Berlin 3

An interesting day!

Another warm night which required the fan to be going most of the night. Awake early and down to breakfast before I needed to meet a group for a tour of the 'Third Reich' in Berlin. 

The tour commenced with a bus ride to the German Resistance Memorial Centre housed in what was known as the Bendler Block, the offices of the conspirators who attempted the coup and assassination of Hitler in July 1944. It was here that there was a suicide and over 100 were hung using the "Austrian hanging" method. It was interesting to note that this building was one of lucky ones to avoid destruction during the bombings. 

Statue as a memorial to the hangings on the Bendler Block.

Bendler Block 1945

From here were went to viewed another small building with the scares from the battle of Berlin in April May 1945. This ten day battle, that need not have taken place, cost over 70000 lives.

Private residence still with the evidence of the Battle of Berlin - 1945

Then on to the other significant places in the Nazis story; Tiergartenstrasse 4 (where experiments leading to the genocide of the Jews took place), the Reichstag (Hitler seizing power in 1933), the Soviet Army Memorial (erected in July 1945 and the area later became part of the British sector!),  The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Hitlers Bunker and death site, the Airforce Offices (Goring), and finally to the SS HQ and part of the Berlin Wall.

All that is left of Tiergartenstrasse 4

Reichstag and treeless Tiergarten 1945

Over 2100 blocks make up this memorial to European Jews murdered.

Site of thee Hitler bunker - now just a car park - no shrine for neo-nazis to rally around!

This tour took an hour and a half longer than expected and so a little consternation on Helene's part when I was over two and half hours late back to the hotel!

After this we caught a bus to KaDeWe the ultimate consumer store on Berlin. Interesting!

Ties in famous KaDeWe store in Berlin

We returned to the hotel before busing to the Zoogarten train station for the train back to Gotz. 

Thinks this is simple - well it should have been - but because we were in a bit of a rush, we arrived at the required platform with just minutes to spare, a train arrived with Magdenburg on the front and appearing to be going past the right places, we got on, sat down and then something twigged! We were on the wrong train and it had already pulled out of the station. It was going past Gotz but not stopping. After a quick flurry we established that it was the next train we should be getting on. So at the next stop we detrained before getting the next train. 

A very special surprise at Gotz station - Mirko's father was there to meet the train which saved us a walk to the van. And another surprise - at the house was Dania's parent as well - all lovely people. They invited us to join them in a meal which was great - no German on our side and know English on their side - but we were able to communicate! Marvellous!

A very full day - in bed by 10.00pm.

A thought: Hugo Boss supplied the SS with their dreaded uniforms!