It is a beautiful, sunny day today so we are finally off on the Reich Walk – a historical walk around the city covering all things 3^rd Reich.  When in Berlin…..

We are out on the streets around 8 heading toward Brandenberg Gate.  The streets are all but deserted as we walk down Unter den Linden, passing the Alte Palais, the former Royal Prussian Residence and (unbeknownst to us until later) where the Book Burning memorial stands (pooh, really wanted to see that). While it is lovely and peaceful to be out here all by ourselves, and able to see the various statues – and manhole covers! – without congestion, it is a little weird that no one is out here and nothing is open. Not even a coffee shop – and it’s a weekday.  Just bizarre.

Being early though means no crowds at the Gate – none.  Just a group of mid-20s females posing before the iconic symbol.  Sweet.

Moving on, we head over to the Reichstag (ok, now Bundestag) for photo ops – passing by memorials for some of the people who died while trying to escape from East to West Berlin.  So crazy to think about.  Arriving at the Reichstag, we get our photos with virtually no one around, then decided to check to see if there were any available spots for the Dome visit later in the day.  We originally didn’t plan to visit the dome but then read more about it and thought we’d try. As it turns out we lucked into a couple of spots in the early afternoon.  The downside was that we needed our passports.  Crud.

Well, heck, we’ve still got tons of time before the 10am opening time at the Topography of Terror museum, so what the heck?  We’ve got unlimited transport tickets – we’re off on the subway back to the hotel, grab the passports, then hit the metro again to take us closer to the Topography museum.  Voila!  Crisis – well not really crisis – handled.  And we still have plenty time to get to the museum and wait outside the gates before they open.

The Topography of Terror exhibits are located on what was the site of the Reich Security Main Office of the SS – the organizational center of most of the Nazi regime’s mass crimes and acts of Terror from 1933 to 1945 – housing the Gestapo, the SS leadership and the Security Service (SD).  An apt location for the museum which today is all about informing visitors about the history and the crimes that were planned and initiated right here.  It is a fascinating look at the propaganda, the people, the crimes, just about everything dealing with the Third Reich during those crucial times.  Photos, stories, maps, models – there is so much information here.  We spend over an hour just walking through 15 stations of exhibits, listening to the audio guide explaining the different ways the Nazis took over, spread their propaganda and carried out their atrocities. 

Outside, along the excavated basement walls is a historical timeline of Berlin’s role as the capital of the Third Reich.  Lots of information about how the Berlin split occurred, how commerce operated during the time (new currency in both zones, only transport flights between each zone of Berlin).  A wealth of fascinating, if not creepy and scary information – if only people would actually learn from it. 

Probably just as interesting as the information, above the displays is the longest remaining continuous piece of the Wall in central Berlin. 

Now onto our walking tour – we head toward Checkpoint Charlie, past the hot air balloon you can pay to ride – it goes so high up!  Would probably be a cool 360 view, but no way, no how.  We’ll see other people’s photos and be just fine, thank you.

Checkpoint Charlie is, well, fake. And a huge tourist trap. And crowded.  And crazy. And. Well.  You have to go there to see it.  But, still…..we boogeyed out of there really quickly – heading back up toward the Reichstag for lunch before our appointed entry time. (We booked it out of there so quickly we didn’t even turn around to see the photo of the American Soldier on the other side of the Russian Soldier in the middle of the street!)

On the way back, we pass by a great painted bear (bears being the symbol of Berlin because the German word for bear is Bar and it sounds like “Berlin”) and then Brandenburg Gate, now flooded with people. 

We had spied a restaurant, Bier Genuss Hofingerbrau, with a view of part of the Reichstag on our morning jaunt, and made our way there to settle in for a perfect German lunch:  more Obatzda (I’m comparing and contrasting different versions) and fried Meatloaf with eggs for Ed (Gebratener Leberkase).  Perfect, if not filling.

Then we are off to the Dome – which true to the reviews does give you a great 360 view of the city with wonderful explanations of what you are looking at from all the different angles.  Unfortunately, it is open air – well sort of.  A dome made completely of glass with an open area at the top and a ramp that circles you up to the top and down.  Super duper hot.  So much so you couldn’t really stand up their long gazing out. More like snap and run down the ramp!  But we did manage to get a few good views and photos of the Brandenburg Gate, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (note not a “holocaust” memorial), that hot air balloon by the Topography of Terror, which is almost 2 miles away – look how high it goes!) and other various and sundry Berlin points of interest.

Reich Walk complete. Yes, there are some things we didn’t see, but we’re good. It’s hot.  Really hot. And we are good with calling it a day.  Off to the Metro we go, stopping at Lidl for some dinner supplies, then back to the hotel for a drink in the Upside-Down bar before retiring to our room for packing, organizing and a light dinner.  Road trip begins tomorrow.