Europe Video: Brussels to Berlin

I have finally made time to go through some of the video we took in Europe last year. This is only the beginning and I have so much more to do, but I am FINALLY motivated and ready. 

Europe 2015: Brussels to Berlin from A.Russ on Vimeo.

Berlin, Germany

As you might have noticed during our trip we did not stay in one place for very long. Berlin was no exception. We only spent one night in the city. So, after dropping off our bag at the apartment we were out exploring the city. We wanted to hit all the main WWII sights, cool government buildings, and of course museums. Berlin reminds me of New York with the new and old, art and music all combining to make a fun a lively city. So we bought a map and starting walking. Walking around Berlin is interesting because you see parts of the Berlin wall everywhere, outside malls, in public parks, crossing through grave yards. Most pieces have been made into art by graffiti, but others, outside of museums have been preserved. Another interesting thing about Berlin is there are large pink and blue above ground pipes running through the city. Some say it is because of the high water levels in Berlin, and others say that this was the quickest way to get water and waste in and out of he city after the wall fell. Either way it is still interesting.

 Our first stop was Check Point Charley, which was a well known crossing point between East to West Berlin. The place was kind of like Niagara Falls, except instead of documenting all the ways people have tried going off the falls, it was of all in inventive ways people would try to escape East Berlin. It is profound to think that the way of life was dramatically different, and families were split by a wall. 


Instead of stopping for lunch we snacked on bread, pretzels and chocolate along the street. The Ritter chocolate was definitely one of our favorite stops. There we each made a personalized chocolate bar and bought pounds of amazing chocolate for super cheep. If we had brought more than just backpacks we surely would have filled our luggage full of the stuff.





We then made our way to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. There we pondered and mourned all the lives lost during Hitler's rule. The memorial is simple, yet powerful. And for such a crowded city it takes up a good amount of space. With concrete pillars the dimensions of a grave. One could easily get lost in the maze like layout. Some visitors were thoughtful enough to bring flowers. The memorial has no explanation for its symbolism. Which I kind of like, it leaves each visitor to their own interpretation. 

^^ saw this while walking the streets...

As day turned to night we made our way to the Reichstag building, which after a long history is now the meeting place of the German Parliament. The building is unique because of its glass dome which visitors can get a 360 view of Berlin. There is normally a long line and wait to scale the building, but with Lizzy all waiting was adverted and they lead us to the front of the line. Many said bringing a baby on this Europe trip would slow us down, but in some cases we got a lot of "special" treatment.

For dinner we asked some workers at the Reichstage building where to go and what to order. Three locals said that Schweinshaxe was their favorite traditional dish, but we could not leave Germany without trying Wiener Schnitzel as well. This is also where Lizzy seemed to take a true interest in what we were eating. Till then we had not really fed her solid food, but after that dinner we became more generous and letting her try most everything we ate.

After dinner we purposefully waited till after sunset to make our way back to the apartment. I really wanted to see and get pictures of the Brandenburg Gate at night. I mean, can you blame me?

The next day we had planned to spend time at Museum Island. Yet, due to construction/time of day all the museums were closed. So instead we went to the Topography of Terror, which is located at the former Gestapo Headquarters. It was a lot like the American War Crimes Museum we visited in Vietnam, but instead of being anti American it was anti Nazism. Makes me think how history is portrayed out of the eye of those who win the war. 

It was interesting as we walked through the museum and other historical parts of the city, we could spot school groups taking notes and learning about the history that took place in these locations. Seeing as we study and hear a lot about WWII in the United States, the history in Berlin intrigued me more than any other place I have visited.

Before leaving Germany we took a little driving tour deeper into East Berlin. After leaving the city center there was a clear change into Soviet architecture, and art. Over the years after the Berlin wall fell you can see that porches and color has been added to what used to be simple apartment buildings, giving the place a lot more life. But other parts look like they came right out of a history book. 

After we were satisfied with our time in Berlin we took our trip south to the Czech Republic. 

Quedlinburg, Germany

On our tour we wanted to stop in places other than the most popular cities of Europe. Having a car made this desire possible. So between Amsterdam and Berlin, we stopped in Quedlinburg, Germany. After filling our car with fresh baked goods from the center of Amsterdam, we were on our way. 

Driving through Germany was such an experience. Truly the German landscape looks like it comes right out of a story book. With the rolling hills, trees, houses, castles, church steeples and town centers that fill the landscape. However the drive could go from fairy tale to James Bond at any moment. Seeing as we took the autobahn (where there is no speed limit most the time) most the drive we were flying down the road, pushing our small economy car as fast as it would go. We spent most the time going between 85-95 mph, but Blake got it to max out at 105mph. However it was not uncommon to have a Ferrari or similar car pass us on the left so fast it gave us a buzz. It was all scary and thrilling at the same time. I imagined the autobahn to be madness without speed limits, but by following the rule of slow car to the right, fast to the left, it was pretty smooth. 

At around lunch time we randomly stopped in a town to find food. It was to be Mother’s day (for my first mothers day I got to celebrate it twice) in Germany the following day so the bakeries and shops were filled with Mutter written everywhere. We quickly saw that there was no English translation on anything, we were right where we wanted to be. For lunch we stopped at a wurst stand and got what everyone else seemed to be eating. Wurst with mustard and fries. I was never a mustard fan, but after Germany and Switzerland where mustard seemed to be put on everything, I have found a liking for it. 

The second part of our drive was through fields and fields that seemed to be painted yellow with flowers. You could see their vibrant colors as far as the eye could see at some points. Not knowing if we would get the chance again, and seeing as these fields were so beautiful we could not help but park the car on the edge of the autobahn, jump a fence, and see them up close and personal. 

Little did we know, Quedlinburg would be surrounded with what we latter learned were Canola fields. 

Quedlinburg itself is like walking through Disney’s Fantasyland. The narrow cobblestone streets, lined by small crooked timbered houses with small crooked doors, and in the center of town a medieval castle. We spent our time walking the streets, people watching as locals went about doing daily chores, and ducking into bakeries (any chance to eat home baked breads and sweets). There is really nothing else there to do but enjoy the peaceful atmosphere and eat. However we were surprised, but not disappointed to find few tourist and even fewer locals who spoke English. We really felt like we found a German only vacation spot in the Harz foothills.  

^^ The view from our apartment^^

^^ Notice how small the doors are compared to Blake.^^

^^ We found this little seafood place and had the most amazing dinner. Quedlinburg seemed to serve a lot of seafood even though it is not by the sea... not sure why, but it was good. 

^^In most of the pictures you can't see how crooked the houses are, but in this one you can see how they lean on each other. 

Lizzy was a hit the whole trip, with people wanting to take pictures of her everywhere we went. But with her sunglasses on her popularity grew exponentially. 

We loved our time in Quedlinburg and Highly recommend stopping by if you’re in the area. It is a perfect place to get away from everything and enjoy the simple life.