the bus almost flattening all who were in his wake, including Anne. I called across the crowded, silent, stationary bus for Neanderthal to “Be Careful”, he muttered back to me in German to which I reiterated “Be Careful”. He then continued in perfect English “In this country we move to the back of the bus” to which I replied “In my country we respect woman.” So on it went until Cro-Magnon decided to be quiet. As we alighted the bus and entered the terminal a statesman like German gentleman came up to Anne and said: “I am sorry, not all Germans are like that, I am embarrassed.” Fortunately, all of Berlin was not like this.
A yummy specially made late lunch in the cafe of the Circus Hostel and we decided to pay for an upgrade to an apartment {an extra €15/ night= €85/room}. On Facebook, we learnt that the Odyssey was not what the girls thought it would be. It was dead. Fortunately there was one double room left at the Circus, which was more like a hotel, so they moved from the Odyssey and we ended up having take away-pizzas for dinner in the hostel.
In Berlin there is a proliferation of tour companies: Brewers; Inside Tours; New Berlin, Mosaic; that are ready and waiting to provide you with the perfect Holocaust or Cold War or Third Reich tour. There was a certain irony that a city with such a dark past was capitalising on this. Or was it reminding people of the atrocities in the hope it would never happen again?
The next day, the guide from Mosaic Tours did not show, but a kind Spanish tour guide showed us the train to catch as we joined another group from Inside Tours {€15/person} with the highly capable Pen, an Aussie tour guide, for a day tour of the Sauchsenhausen Concentration Camp {free entry} in -10°C wind chill 35km outside Berlin. Sauchsenhausen was the model for all Concentration camps around Europe and the administrative heart of the Holocaust operations. It was not a pleasant day, nor enjoyable, but terribly meaningful and worthwhile. We were asked to take our lunch and have it during the tour. I could not and would not eat until we were on our way home on the train around 4.30.
For some shopping and a change of pace we visited the Christmas Markets at nearby Alexandra Platz. The markets lived up to their reputation with beautiful lights, snow, mull wine, bratwurst and many petite presents.
“You are now leaving the American sector” greeted us as Anne and I visited the Checkpoint Charlie Museum: A fascinating insight into life during the cold war and the ingenious ways in which East Germans escaped to the West. Meanwhile, the girls were off to the movies at the Sony Centre in Podstam Platz watching Harry Potter in English.
A brief visit to the Christmas Markets in Alexandra Platz again and then we had a pleasant encounter with an Aussie couple in the early thirties from WA at dinner at the Circus Hotel restaurant. She had a PhD in pioneering innovative therapies with children with gross motor deficiencies and was currently in London, sharing her research.
A self guided tour in blue skies in warmer -4°C weather and we visited The Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate and The Memorial to the Murdered Jews in Europe, right in the middle of Berlin, near the Reichstag: The name and location says it all. The museum with its letters, personal testimonies, and faces of individual victims is a calculated polar opposite of the dehumanisation process that was practised in the Shoah. Needless to say it was more of a sombre and sober reminder of the past. Purposefully; it never leaves you here.
To lighten the mood we visited the Haupstadt Christmas Markets. I was beginning to get a touch of the flu, and the girls were immersing themselves in the German night life, somewhat ironically clubbing with Aussies until 6am in the morning but interestingly reflected in the Aussie conversations, as they pumped the bars, was: “Oh where did you go today?, Oh the concentration Camp, How was that?”
In a subway in Berlin Anne mets two of her ex-Ravenswood students (05) .Two salient points emerged from this encounter: One, Teachers cannot go anywhere and secondly Anne is so much like her late father Denis, with an ability to to talk to anyone, anywhere and anytime.
In a subway in Berlin Anne mets two of her ex-Ravenswood students (05) .Two salient points emerged from this encounter: One, Teachers cannot go anywhere and secondly Anne is so much like her late father Denis, with an ability to to talk to anyone, anywhere and anytime.
On a chilly-10°C on the taxi dashboard (even the taxi driver said it was very cold) we said goodbye to the Circus Hostel and onwards to the Bahnhoffan for our train trip to the Bohemian capital, Prague.
Apart from the vistas, different conceptual images flashed before me as I recalled my impressions of Berlin: An abating Underground alternative culture; Generational Attitudinal changes towards the Holocaust with Gen Y sick of the saturation of Holocaust spending to Pre baby boomers ashamed of the German flag; Good food... the bratwursts and hot mull wine; Obedience to the rules; ruthless German efficiency in the Holocaust; Sauchsenhausen Concentration Camp individuals killed with a single bullet from behind... no mess, no trace.
For Anne and I Berlin was more of a gritty than a pretty city, in search of a centre, with such a heavy cloud of a dark and rich history. I recall a travel podcast caller enquiring about things to see in Berlin saying, “Where are the fun places?” Berlin was like an adolescent, not quite sure of how to live with her turbulent past but at times wanting to break out of the present. I am glad to have seen her for her history and winter scenery. The snow covered buildings and gardens, still such a novelty, were draped around the Brandenburg Gate as a ‘Bear’ approached me looking at the beautiful winter scenery said “You can have the snow.”
The girls loved Berlin, especially Katie and especially the night life.
Staring out the windows on our five hour train trip from to Prague reminded me of a scene out of a fairytale: the thick blanket of snow on the rooftops resembled ice-vovo biscuits and ginger bread house. Dresden looked beautiful and the lunch in the dining car restaurant was like something out of an Agatha Christie movie; enchanting and wonderfully exhilarating and comfortable.
We had been warned about Prague’s infamous taxis. Tired, cold and heavy laden with luggage we were greeted by taxi drivers who looked like KGB agents out of the sixties. Reputedly honest AAA taxis were not to be seen so I forlornly sent the girls off on one of these to their hostel. Meanwhile we got in one cab endeavouring to make the 1.3km ride from the railway station to our accommodation, Miss Sophie’s ($AU85/night) only to find out as we were leaving he wanted to charge us 960 Kroner, equivalent to almost $AU50. I asked the driver to stop and he said “500 Krona”, to which I said “No more than 200”. (I felt like I was momentarily back in Morocco).We agreed to disagree, hurriedly got out with our entire luggage and obtained a comparatively more respectable but highly inflated 300 Kroner ride. (One old 22 year girl I spoke to in Prague was charged 600 Krona for a 500 metre trip. On the way back we booked a AAA taxi which cost us 100 Krona.)
Miss Sophie’s gave us some great tips and we ate at an authentic Czech restaurant, Pompikinsky Dum. Anne had venison and I had the smoked pork in dumplings and sauerkraut washed down with Czech beer. We thought of Anne’s sister, Margie, and her travels through here.
We had managed to arrange to meet in the old town square for lunch courtesy of Facebook. Prior to this Anne and I went on a free two hour walking tour with Brian, from Free Tours, who had only been in Prague since July. He introduced us and the twenty strong gathered to the well known sites in the city with his Irish interpretation of Czech history. One story captured Anne’s imagination. During the war Hitler had ordered the statue of Mendelssohn to be torn down from the Rudolfinum. But as there where many statues with no names of them the workers inadvertently pulled down Wagner, who was Hitler’s favourite, instead. Justifiably quite ironic don’t you think?
In the afternoon with the girls we walked across the beautiful Charles Bridge and had a look at all the small stalls of painters and artists that lined both sides of the bridge. Katie made the astute observation that all of the many, many statues on the bridge looked surprisingly like King Charles!
At night Anne and I were off to the ballet at the State Opera House to watch Cinderella {400 Krona/person}. It was a beautiful restored rococo building and we felt very ‘Kaltured’.
On our second day full day we all visited Prague Castle. A snack at a cafe near the tram station reminded us all of how stern some of the Czech people are. The girls left early to pick up their tickets for Backlight Theatre, Aspects of Alice, a post modern interpretation, that evening while we went to the popular Brewery Monastery for lunch and sampled famous Czech beers all afternoon.
A further visit to the Old town and the Charles Bridge and a good chat with an artist off whom we brought a watercolour painting of the bridge.
Prague is such a beautiful city...the architecture...fine food...the arts... beautifully restored buildings the old town square in the heart of the city...a religious soul... But not quite the nightlife of Berlin and not quite the appeal for the girls.
Next morning on the 22nd December we were off to a hopefully a white Christmas with relatives in Hungary, just like Katie wanted.
Until next time,
Good tidings and God’s blessings
Janika
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