Berlin

The Frau and I spent a week in Berlin so she could research at the German National Archives.  My last visit to Berlin included a trip over the "Wall" into what was then East Berlin.  That was in 1987.  Since that time Germany has undergone reunification and Berlin is a different city.  Our first impression of the "New Berlin" was our hotel room.  Upon arrival the proprietors exclaimed "Ahhh, die Amerikaner sind hier!" (Oh! The Americans are here!) and showed us to our room.  The room looked like something from old Las Vegas!  It was painted a dark burgundy red and had large chairs with a leopard skin pattern.  There was even a chandelier over the bed.  At least we had a good Wi-fi connection!

Our hotel room in Berlin

The leopard skin chairs

Our first full day in Berlin we did the tourist thing.  We went to the Brandenburg Gate and visited the sites downtown.  Unfortunately the weather was not good, grey skies and drizzle.

The Brandenburg Gate

On my last visit to Berlin the Brandenburg Gate was in "no man's land"  within the border area.  Now people walk freely around, through and under the gate without fear of being shot.

We spent the entire day just walking and seeing the sites.  Below are some photographs of the sites of Berlin.

Memorial to those killed trying to escape East Berlin over the Wall.

The Reichstag in Berlin

The Siegessäule

View of the Fehrnsehturm from Alexanderplatz.  This was in East Berlin the last time I visited.

Monument to the Russian soldiers that liberated Berlin at the end of WWII

The monument to Marx and Engels is still there!

A portion of the Wall that was left standing as a memorial

The old Checkpoint Charlie

The "good ol' days"

These are just some of the impressions and sites in Berlin.  There are still many renovation projects going on in the former east.  Sometimes it seemed like the city was being totally rebuilt.  I also visited the German Photography Museum and saw an exhibit on Helmut Newton.  He was a fashion photographer in the latter half of the 20th century and not really my cup of tea.  I lean more toward photo-journalistic and "National Geographic" style of photography.  But, it was interesting none the less.

While in Berlin I also was privileged to visit two Masonic lodges. My wife's cousin is a 33rd degree Freemason (I am only a 32nd degree) and he introduced me to the Masonic circles of the city.  There are two types of lodges in Germany, the Humanitarian and the Christian lodges.  These names do not really describe the differences in the lodges, but it is the names the Germans use.  The Humanitarian lodge I visited in Berlin was the Friedrich Ludwig Schroeder Lodge, No. 506.  This meeting was a "Vortrag Abend" (Lecture Evening) and we heard a lecture on the current "moral code" in Germany.  This was an informal evening and the discussion after the lecture became quite lively.  Being and American, I stayed clear of the fray!
The next evening I visited the Zum goldenen Schiff Lodge, No. 68.  This was the induction of a new member and therefore I cannot say much about what occurred during the proceedings.  It was much different that on my US lodge!  Zum goldenen Schiff is a Christian lodge that follows the Swedish form.  This is very formal.  I was wearing my tuxedo with black tie and white gloves and I was under dressed.  Here it was white tie with top hat.  It was very strange to me, but also very enlightening.  These fellows take their Masonry serious!

When I was stationed in Germany in the 1970's I was a member of the Army Security Agency and was assigned to Field Station Augsburg.  We worked closely with the Field Station in Berlin.  I never was able to visit the Field Station in Berlin while it was in operation.  It still exists (in ruins) and I decided to make the trip to the old site.  It is totally in ruins and covered with graffiti.  To think that while it was in operation it was a state of the art facility made me sad to see it in this condition.  But, it was not the buildings that I thought of while here.  It was the people.  We were the front lines of military intelligence during the Cold War.  We had a job to do, and we were excellent at it.  Even today I cannot say much about what I did, but I am proud of it!

The guard shack at the entrance to Field Station Berlin

The ruins of Field Station Berlin

Graffiti covered almost everything

The "golf balls" that covered the antennas

Field Station Berlin (Teufelsberg) from a distance

Next week we are planning on traveling to Dresden and then on to Prague in the Czech Republic.  I do not know if I will be able to post on the road or if I will have to wait until we return to Hamburg.  Check back for more of the continuing travels of Kurt!