A Good Monday Political Tour in Berlin

August 31st, 2010 | By Kelly Hayes-Raitt | No Comments »

• Mauermuseum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie (www.mauermuseum.de)is an exhausting, cramped tour of artifacts relating to the Wall (the Mauer), to its guards and to East Berliners who crossed it illegally. There is little historical or political context to the exhibits, so visit the informative display of murals on Zimmerstrasse, just outside and to the right of the museum. Displaying photos and history (in English, too), the large panels are the size of the Wall and run the Wall’s former course.

(more…)

Berlin: What I’d Have Done Differently

August 31st, 2010 | By Kelly Hayes-Raitt | No Comments »

It’s hard to imagine that only 25 years ago, this city was cut in half. The scar has healed nearly completely and I wish in my wanderings I’d been more attuned to the former laceration to be able to notice the Wall’s vestiges.

Had I visited the Topography of Terror exhibition (www.topographie.de), Checkpoint Charlie and the Checkpoint Charlie Museum (www.mauermuseum.de) before traipsing around the city, I would have had a deeper appreciation of Berlin and it’s not-so-distant history.

Tourist Tip-Off: Berliners don’t jaywalk. Even in the rain with no traffic in sight, they wait patiently for the little green Go-Man.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *