Welcome to Berlin Wednesday 11/19/25

We have arrived in Berlin, Germany! We arrived yesterday (Tuesday) and are here for a few days to visit the famous Christmas markets, take in the sights and museums, and learn more about the Cold War period when Germany was separated into East and West Germany, and the city of Berlin itself was separated into East and West Berlin. I was a 22 year old college student when the wall fell in 1989, and I remember seeing the videos and news coverage, but being here really brought the whole experience to life.

We hired a guide through Tours By Locals for a full day tour today and have learned so much about this remarkable city. We have discovered that there is no substitute for a local guide in a new city. They really help you get the lay of the land, and can answer any questions you may have about restaurants, attractions, etc. Our guide was Ben, and he was Jewish, so he had a unique perspective on German history and the rise of the Nazi party. Our first stop was the Trains to Life and Trains to Death Memorial for Jewish children who were sent either to death camps, or to the UK during the Kindertransport to live with total strangers. Imagine being a parent and sending your children off on a train and never knowing if they survived, in the hopes of giving them a better life than Nazi Germany had in store for them. Over two million children were killed by the Nazis between 1933 and 1945.

Our tour then took us to from the former East Berlin to the former West Berlin and to the Reichstag. Formerly a German legislative building, it was burned, presumably by the Nazis, in a propaganda campaign in 1933, which allowed them to “blame” Communist party members and begin removing them from the government and imprisoning them. Communist party members were the first people imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps. The building has since been restored and is the current home of the German Parliament.

We then visited the Memorial to the Sinti and Roma Victims of National Socialism, located next to the Reichstag, followed by the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Visiting the Jewish memorial is a very somber and moving experience and not to be missed on a visit to Berlin.

We then made our way to the Brandenburg Gate, one of Berlin’s most visited landmarks, and the site of many famous events in Berlin’s history, including Napoleon stealing the sculpture on top of the gate. It was later returned, then damaged, then rebuilt.

Next we visited the location of Hitler’s underground bunker. It has purposefully not been reconstructed or made into any kind of tourist attraction, so as not to draw any attention to Hitler himself or become any kind of gathering place. The bunker was bombed by the Russians, filled with concrete and covered, then turned into a parking lot. A simple sign marks the location.

Following the Brandenburg Gate, we visited the Detlev-Rohwedder-Haus building, which was the home of the Ministry of Aviation (home of the Luftwaffe) during the Nazi regime, and is now the home of the German Finance Ministry, or their sort of IRS. We then visited a large section of the wall that divided East and West Berlin, along with a stop at the Topography of Terror Museum and the famous Checkpoint Charlie, which we plant to visit in more detail in the coming days.

After lunch, we visited Gendarmenmarkt and its twin French and German churches, Museum Island, the Red Town Hall, and the Humboldt Forum. It had begun to rain at this point so we will go back for some photos in a couple days. After a brief rest at the hotel, we went to the Humboldt Forum Christmas market for some festive food and drinks. It was quite chilly and windy here to day with a high around 41 deg F, and we have snow forecasted for tomorrow. Perfect weather for Christmas markets!

Like what you read? Hate it? Please leave us a comment below, but don’t be bitchy. Happy Travels! (Your email will not be shared.)