25 Oct '05 - + 26 - 13 Hamburg, Berlin, and Bremen
My parents left this morning after having spent a week with us.
It was great to see them, to catch up on stories, to play Pinochle with
them, and to get their help carrying things back to the States.
While they were here, we showed them three cities: Hamburg, Berlin, and
Bremen.
It's just a co-incidence that the cities that they visited are the
three city-states in Germany. We saw Hamburg because we live
here, Berlin because my parents really wanted to visit the flashpoint
of the Cold War, and Bremen to see the
Freimarkt, the closest equivalent to a big Oktoberfest in northern Germany.
We spent almost half their time here in Berlin. It was a great
visit that meant a lot to both of my parents. My Dad was most
moved by the
Checkpoint Charlie
museum, with the memories of the Cold War and the fight for freedom
hitting home. For my Mom, the biggest thrill was probably seeing
a Giant Panda at the zoo. She's a huge fanatic for pandas (there
are hundreds of stuffed Pandas in one room of the house), and we spent
a lot of time looking at one of the Panda's at Berlin's zoo.
Into the Parliament Chamber at the Reichstag
The Surreal Ramps and Mirrors of the Reichstag Dome
Charlottenburg Palace
Panda at the Berlin Zoo
My Mom and her Friend, the Panda
We went to Bremen to see the Freimarkt, but that turned out to be the
least interesting part of the trip. Essentially, the Freimarkt is
like the midway of any large American fair, with a lot more sausage,
beer, and Döner Kebabs.
Fortunately, the Freimarkt brought along with it the Historischer
Markt, a smaller gathering of more traditional food and crafts in the
main town square (the Freimarkt was in a big parking lot on the other
side of the train station). We really enjoyed the Historischer
Markt, with the woodworking, metalworking, food, and mulled wine.
Especially the mulled wine. We had lots of mulled wine.
Especially with added Amaretto.
Other than that, we walked around the old city quite a bit. This
was really nice for my parents, because they'd never been to Germany
before, and Hamburg and Berlin don't have much of the "cute
half-timbered houses surrounding a brick Gothic church" feel that is so
common in the rest of Germany.
The Ubiquitous Bremen Town Musicians
The Roland Statue in front of the Town Hall
The Historischer Markt
The Great Hall in the Town Hall
One of Four Model Ships in the Town Hall
The Rainy Roofs of the Historischer Markt
Only one comment:
Great idea to share your trip/visit with others! Keith & I enjoyed it. Thanks!
Maryann McGee (email) - 07 November '05 - 18:13
