Day 18. Berlin Day Tour.

Berlin is one those capital cities that is often on the TV.   I wanted to see it for myself.   The big attraction for me was the Berlin Wall.   This 150 km long wall was built in 1961 to  keep the eastern Berliners’ in the east.   At the end of WWII, Berlin was carved up into 4 main regions: Russian, American, French and British.   By 1961, some 2.7 million people had defected from the east to the west, mainly via West Berlin.   Thus the wall.   It was political will that caused the wall to be built originally, and many years later, the pressure on politicians by the people caused it to be pulled down in 1989.

At the museum near the last remaining section of the Wall, it told the story in pictures and words of the Nazi rise to power in 1932, its eventual demise in 1945, and the building and demolition of the Wall.   A long and fascinating read.   Events like WWII and the erection and destruction of the Berlin Wall take many years to occur.   It didn’t all just happen one night around the dinner table.

I did the normal city tour as well.   It was OK.   The old and the new political buildings are most interesting in design.   Berlin also has an extensive underground rail system, so I learned how to purchase a day tourist ticket and went for a ride.   I love these engineering marvels.

I’m not sure why I had an Indian dinner and the Bombay Restaurant, last night.   Probably because it had just started to rain, again, and it looked cheerful and inviting.   It was delicious and with no chilli.

I have just had a steak and pint of Guiness at the Irish Pub across the road.  Couldn't find a German Restaurant close by.

I am now packing and preparing for the next leg of the journey.   About 3,000 kms to go.

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