At the beginning of the year I promised to share with you photos of my European Adventure with two of my closest friends... unfortunately shortly after I returned from this amazing trip, my computer and back up drives ALL decided to crash on me. Yes ALL!!! So alas, it has taken me a while to recover all my lost files - I'm slowly making my way through my thousands of photos (note the underline on thousands). This crashing of my electronic life is also partly the cause of my extended absence from here...
Anyway, you don't really want to hear about my computer issues... You want photos! So here they are, the first instalment of my European Adventure - Berlin!
Europe is renowned for their Christmas markets and Berlin did not disappoint!!! Our first day in Berlin we went on a tour of the city's Christmas markets and had such a fabulous time immersing ourselves in the local traditions and culture. Giant pretzels, handmade decorations, glühwein and bratwurst, amazing handcrafted gifts, the pretty decorations and trees, street musicians - just wonderful!
The next day we visited Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp - but that's another post all of it's own. After Sachsenhausen we headed back into town to visit the major landmarks of Berlin, which was just incredible. The city's history is so extensive (on so MANY levels), that you can't help but admire how this beautiful place has not just recovered, but embraced the heartache to push forward and rebuild. Everywhere you go, there are reminders of what the people of Berlin have faced. But there are also reminders of all that they have achieved - did you know that the Humboldt penguin is named after Prussian geographer and explorer, Alexander von Humboldt? Pretty cool in my book.
It's hard to put into words the emotions felt when visiting the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. It was such a humbling experience, that left me eternally grateful for the freedom I am lucky to experience every day. Walking between the columns I felt an increasing sense of helplessness and foreboding - which alarmed me as I knew rationally that nothing would happen to us - I can only imagine how awful it must have been for victims of the Holocaust.
I have to admit that I was quite disappointed by Checkpoint Charlie, for two major reasons. 1) It isn't the true Checkpoint Charlie; this was removed during the German Reunification, but for some reason I presumed it was still the original structure. 2) how commercial the site is. You can actually see the golden arches of MacDonald in the background of the second picture - call me picky, but that ruined it for me.
There is only a small part of the Berlin Wall still standing, which, for obvious reasons, has been sealed off from access. But it is still a stark reminder of what used to be.
So there you have it folks! The first round of photos from my European Adventure. I will be back soon (PROMISE) with photos from Sachsenhausen!!!
Big Love,
H xxx
