July 1 - July 18 Germany trip report

this is one of the churches that is left standing after the war but is in pretty rough shape, but still amazing to look at

Wow! Looks like you guys are having an amazing time already. Thanks for posting all the pics. They are always fun to look at.

While photos are great .... what about the trip itself ?

Have you found the language a hinderance & the money ?

What about the " Food & Drinks " difference. ?

Things that you & your family think strange ... but to us Europeans are normal ?

Hi Woodview,
The language hasn't been a big hindrance only when ordering food but most of the people we have been in contact with have had very good English, the food here is amazing granted we have mainly eaten American or Greek cuisine but we are slowly getting out of our comfort zone and venturing out about. The money hasn't caused any grief as we brought Euro so we wouldn't have to figure out exchange rates etc. the big difference between here and home that I have found in drink is the beer, if I could bring some home I would bring case loads is it ever tasteful. We haven't really encountered anything that we think strange other than we are used to seeing everyone driving and it seems a lot if not most ride their bikes. The biggest false info that we received is that people here wouldn't be that friendly and open and the people we have stopped and talked to are very friendly and like to talk about their city, not the past so much. The one not so bearable factor right now is the heat holy smoke is it hot but the locals are saying this is abnormal for them and even for them it is to hot. We have only been here for 2 days so still in awe of the architecture the buildings and memorials are so impressive and detailed, not like home by any means. After only 2 days the family is already talking about coming back and doing northwestern part of Germany. Travelling north of Berlin today reminded me a lot of British Columbia where we are with all the trees being so green and lush

Great photos. How was the concentration camp?

I thought I would do a city by city trip review after each that we were in. We are on the move to Dresden on Monday so I will have my review of Berlin posted probably tomorrow night

The concentration camp was unbelievable, granted it is hard to picture everything as most of the barracks were torn down as the people needed the wood but a lot has been restored and a few buildings were original, I learned a great deal as most of what I knew was from films which were a bit exaggerated, if your were to go, which I encourage everyone to do just do it on a cool day as most is outside and with it being +36 outside the kids were a bit unfocused, I think out of all of us my 15yr old daughter got the most out of it as they don't teach that anymore in school which is a shame. It was hard to imagine how many prisoners were there and how small the living quarters the part that got to all of us was the gas chamber and ovens which just totally made everything seem so realistic and you felt very saddened. The concentration camp is set up with so many learning points with use of film, headphones and commentary it is definitely a point of interest.

I can't wait for more reports. I totally agree that History just isn't taught to the extent it was when we were in school. Such a shame really. Anyway, good your family is getting the exposure. thanks for the reports, keep them coming.

we did the Berlin Zoo and Aquarium this morning and I must say the Berlin Zoo is probably one of the best zoo's we have been too. it so so beautiful with flowers and statues and the animal exhibits for the most part are not all cages and are open to an extent where you don't have to try and see through the wires of the cages. the kids were very glad we did the zoo as there are quite a few animals we have not seen before which was a huge plus. i would highly recommend making a visit if you are in Berlin, we were probably there 4 hours. the zoo is mainly treed so there was a lot of shade for us to walk under so it was not as hot as if we were in the open. the Aquarium on the other hand i didn't think was overly great but it was right next door to the zoo and indoors so the kids wanted to go through and see the snakes etc.

more pics of the Berlin Zoo

Berlin Zoo,

Here are some pics from the aquarium, unfortunately everything is behind glass so not as clear as i would like but these animals are better behind glass ha ha ha

couple more pics from the Aquarium

nice close ups!

Love all the pictures and can't wait to follow along the rest with you. This is one of the trips we hope to take one day, can't wait to hear your thoughts on everything! Looks like an amazing trip so far, except for the luggage not showing up right away.

well our visit to Berlin has come to an end, tomorrow we leave for Dresden. Berlin was definitely worth the extra time as the history and architecture here is amazing seeing check point charlie, Berlin Wall, Victory Column, State Opera House, Potsdamer Platz, Brandenburg Gate, War Monument, Jewish Memorial just to name a few. the guide we had (Marcos) was very passionate about his city and being a historian educated us to the view of the people not hollywood. The hotel we stayed at, Intercontinental, was very accommodating and clean as well perfect location for most things such as restaurants, shopping, and only a block away from the Berlin Zoo. The Restaurants around the hotel were mainly Greek and Italian so we didn't really get a chance yet to try Germany cuisine, as the one time we went out we ended up at Hard Rock Cafe in Berlin. The people in Berlin were friendly when we talked to them and the only time we had a language issue is when ordering food. The guide had mentioned to us that Berlin has a 20% poverty rate but the only time we encountered panhandlers was from what they call Gypsies, and they would get really annoyed when we wouldn't sign or hand over money to them. Berlin was everything and more than what i expected but being a city I am waiting when we can go to the quaint towns that we have seen in the Adventure by Disney pictures. One neat thing is around Berlin they have painted bears very similar to the cows we have painted back home in Calgary that i thought was pretty funny. as for cost i am finding the food actually cheaper than back at home but with the exchange rate it equals out to about the same. i am finding that the cheapest drink here is beer, it is actually cheaper than pop (soda) or even water so i am getting to try quite a few different beer but still prefer the lighter beer which is like coors light back home. i must say the highlight to Berlin was Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museum (concentration camp) that is where i learned the most about what actually happened as well who was affected etc. this would be the most informative and saddened tour we have taken so far and it is a topic not to many people in Berlin that we had talked to really wanted to discuss and would change the topic. The one nice thing i noticed is that on Sundays no shops are open and it is very quiet which i am guessing is for religion where back home it doesn't seem to matter much as all the malls and shops are open 24/7. the other neat thing we had learned is that not to many people own cars as they rent them or ride their bikes, and their are a lot of bikes and if you are in there way, you learn very quickly where not to walk.
time to head to bed, so off to Dresden in the morning
good night everyone

Love the trip report! Tell me about those great airline seats on the flight over.... The seats look so comfortable!

Hi Guinea pig,

The were in business class on British airways, we decided to cancell one of our trips and use the money for the flights as we wanted to be comfortable as in economy for nine hours with 2 kids on me I would have had a month in the message chair. We have never flown that long before so didn't know what to expect, but I tell you a bit on the pricy side but worth every dollar as you can lay flat and go to sleep, never heard boo from any of the kids

Awesome photos!!! Did you arrange the pre-ABD itinerary yourself? And just curious, what camera are you using? We haven't been to Germany yet (other than the small town of Passau and the Munich Airport), your post makes Berlin an enticing city to visit. The architecture is quite impressive!