Hello everyone.
After a long overseas flight and a change of planes in Paris, we finally arrived safe and sound at our hotel in Berlin, although a couple of our suitcases did not. (We hope those two bags will be delivered to the hotel on Wednesday.) Following a quick lunch near the hotel, we made our way to one of the most famous avenues in Berlin, the Kurfürstendamm, for some first impressions of the city. This beautiful boulevard–lined with shops, luxury boutiques, hotels, cafes and residences–was the leading commercial street in West Berlin during the Cold War period. While on the Ku’damm, the group took some time to visit the ruins of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, which was badly bombed during World War II and now stands as a tribute to peace and reconciliation. We then enjoyed some free time for shopping and exploring before regathering as a group at the Kaufhaus des Westens, or KaDeWe, the second largest department store in Europe (after Harrod’s in London). There, we had an early dinner at the store’s famous food hall, which has a huge glass winter garden overlooking the historic Wittenbergplatz. Bodies tired and bellies full, we headed back to the hotel for some much-needed sleep. Tomorrow our adventures will begin in earnest, starting with a visit to the historic government district of the city .
For now all the best from sunny and hot Berlin!
~Frau Greene
Beautiful! The food hall looks like fun– I see a lot of empty plates and happy faces!
Thank you for initiating such a detailed account of the class adventures, Frau Greene! Looking closely, it’s easy to see the wanderlust in those vibrant faces.
Cheers!