There are always characters here, and you can sit forever doing whatever while logged-on...who are these two guys working on their iPhone?
We decide that for our last sight-seeing morning we will do some ecumenical stuff. First we'll go to the Neue Synagogue, and then to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, both of which had similar fates during WW ll.
We're off...
'Fantastic' Frank is feeling his oats this morning.
Some scenes along the way...
The graffiti was quite good on this old building cordonned off next to a much newer and graffiti-free building.
Here are those huge long pipes again that you see all over Berlin wherever there is major construction. High ground water fills construction sites and these carry the water away while the work is going on.
If you look down at the sidewalks while walking in front of buildings in many central Berlin neighborhoods you will often see small bronze plaques.
When you examine them more closely you see that each one bears someone's name, date of birth, when they were deported and to which death camp where they were most probably put to death.
They are placed in the sidewalks in front of their original homes.
It is absolutely chilling to stand there and try to imagine what happened in that very spot.
On every street you find open courtyards that you can actually wander into, some very beautiful and charming. You never know what you might discover, some things old and maybe even historical, and some things new and maybe even hip, all very hidden away.
Then as we are approaching the Synagogue, originally completed in 1866, it is so imposing that you can't miss it because its gorgeous gleaming gold-encrusted dome looms large over the area. It was once the main synagogue of the Berlin Jewish community.
Replicas of the original building.
Much of the structure was demolished by the Nazis in World War II.
A side note about our friend Frank's family who, on his father's side, are of German descent, and how and why his father's brother and he emigrated to Brazil, where Frank was later born:
After 1929 the German economy was bad. Frank's father and his brother both worked in a department store owned by Jews, both selling carpets.
Around 1934 the brother left for Brazil to find better work and got a good job there. In Berlin Frank's father had been writing a book on Persian carpet production, at night. An unidentified neighbor got suspicious by hearing typing and reported him. He was called by the Gestapo twice and he had to show them the book.
In 1935 the brother invited Frank's father to come to Brazil and visit. Since both their parents were deceased already, Frank's father decided he had nothing to lose and no reason to stay in Germany, especially since he started feeling signs that Germany was becoming a totalitarian police state. So he decided to accept his brother's invitation and go and visit his brother. In Brazil he got a job offer in carpet production that he couldn't refuse, and so he decided to stay there and make a life. In Brazil he then met Liesing, a Brazilian woman of German descent, and married her. And so Frank was born in Brazil. They gave both their children Anglicized names, Frank and Karen, so as not to give any reference to being of German descent.
The street frontage, dome and towers were not reconstructed until after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
The area behind the facade where the main hall once existed has been left empty, with just a steel outline of where it had been to give the impression of the extent of the dimensions of what had been destroyed.
It originally had the capacity for over 3,000 people in the main prayer hall.
From atop the ordinal structure where the dome had been, you can look directly out to the new dome. It has some of the splendor and grandeur of the original dome.
Now we decide to cab it over to Kurfurstendamm, the area familiarly known as Ku'damm. This is one of the most famous avenues and classiest shopping areas of Berlin, their Champs Élysées, and also where the demolished Kaiser Wilhelmina Memorial Church is located.
Ironically we see another marathon on our trip, this one the Berlin Marathon which causes much local excitement.
Then as we walk along Ku'damm we can't help but see the raw remnants of what was obviously once a spectacular church looming into the sky. Originally built on this site in the 1890's, its jagged-edged spire remains just how it was left since it was severely damaged in the war, much like the synagogue.
In 1953 a service was celebrated in the church, which had been cleared of rubble and ruins. But the ruin was soon closed to the public for safety reasons.
The church bells and some of the mosaics have been meticulously restored.
A side note about Heidi's father and church bells:
During the war church bells were confiscated and the metal used to make ammunition. After the war the churches needed bells.
Our friend Heidi's father was a German naval officer during the war, a captain on a destroyer and an instructor for submarines, too tall to become a captain on a submarine.
After the war as a naval officer and with no more navy, he was out of work. He got a job selling insurance and peddling church bells to support his family. He lived out the remainder of his life in Germany, with illness as a result of the war, and then died in 1956 when Heidi was 14.
The damaged spire to the old church has been retained, and its ground floor made into a memorial hall. The Memorial Church today is a famous landmark of West Berlin.
As we leave the church there are throngs of people milling around in awe of the remaining structure and what it once was.
The ubiquitous Apple Store has a prominent place on the Avenue.
And guess what just opened only a few days ago...you guessed it...a TESLA Store (for those who may not know, Marty works for Tesla).
We knew about this newest store and we were all looking forward to making a 'house call' to see how they were doing since their recent opening day.
But to our dismay the store was closed tight...it was Sunday and most stores are closed on Sundays.
Frank was unnerved!
So the only thing left for us to do before the Harlings had to leave to catch their train back to Aachen was, you guessed it, have a drink. We found the most elegant cafe on the street, only the best for us. It really felt like we were on the Champs Élysées in Paris.
Bet you can't guess which foot is whose?
And then, in an instant, our fabulous visit with the Harlings was over, and they were off in a flash.
We suddenly felt so lonely now without them. They are such a dynamic and elegant couple and we had such a great, long weekend together, not to mention our wonderful stay with them in their beautiful home in Aachen. But all good things must come to an end...sigh! Good reason to meet somewhere else again soon. They've actually come to meet us on several of our recent trips, once in Roma, and once in Paris, and now in Berlin. It's becoming a tradition.
So now we're off, all by ourselves (I think we can do it). We're going to the weekly Sunday grand Berlin Flea Market in Mauer Park.
It seems like there's always love in the air in Berlin.
We know we're getting closer now...
And here we are.
It's a big Flea Market, but nothing compared to the one in Paris which really goes on forever.
The stalls appeared semi-permanent and the ground was muddy. Most of the stuff was junk, nothing really high end, not one of our favorite flea markets. But despite all that, of course the sights and people-watching were much to our liking.
It is said that here you might find your stolen bicycle, with a new paint job.
Marty thinks he found some bargains...and just what we need, a tasting spoon. Not!
A Bedouin knife maybe?
This gal was pretty stunning, with or without the chapeau.
It was a very enjoyable afternoon, even though we didn't buy one thing. And we were serenaded as we left.
Tonight we dined at Fleischerei. A meat restaurant.
It's got a butcher flair, with a bit of an unfinished look.
The staff is very friendly, and with lots of ink.
The food is homey and good. Some dishes were really special, with great presentation, like this pumpkin soup...
And this salmon tartar.
And we liked it because it was a casual place.
Now we are in the countdown until we have to say goodbye to Berlin, and go back home too.
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