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Cruise line reviews of our vacation on Holland America's Oosterdam

Berlin wall Germany - Photos of the Berlin wall and Checkpoint Charlie on our Baltic Cruise


Oosterdam Cruise - Day 5 - Pictures of Berlin

Our ship docked in Warnemunde Germany at 6:00 a.m..  We had booked an excursion to see Berlin by bus, and at around 6:30 we left the ship and walked a few hundred yards to a train chartered for our tour. Kathy and I were 10 years old when the Berlin wall was put up, so we were quite excited to have a chance to see for ourselves check-point Charlie, and what was left of the wall.

We had a two and a half hour train ride to Berlin.  The train cars were arraigned in compartments, each compartment holding 6 persons.  I had planned on taking lots of pictures of the German country side, but the window was very dirty, and the train seemed to spend a great deal of time between either dirt levies or dense forest, so very few pictures of the country side were taken.

The train had a kind of diner car where you could order a beer or coffee, and you could smoke there too.  Kathy and I made a few trips to the diner car for a smoke and a beer. We had a guide named Birte who got us from the ship to Berlin and back.  We thought Birte was wonderful. She had an adorable personality and we enjoyed talking to her on the train.

Berlin was quite a revelation and our tour guide was very very good.  She always kept us informed if we were in the old East Berlin or the old West Berlin. Everything that was new since "Re-unifications" was pointed out and it is absolutely amazing how much they have accomplished.

We had lunch at the Speignbergen Hotel and it was quite nice and then had some time to stroll the Kurfustendam and window shop since it was Sunday and everything was closed.

A long day but a really interesting one... Here are a few pictures.

 
Picture in Berlin Germany
The "Ugly Tower" or the central TV Tower.
picture boarding train for berlin
Boarding the train for Berlin.
picture of The Bar / Coffee / Smoking car on the train to Berlin
The Bar/Coffee/Smoking car.

 

picture of the train station in Berlin
The train station in Berlin.
Cruise review Oosterdam - Berlin Germany
Briete - our escort what a sweetie.
Berlin Germany - pictures of huge apartment buildings.
Apartments in Berlin.

 

Picture of German Church
A church .. there were so many I will have to look up the name later.
Canal pictures in Berlin
Canals were all over town.
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More of the canals.
picture of french church in Berlin
French Church in Berlin.
Gendamarket Square
Gendamarket Square. 
Picture of Bill with one foot in east Berlin and one foot in West Berlin
Bill - One leg in the east one in the west.
picture of marker indicating where Checkpoint Charlie used to be located in West Berlin
The Checkpoint Charlie marker - looking from West Berlin.
photo of sign at Checkpoint Charlie
The sign at checkpoint Charlie - no firearms past this point.

 

picture of Checkpoint Charlie guardhouse in Berlin Germany
Kathy at the guardhouse at Checkpoint Charlie.
photo of guardhouse at Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin
Bill at the other end of the Guardhouse.
Picture of tlhe famous Bradenburg Gate and a Giant Soccer ball.
The Brandenburg Gate - with a giant soccer ball .. promoting the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

 

picture - Peace goddess above Brandenburg Gate.
Peace goddess above Brandenburg Gate.
Brandenburg Gate photos and pictures
Brandenburg Gate.
picture of the hotel wher Michael Jackson dangled his son from the window
Hotel Where Michael Jackson dangled the kid from the balcony.
picture of bear statues
"Buddy Bears" 123 nations painted a bear each .. will tour for Unicef.
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Kathy the the US Liberty Bear.
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Bill with the Einstein Bear.
 

 

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German China town?
picture of old church damaged in world war II
This church was damaged and stands as a memorial.
Damaged church World War II Berlin
Another view of the damaged church.

 

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Street scene - Berlin.
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People really drive these cars.
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Birte again.
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The final piece of the wall that still stands.
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Lots of gold on the steeples.
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Reichstag Building - now the German Parliament.

 

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Above ground pipes - to drain away ground water.
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Charlotte's Palace.
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New buildings since re-unification.

 

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Part of new city - built since re-unification.
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McDonalds in the old East Berlin.
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Waiting for a train.