Around Berlin

We spent today outside of Berlin at what have been some of my favorite sites of the trip. First we went to Wannsee, a small resort community on one of a series of lakes west of the city, where in an opulent villa in 1942 a major meeting was attended by many of the major German government agencies to agree on the "final solution" for the Jews under German control.

Like many of the sites we've seen this was a study in contrasts. The house and grounds are beautiful, and the lake couldn't be prettier. Inside there's a very well done exhibit discussing the roots of anti-semitism in Germany and throughout Europe, and chronicling the progression of ever more harsh laws against the Jews. It continues through the genocide and the liberation of the camps, then goes into detail about the meeting itself.

The most powerful portions of the exhibit were the first-hand accounts from both sides. The victims' stories were heart-rending, while cold, mechanical memos discussing the ins and outs of how to determine who should be "evacuated" vs sterilized were chilling in their bureaucratic efficiency. If you haven't seen the movie "Conspiracy" about these events put it on your list.

Lunch was fish right on the lake. I think all of Berlin was outside today, many of them on the lake.

David's mackerel with cranberry horseradish sauce on apple slices was absolutely delicious.

So were the apple and hazelnut ice creams.

Next we went to the nearby town of Potsdam and the site of the allies' post-war conference to determine what to do with conquered Germany. Another beautiful site and another fantastic exhibit. It was neat being in the room where Truman, Churchill and Stalin sat down together.

Continuing around the lakes, we had 45 minutes to breeze through the Luftwaffe museum, which has a nice collection of airplanes throughout history.

Back to East Berlin, we stopped by the WWII memorial built by the Soviets out of the marble from the ruins of Hitler's chancellery. Don't ever underestimate the Soviets when it comes to building stuff. This place was monumental, and nicely planned (in a Soviet sort of way). Tons of twenty-something's out on the streets in this part of town - it feels very vibrant.

Our last Berlin sites were across the street from our hotel. First the Reichschancellery, Hitler's office and living quarters. As you can see it's quite a sight. The Russians made sure not a bit of it remained, and they built some rather nondescript apartment buildings on top of it. The bunker where Hitler died was close to this spot.

Lastly we walked through the Jewish memorial. We'd passed it a couple of times previously and I'd not been that impressed, but walking amongst the stones I really felt the power of the place.

Dinner was the buffet in the executive lounge, good but not worth a photo. Off to Poland at six tomorrow morning! May not have Internet access until we get to Prague the day after, as we're staying in an old hotel in Krakow.