Berlin, Day 10

A section of the Berlin Wall.

1. Rode all around the city today, wow is it ever big and spead out. The architecture is absoluely amazing, so much of it by famous architects of the last 50 years doing things that for their time are so new and innovative and creative. Love it

2. Went to several Christmas Markets, it seems like each neighborhood has its own and they all sell food and crafts but each is a little different. Saw some things I wish I'd bought...a hanging latern of stained glass lit from inside with a tea light, a paper mache mobile of fish and sharks, brightly colored. They were dismantling the Christmas Markets by last night, though...it's not like the US where they milk every possible retail opportunity for as long as possible

3. Spent some time at Checkpoint Charlie and the museum associated with it. Lots of stories of people trying to escape. The whole place made my husband mad--actually the part about children being allowed to drown in the river because those who could rescue them were afraid of getting shot by the border guards is the part that really made him mad. I don't understand how the regime in charge can think they are doing the right thing if so many people desperately want to leave...

4. They don't sand or salt the sidewalks here to keep you from slipping, they put down irregular black pebbles the size of peas. Have not slipped once

5. The Holocaust Memorial here is amazing and sobering, essentially a field of black rock slabs of different heights (some over head high) that you can walk in amongst. They're like gravestones for a mass grave. Makes you feel like you've been shrunk down and put beside a giant graveyard. I don't understand how something like the Holocaust could happen. Truly don't understand how people can do such things to each other