Even though we've been back for two weeks now I should finish up our final day of the trip . . . well, other than the horrific day of travel that was the final day.
I think we were both feeling a bit melancholy. It had been a relaxing two weeks away and neither one of us wanted it to end. On top of that we were both still drained from whatever cold/virus we fought while in Europe. There was lots that we had not seen yet but nothing that we'd regret if we left without seeing it . . . there are always more trips.
Paul decided that he wanted to see Checkpoint Charlie.
Before heading out we stopped into the cafe just down the street from the apartment for a bite to eat and a good coffee.
(I loved how the outdoor cafes in both Krakow and Berlin came with blankets on the back of the chair in case you were cold)
We wandered through the park where they were setting up for some sort of market.
On our first day we had walked past the church of the resistance (as it is commonly known) but had not stopped and 'investigated' it more.
The church owes its existence to a failed assassination. In 1861, Kaiser Wilhelm I, grateful for having survived an attempt on his life, donated funds to build a new votive church. After a number of arguments between various authorities, work began in 1866. At what was then the highest point in Berlin, a church was built with a brick and terracotta façade.
In the Second World War, bombs destroyed the roof, the organ, the altar and the choir windows. At the end of the war, Berliners looted the church in search of firewood. Later damage to the roof was not repaired, which meant that church was in a very poor state for a long time. Restoration began at the end of the 1980s, beginning with the roof, and later continuing in the interior.
In the mid-1980s, opposition groups such as the “Zion’s Church Peace and Environmental Circle” began meeting in the basement of the church. It was also where they hid the “Umwelt-Bibliothek” (Environmental Library), containing officially prohibited books and magazines on environmental and human rights topics. Following a raid, the Stasi arrested some of the members, which only brought the group to wider attention. Supporters held vigils and the events were closely reported in the Western media. The arrested members were soon released and the group gained great popularity, becoming a driving force in the civic movement that led to the end of the GDR.
We took a different transit line to Checkpoint Charlie and never got lost . . . I must say, once you get the hang og the Berlin transit it is pretty fabulous.
The name Checkpoint Charlie comes from the NATO phonetic alphabet (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie). After the border crossings at Helmstedt-Marienborn (Alpha) and Dreilinden-Drewitz (Bravo), Checkpoint Charlie was the third checkpoint opened by the Allies in and around Berlin.
It became the most famous crossing point between East and West Germany. On 22 September 1961, Allied guards began registering members of the American, British and French forces before trips to East Berlin and foreign tourists could find out about their stay there. Once the checkpoint was designated a crossing point for members of the Allied armed forces, a month later in October 1961 it became the scene of a tank confrontation. American and Soviet tanks took up position and faced each other with weapons primed.
Checkpoint Charlie was not only an important Cold War site, but also witnessed numerous attempts to escape from East Berlin. An open air exhibition on the corner of Schützenstraße and Zimmerstraße tells the story of those that failed and those that succeeded. An installation by the artist Frank Thiel and a commemorative plate also mark the memorial.
I was disappointed to see that the wonderful outdoor exhibit of painted pieces of the Berlin Wall was no longer there. It ad been replaced by Berlin's main Currywurst stand.
Of course we had to indulge.
From Checkpoint Charlie we wandered back to the Gendarmenmarkt where we caught a train back 'home'.
We both napped for a bit and though about our packing chore ahead of us.
The weather was nice when we woke so it seemed like a good time to visit the wine bar around the corner from the apartment.
It was cool just watching the comings and goings of the neighbourhood on a Friday evening.
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After a few glasses of wine it was time to head back to the apartment and start the depressing task of packing. At least the sun put on a show for our last night . . .
