Dad and I connected easily yesterday at Tegel Airport, and we then journeyed to our hotel taking about an hour. Our hotel is a bit out from the center, but it is right on a tram line. In that hour, I don't think dad said more than 5 words, and I have never seen him more tired. So, after checking in, I let him sleep for a few hours. In the afternoon, I got him up and we did a thorough guided walking tour of the city. We hit just about all the big places, from Alexander Platz down Unter den Linden through the Tiergarten and Potsdamer Platz. We walked through the memorials scattered around Berlin and also visited the wall, Brandenburg Gate, and other sights. I introduced him to the finest of German fast food: Doner Kababs and Currywurst. He loved both. He highlight was probably our sunset/night tour of the Reichstag and its shining new dome. This is basically where the German parliament meets, and it has a lot of historical significance from around WWII.
Today we really took an in depth look at some of the museums and sights around Berlin. (Opera resumes, rest written on the next morning train to Dresden). We spent significant time visiting The Topography of Terror Museum complex, Checkpoint Charlie and its museum, and Museum Island (like a German Smithsonian). Dad seemed to really enjoy it all. For me, i have had 4 weeks of German history, so I had to remind myself that it was all new to dad. The pace has been rather leisurely thus far with dad, rather than the "do and see as much as possible from sun up to midnight" pace that I have had for the past 3.5 weeks. He didn't really want to do the opera, and while I would have made Andrew or mom go see this "cultural experience", I took it easy on dad as he preferred to back to the hotel and rest. No worries, he is going to a Bach concert tomorrow for a little cultural experience!
I introduced him to a few more essential foods. Yesterday we had gelato. He protested it at first, but then he was blown away by it. He couldn't believe how real the fruit flavors tasted. I also got him some fantastic German chocolates...again with a protest. Again he loved it. We had our first nice meal at a great place serving up traditional Berlin food. I had a Berlin wurst, sauerkraut, potatoes, and Vegetables, while dad had a heaping smoked salmon salad washed down with apple wine.
Dad seems to be having a great time, which means I am having a great time. One of my main goals is to show dad how easy it is to do European travel, and to show him how much cheaper it can be doing it outside of a tour. The hope is that he will be encouraged to travel more in retirement. (You probably guessed, mom is a big proponent of this and of dads time over here with me for these reasons). A few of the things that he has done that would normally be intimidating are:
He has successfully navigated the Berlin U-bahn (subways), s-bahn (commuter trains), trams, and busses. These are some of the most complex transit systems I have used over here. I even put him on a tram last night and let him get himself back to the hotel. Now, he is seeing how easy it is to navigate the trains, although this is possibly the most full train I have been on. This morning brought more learning experiences for him, as we bought breakfast at a German grocery store (cheap and healthy). He also was great getting around Berlin on foot, and now I have him reading the guidebook on how to see Dresden. He is taking ownership of the trip, which is great!
We ended our time in Berlin in a great way; by eating Berliners--famous from President Kennedy's "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech. This can mean two things: the obvious or "I am a jelly doughnut". Once again, dad protested the jelly doughnut, but then really liked it. You can probably see the trend... :)
Here is the opera review, and the normal rules apply. Skip it if you really don't care about opera! This was the concert premiere of Il Trovatore at Deutsche Oper, and it was a VERY high demand ticket. There were lots of folks looking to buy, and not anyone selling. Together, it was some finest collective singing I have ever heard. The principle soprano, mezzo, tenor, and baritone were all just fabulous, and I had a ticket where I could just bask in the glory of their voices. It was a concert version, which further allowed you to hear just how magnificent the singing was. Much of it was fantastically musical and tender, and the singers did plenty of acting. I have never seen a conductor jump so much or awkwardly contort himself more. Constantly jumping and doing terrible dances on the podium. While the audience went ballistic for the singers, they booed the conductor!!!! I was astonished! Welcome to European opera...
We are just arriving in Dresden! Much to do, about a day to do it!
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