Berlin

We took a short flight from Munich to Berlin -- it necessitated a somewhat early wake up and hurried breakfast, which was a shame because it was another delicious German buffet spread. This hotel in Munich was one of our favorites, in part because it was so unexpected. The design was really cool, very nautical, and the location seemed perfect for lounging and enjoying the area. But off we went, with an uneventful (if delayed) flight, and then an hour-long train/subway ride to get to our hotel.

We walked right by Checkpoint Charlie on the way, and that started a conversation with both kids about the Berlin Wall, and the Cold War, and WWII, and the war to end all wars. We checked into our apartment, which looks nice, but has all of these inconvenient touches: the beds touch both walls, so you have to crawl over the person to get in or out; the fridge is so small and has so much attached plastic shaping that you can't fit anything; there are untold light switches so we can't figure out how to turn anything off or on; the portable AC unit has a vent fan that goes out a wide-open window.

At this point we were starving, having once again missed lunch, so we went to a local Turkish place for an amazing mezze spread, lamb rib chops, grilled chicken, and more. Thus restored we walked to the German Espionage museum, and had a fantastic time viewing the collection of spy objects, films, and photos, reading about spying through history, and trying out some hands-on exhibits. We decoded things; we listened to radio traffic; we found listening bugs in a room; we tried to read lips; we attempted a laser maze. It was a fantastic little place.

After that, we wandered some more -- to Potsdamer Platz, past a memorial to Jewish victims of WWII, to the Brandenburg Gate, to the Reichstag. Everyone was a little tired and thirsty and hot, and Berlin felt hard to figure out, so we retreated back home to rest, get takeout Italian food, and recommence tomorrow.