We spent the last day of our adventure before heading home by seeing Berlin. We boarded the tour bus about 9 am and spent the next four hours driving around the city to see all the current highlights and the historical spots. We made three stops, at three of the most significant historical spots and took photos - "Check Point Charlie," "The Berlin Wall," and "Brandenberg Gate."
Check Point Charlie
The Berlin Wall - Which (the section we saw) is covered with wall art
Around the city where the wall is not longer up lies the foundation of the wall
The Brandenburg Gate
The remains of the bombed cathedral
Around 3:30 we walked around the corner and had an Italian dinner and headed back to the room around 5:00. Then at 7 in the evening we went on a "Berlin At Night" Tour. The first stop was a dinner, but of course we ate very little, however we had the BEST conversation with another couple - the husband of which had been rushed to the hospital two nights ago (had to stay overnight before joining us in Berlin). Very interesting, particularly that they had been on the same Avalon Waterways cruise through Viet Nam and Cambodia that Kim and I had been on! We left the restaurant and visited some of the lit-up buildings of Berlin at night, topping it off with stops at the Parliament Building, the Reichstag, and the Brandenburg Gate. A perfect way to end the trip. Long flight home tomorrow - leaving at about 2 pm from Berlin and scheduled to touch down in Columbus about 11:30 pm. For those of you reading/following this, by the beginning of next week I'll have a second highlight video online and a Facebook "best of" photo gallery. Thanks for following our adventure!
We had to awaken to the alarm again today as we had to have our luggage outside the stateroom by 7:30 and meet the bus at 8:30 am. The plan for today was to disembark the ship and head to Berlin. But rather than simply drive to the hotel we would have a full day of excursions. The first stop, about 90 minutes along the scenic German highways, was Potsdam which actually is a small city that borders right up against Berlin. It was here at the palace of the former Kaiser of Germany that the Allied Powers signed the Potsdam Agreement which determined how post-war Germany would be divided and governed. It was interesting that they had pre-determined this place prior to the meeting and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin had the landscaping done in the courtyard to form the Russian Red Star to greet everyone! The second photo below is the window of the meeting room where the agreement was actually signed.
We re-boarded the bus (this stop had been about an hour) and we were dropped off near the historic town square and we had an hour an a half of free time, which most used to gather some lunch. We did some shopping and had our lunch at an outdoor café where we ordered a ham, salami, and cheese sandwich as we could see the church tower down the one end of the street and the Potsdam Brandenburg Gate at the opposite end.
Rejoined the group and boarded the bus to travel to Sans Souci Palace, the "country home" of Frederick the Great.
We walked around the palace and saw it from the outside and then went for a tour on the inside. But before we went in we were told we would not be allowed to photograph inside without purchasing a special photo pass. But NOTHING is too expensive for those who follow my adventures, so I have included a couple. If you've ever seen the inside of a European palace, it was very similar with every room just being oh-so-opulent. Below is a photo of the art gallery, where Frederick purchased an entire collection of 1700 French paintings and the second interior is of the music conservatory where he would perform (he played the flute) for his guests. First the exterior shots......
The interior..…..
The photo above is a close up of the circular architecture shown in panoramic form above.
On the drive into Berlin we passed over a famous bridge, the Glienicke Bridge, now known as the "Bridge of Spies." It was here in 1962 that New York lawyer James Donovan (played by Tom Hanks in the film) was able to take his client, Russian spy Rudolf Ivanovich Abel to the midpoint and exchange him for captured US U-2 spy plane pilot Gary Powers.
Once we got into Berlin proper we arrived at the Sheraton Downtown and our rooms and luggage were waiting for us. Tomorrow we have a four hour tour of Berlin, including the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie and several other significant sites. Then in the evening we have a "Berlin After Dark" tour to conclude our adventure before flying home on Friday.
Today is the final day of the "cruise" portion of the trip as we check out of the Viking Astrid tomorrow morning and head for Berlin. We have excursions along the way and should arrive in Berlin late tomorrow. A full schedule on Thursday in Berlin then head for home Friday afternoon. Unlike yesterday which was rainy and very chilly, today was bright blue skies with crisp temperatures in the upper 50s/low 60s. I enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate on the top deck overlooking the river as we had a V-E-R-Y leisurely morning. Then a FIRST for a Viking Cruise for me. I've been on eight Viking cruises and never, ever have we had a cookout/barbeque on deck. But that is what was provided for lunch today as Patrick, the Chef, and Rick, the Program Director manned the grill and whipped up burgers, grilled shrimp, steak and chicken....all served with many sides including tasty fries.
Shortly after lunch we boarded the bus and headed for Torgau and Hargenfels Castle. It was about an hour bus ride. Probably one of the most interesting days, and to be honest it reset the entire tone of the trip for me. First, we entered the town square and were given a basic lesson in German economics. The entire premise which drives the economy is the small "middle class" businesses (between 5-to-500 employees) as they are all individually owned and collectively provided 95% of the tax base. The premise is NOT profits but sustainability and all Germans would rather pay the extra Euros to the small businessman and get the service and care that comes from the small business than to buy from big chains. Examples abounded on the square. The photo below is of a toy store that was founded in
And another thing, most of these small businesses only accept cash - in fact, we were told - only about 14% of Germans even HAVE a credit card! Our first stop was in front of two homes that sat side by side.....
Our guide, Christian, who was THE most passionate Germany guide we've met gave the first of many impassioned talks. He pointed to the house on the right and said to compare it to the house on the left. An OBVIOUS difference, no? Well, just 30 years ago, right before the reunification of Germany when East Germany was under Communist control he said nearly all buildings looked like the one on the right. But through private ownership and government help, most of East Germany now looks like the building on the left. It was through this plea, and his later stories that it occurred to me for the first time that since we'd first booked this trip two years ago I've always said and thought about the trip as we were "going to Germany." But it was only TODAY that I realized that everywhere we went on this trip we were in what was just 29 years ago EAST Germany - I mean, I was in my full-time career, out of college and people here where we've spent the last ten days were under Communist rule.
Next we made our way to the Hargenfels Castle. The moat used to be full of bears! But then 200 years ago the French army under Napoleon killed and ate them all. In the 1990s they replaced the bears with a few who now live there permanently. We went through the castle gate and into the courtyard. There we could see the spiral staircase and we were given free time to climb to the top, which we did :)
We gathered in front of the fountain and exited the castle through a side passage and made our way down to the Elbe River to a most historical site. And this was where Christian related his most impassioned story.
Here, on this spot is where the Allied troops of the US & Britain met the Red Army of the Soviet Union and effectively sealed the fate of Nazi Germany. But what most people do NOT know is that the agreement between the three moved the division line putting some six million east Germans who thought they were on the "right" side of the demarcation into the Communist area and forever changed their lives and those of their ancestors. Christian related the facts that so much is not known how the Communists treated the Germans. Two facts/stories he told made a huge impression. The Soviet soldiers regularly took liberties with the German girls, or they were shot. Recent DNA studies show that more than 300,000 Germans born in East Germany between 1946 and 1947 with "no father" show their heritage to be Russian. And these children/people were regularly ostracized. This really hit home when Christian related that HIS grandmother was dressed from five years, as a teenage girl, like a boy to avoid this treatment. The bus pulled up and we headed for home. Unlike every other tour, Christian came up and down the bus asile and asked for questions and comments and the entire hour was filled with discussion over the former East Germany and his perspective. A very enlightening day.
We were really looking forward to today because ever since the day we left Columbus we have been on a packed schedule. Don't get me wrong, we'd much prefer that as to having down time. I, for one was SO exhausted by the end of yesterday that I was in bed by 8 pm and didn't wake up until Laurie's alarm went off at 7 am. While I was out like a light, Laurie stayed up and played the music trivia challenge.....and she won, with her teammates....
From the left, Laurie (of course) Harvey and Linda, & Sue and Fred - Sue and Fred we enjoy most of our meals with and are having a wonderful time with them. But after a 27-hour international travel day and back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back days like that, it was nice to have a day where we had ONE excursion this morning and the rest of the day to ourselves. To be honest, when the day's program was explained last night I was thinking that not only would the day's schedule be light, but it didn't seem like Wittenberg would have much in the way of note-worthy sites to see or stories to tell. Far from it! As we departed the ship it was raining and in the upper-50s - but this Florida boy coming from So Fla where it's in the upper-90s - enjoyed the climate change for sure and didn't mind the weather at all.
Our first stop was Martin Luther's house, which is now a museum. Within the home we saw many very interesting things and heard lots of stories.
We saw the original pulpit from which Martin Luther delivered more than 500 sermons. We also saw an original copy of the New Testament that was hand-translated into German by Martin Luther (in his own handwriting). Also the door from the prison cell where he was held when he wrote the "95 Theses" breaking from the Catholic Church and leading to the formation of the Protestant faith. And finally, we saw - encased in glass - where Peter the Great had signed the top of the door from when he visited this house!
Original pulpit
The New Testament
Prison cell doorway
Peter the Great signature
Then we headed down the road to the church where Martin Luther and his congregation met. In here we saw the baptism bowl where Luther baptized his own children over five hundred years ago, and where our guide (and his children) was baptized. And in the front of the church was a collection of paintings (more on that below).
Statute of Martin Luther in front of Town Hall
My Sister Preaches To The Group
What is happening! Who anointed Ms. Laura to be the "Martin Luther" of the day? Well in fact the guide asked for someone who could read the English language to read the biblical passage which is depicted in this painting on the wall, so my sister became the celebrity of the group!
Speaking of my sister, why is she holding socks? It's a multi-part answer.....first, last night when we were given a preview for today one of the items pointed out to us by our great program director, Rick, was that THE most popular tourist purchase from Wittenberg is "Martin Luther Socks." On them is embroidered his famous quote when asked by the Catholic Church about his proclamation after posting the 95 Theses on the cathedral door, "Here I stand. I can do no other." Part 2: A year ago when we originally had booked this trip, for my birthday in August my sister gave me a card and in it was the message, "When we are in Germany I will buy you something in Germany as your birthday present." Today, as we were hearing so much about Martin Luther it occurred to me that the socks would be IDEAL. (1) because it's from the trip, purchased here in Germany, but (2) also because when we were younger.... as I remember it .... she used to love to smell my dirty socks (now to hear my sister tell it, I pinned her down and forced her to smell them, but I don't remember that AT ALL).
The series of paintings hanging above the alter depict various scenes as interpreted by the painter. And some of them provide some curious questions, which according to our guide STILL have no definitive answers.
Dan Brown - esque Tales From The Painting
The top left and top right paintings portray a female, uncharacteristically dressed in a very fine and expensive gown. AND she is shown twice in the painting on the right - once from the back and once in profile; and she is shown again in the painting to the left, another profile shot. Who is she? Why is she in the painting? No one knows!
The middle top portrays the last supper, as portrayed by the author. In this depiction there are several things that are "curious." First, you'll note that the table is round, and not rectangular as portrayed in nearly every other painting of this event. Second, many of the characters, who you'd assume to be the disciples of Jesus are in fact NOT those men.
The bottom painting shows Martin Luther preaching to the congregation. In the front row, in red, is his wife and child. But what's curious is the female who's the ONLY one not focused on the sermon. Who is she? What is she looking at? No one knows.
Lastly, for those that are curious, here's a peak at what our stateroom #224 looks like....
