Of Brave Knights and Heroic Courage: Seven People On One Bike?

With only a few days left before Dr. Voice heads back to University, we were anxious to see many of the sites in Berlin. We will circle back to Germany on our spring itinerary when we study more in depth the wars and the reformation, but for now we had a day to catch some highlights.

Our first stop, Checkpoint Charlie.

The people here describe how almost overnight a fence went up separating East and West Berlin/Germany. In time, that fence became the Berlin Wall. It was so unexpected that families did not have time to prepare. Many were separated. Those who ended up in the East could receive visitors, but could not leave for any reason. Those who were in the West had their own problems. In this case, East/West was a bit of a misnomer as East Berlin nearly surrounded West Berlin.

Checkpoint Charlie was the funnel exit/entrance into West Berlin.

At times, even this point was so restricted that air drops of food had to be made to those in West Berlin as transport was totally restricted.

From Checkpoint Charlie we headed toward the Brandenburg Gate. There we spied this amazing contraption. Why walk when you can peddle - together?! 6 peddlers plus a driver - not shown - made for a fun adventure through the sites with a great guide.

Brandenburg Gate

This gate has seen many struggles, including being inaccesible next to the Berlin Wall for many years. Many view this gate as a symbol of freedom and peace.

The Berlin Wall is in the backdrop here. An exhibit entitled, The Topography of Terror is also shown. On this day, the outside exhibit detailed the struggles of Poland, particularly Warsaw, as it was caught in the strife and wars. We watched an aerial movie that depicted Warsaw before the bombings and then after. Very sobering.

The inside exhibit here is a permanent exhibit of the Holocaust.

Remarkable and horrifying in its detail. The entire exhibit did as was intended, it left us thoughtful and sad, and grateful and determined.