The flight home was a bit long for my taste, but uneventful. Jeff snapped this nice photo with the Alps in the distance, as we were departing.
I enjoyed my week in Berlin, but I don't think I would go back again. I imagine it would be much more attractive as a tourist destination in the summer or fall, with its grand, tree-lined boulevards, but I suspect it's not a popular tourist destination, unless you are a history enthusiast. (But if you are, there are more than enough museums, and additional WWII-specific attractions, to fill an entire history class.)
Berlin was a sprawling mix of old and new, with very little of the medieval feel that makes other European cities awe-inspiring. Much of its scattered nature, with no real "center", is probably due to literally being divided in half for the duration of the Cold War; the guidebook made reference to some areas formerly being thriving centers for culture and commerce, before the wall rearranged neighborhoods. To me, it seemed like a haphazard assembly of distinct districts and town squares, connected only by public transit. Part of that might be the aimless order in which I toured the sights, however.
The low temperature, coupled with losing daylight just after 5, also really changes the experience. Given that I am never going to be out of the hotel at 7:30 AM, it drastically reduces the amount that can be seen in a single day. Thankfully, I had several extra days during which to roam the city, but Jeff didn't see much outside of the convention center after Monday.
The public transit system, by the way, is excellent. Between the subway, light rail, trams, and buses, you can get anywhere and everywhere easily and quickly. This map of the U- and S-bahn should give some indication of the coverage. The trams aren't on this map, but they're mostly in former-East Berlin; apparently they ripped up the tram tracks in the west side when the car was declared the victor.
I just spent some time reading about which cities were severely bombed during WWII on Wikipedia and Metapedia, as I think I saw that cited as a reason why there isn't much of "old" Berlin remaining. Indeed, a search for "Berlin" on the latter page yields 62 results.
(Perhaps some day, we can go to one of the mostly unscathed cities.)
The little bit of Munich that I saw reminded me quite a bit of Prague, and Jeff, who had spent time there previously, posited that Munich (and Bavaria, in general) is what people think of when they imagine Germany.
Completely unrelated, but there are a few random things I wanted to remember:
- It seemed like we were the only people in the entire city wearing sunglasses. *shrug*
- There are Buddy Bears all over Berlin. You can see them in a few pictures, and I think Jeff has a photo of me next to one of them.
- I forgot about the down-feather duvets, which are too warm for my taste. (Jeff was not thrilled that I insisted on keeping the window open.)
- One of these trips, I'm going to remember to bring back the random pile of Euros I've collected at home.
- Giving the slightest hint that you speak or understand any German just makes them ask you more questions in German. This didn't stop me from using all four German phrases I learned.
- Responding to a waiter or waitress' greeting with "hallo" or "guten tag" will result in you receiving a German-language menu.
- Having mobile internet access is incredibly helpful, even if it's just for "where is the nearest train station, Google?"
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