Berlin: Past,Present,Future

Hello from Berlin! To start off, I am wearing Peek&Cloppenburg’s Cashmere and a gorgeous scarf I bought on the Ku’damm, an avenue in the heart of the city. When I think of fashion, we know the past definitely impact future clothing styles. Peek&Cloppenburg is a German family run department store that has been in business 120 years! I like my classic look from them.

On my planned two week trip to Germany, I stayed in the Mitte district of Berlin. It is an excellent starting point to the city and is the center of many of the top attractions including the former wall that divided the east from the west. Just like Manhattan’s boroughs, the Mitte is similar and is a sub-entity within Berlin’s city perimeters. There is definitely no shortage of wonderful things to see, do, and eat in the Mitte. Below I had the original Berliner Currywurst all the while staring down old political rivals “eating” together. Think Khrushchev you history buffs…Here begins my journey in Berlin and is tip one of a series I will do of photos showcasing fun parts of the city. Two days alone should be given to the Mitte.

Since my mother was born in Berlin in 1939 and we have family living in the city, I was able to spend valuable time with my uncle her older brother. It was with joy he shared with me family pictures. He was living through those photos and in all honesty I was too. I was capturing everything I could from the past. I was holding onto every word especially since my German is not so good. So truly a picture had to paint a 1000 words for me!

That’s my uncle right up front second from the right. He served proudly in the military after WWII during what is known as the Cold War Period. As I understand my history, the US Army Europe’s goals was to train the new German Army which I suspect was the most important mission of the American soldiers as well as maintaining the peace.

After spending a full day with my uncle, I took off on my own the next day to the famous Unter den Linden Street. I know I am dropping a lot of funny names, but it is my hope you will google some of what I mention to discover more information. Unter den Linden was a favorite avenue in all the world before bombed during the WWII. After the reunification of east and west Berlin, it began to recover that glitz from the past. Below is a picture of myself and my uncle in the mid 1980’s. The wall is still up and not a gray hair to be seen on my head.

The above photo I took which must have been pretty close to where my uncle and I were standing 35 plus years ago. It is not the best view of the beautiful statue because you are looking at the backend of it. It was the East Berliner’s who had the most beautiful view of the front side. Yet, the part of the city that was once so glamorous was in ruins due to the communist rule. Now 30 years later, we see Berlin in a whole different light. The city has worked long and hard reinventing itself. Below are photos of extraordinary changes on the old east side. The first photo is inside the Hotel Adlon. It was originally built and opened as a luxury hotel for the rich in 1906 and the monarch. After the wall came down, the hotel was rebuilt in all its splendor. This hotel is well known again after it opened up and in 2002 Michael Jackson literally dangled his son from the balcony of his hotel room.

The above lion monument is located near the Hotel Adlon in the Tiergarten by the Brandenburg Gate. All of these photos are within a few minutes of each other. This took me by complete surprise as I stumbled upon it and was left sad noting the male companion lion was standing over his lost mate. It is a mesmerizing walk up that path. As I reached it closer, I also saw the baby cubs surely trying to wake their dead mother. I sat on the bench and was beyond belief at its beauty yet had such sorrow for the loss of the mother and mate.

As I consider my journey to the Mitte of Berlin, please take it all in and enjoy the sites of the Tiergarten , Brandenburg Gate from both sides, Hotel Adlon, and surely take a walk down Unter den Linten. All around you will be splendor beyond what you can even begin to imagine. I always say people watch too. I love to see how other react to the beauty that surrounds such a lovely part of Berlin and all its history including the present. My next tip for what to see in Berlin will be coming up in my next post. Auf Wiedersehn ( goodbye).