Where to begin... Some of you already know we lost our chihuahua, Gigi, this past spring. It was especially tough because my husband had already moved by then. Yes, we moved to Tallahassee.
Tallahassee, land of the daily rain shower/ lightening attack. But excellent food; I'll get to that...
After a few months we adopted a dog from a rescue. Her name is Betsy and she is lazy and awesome. If you too have a place for an animal that needs a home, I suggest Last Hope Rescue in Tallahassee, Fl (http://www.lasthoperescue.org/). The organizers are extremely friendly and accommodating.
Since my last post I have quit the teaching gig, begun pursuing a new career, baked a whole lot less, and traveled to Europe again.
Over Thanksgiving my husband and I traveled to Berlin. Now, I wasn't sure what all would be there. I let Mr. Gingerbread do all the googling in our house. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. Berlin is a wonderful city. It may not be the first city you think of when you plan your "back-pack" across Europe, but you have to see it.
There is a ton to see and do. I suggest a New Euro free walking tour. "But Anna, I don't want to walk a billion miles first thing in the mid-morning.." Well, suck it up butter-cup. It is well worth the effort! First of all, its free. After spending $1000+ on flight over and a hotel (The Hampton was great, but I'll get to that later), free is good. The tour helps you get acquainted with the city; you learn about your surroundings and how to navigate. When we went, the tours were meeting at Brandenburg Gate by the Starbucks. You get your coffee, walk around Berlin, and ask the guides questions about where to eat and drink - they live there! They provide tours in several languages. (For more information: http://www.newberlintours.com/daily-tours.html, note that there is a Pub Crawl!) The guides are polite, entertaining, and very knowledgeable about the city and sights. (They also provide a tour of the concentration camp). Mr. Gingerbread has done tours with this group 6 times and really enjoyed it!
Berlin also has a museum island. You can buy 2 or 3 day passes to all the museums on the island. I say "island" because technically it is an island. I can't remember the explanation (see, you need to go on the tour and find out! Like a little surprise!), but it is. Oh, and though I'm sure I laid eyes on many priceless treasures, the one that was the most memorable was the Bust of Nefertiti in the Neues Museum (New Museum... b/c its new... oh the Germans and their naming...). But like most pricey, memorable stuff in museums, you are not allowed to take pictures of it. And nothing... I mean nothing.. is more terrifying than being yelled at in German. I personally have not experienced the horror, but I've heard things... embarrassing things...
So I took pictures of not so famous stuff... lots of pictures...
The Gates of Nebuchadnezzar and the Ishtar Gate are amazing! The Pergamon museum is a MUST! It was probably the best museum we visited. They have rebuilt huge portions of the Pergamon Altar and towering (no pun intended!) city gates. You could probably spend days exploring the museums on the "island".
Berlin also has a lot of World War II history. If you are interested in that part of history, or just a human being you need to check it out. The remnants of the Gestapo Headquarters: Topography of Terror Museum is A LOT of reading. However, it is well worth it to learn about what was going on in the minds of those in charge during that era. It was bombed (like almost all of Berlin), so not much of it is around. Right above the headquarters, in the picture below is a piece of the Berlin wall. (Ok, if you go into any touristy store you will see these little plastic boxes with "your very own piece of the Berlin wall"... so you can even take it home with you... probably not.) Something else interesting about the Berlin wall is the double brick line that you will see periodically running through the city. This marks the spot where the wall used to stand.
On that note, I will add that everyone needs to see the memorials to the Holocaust. I know on a vacation you probably don't want to be moved to tears by something as terrible as this, but the memorial truly is a sight to see. The artist purposefully does not explain what the blocks of the memorial mean. He wanted you to interpret what the memorial means to you. The blocks go from ground level to way high above your head and back down again on the other side. We also visited Sachsenhausen Concentration camp. And let me just say, everyone should visit a concentration camp. We went in November and it was freezing, even with our coats and gloves. Can you imagine what it was like in January with what essentially were striped pajamas?
On a lighter note, let me briefly share some fun facts about our hotel. The Hampton was delightful and modern. The bed was comfortable, the breakfast was huge and delicious: bacon, eggs, sausage, nutella, toast, pastries, yogurt, deli-style cold cuts, cheese, nutella... I could go on. Let's just say we hardly ate lunch we were always so full from breakfast! Cities like Berlin are a lot of walking, so a big breakfast works well!
One awkward tiny criticism: the bathroom door was frosted glass; it doubled as the closet door. Ok... me and my husband... nbd... but in-laws? parents? siblings? sorry... I don't want to see the outline/shadow (and frankly not even my husband's) of people doing their "water closet" happenings. So... if you go with the fam... well... just think about it.
Last thing: Berlin Zoo. In America we would never be allowed that close to wildlife. We went in November and there were still tons of animals out. Our favorite was the "big cat" exhibit. It was inside, so we walk on in.
Lions, people. Lions. And this is WITHOUT ZOOM. They are basically in cages two feet away from you. And wouldn't you know it, at feeding time they all start roaring. You could feel it in your bones.
Look, more dangerous animals you can get crazy close too. Now... there are safety measures in place: bars, water, trenches... that kind of thing, but it was still pretty extraordinary. They even had an American Eagle... we dropped by and said hello. Also, there was a seal guy.
It was like a little, miniature Sea World there for a second.
Anyways, I hope I have inspired you to get up and go, its well worth it!
- Anna
