Let’s continue our journey where we left off.
Second Stop: Berlin
Yes, it is possible to visit Germany’s capital in one day…a half day to be exact. We took an early morning train from Hamburg to Berlin and hit the ground running.
Reichstag Building
Our first stop in Berlin was the Reichstag Building, the meeting place of the German Parliament. We snapped a few photos from the vast green space in front of this historic building before continuing on our high speed journey by foot.
Brandenburg Gate
Next up was the famous Brandenburg Gate. This 18th century monument once symbolized the division of Germany, and now signifies peace and unity. It truly is an iconic landmark.
Holocaust Memorial
After cuddling up to Berlin’s original Capital Bear, we took some time to reflect at the Holocaust Memorial. Consisting of over 2,000 concrete slabs of varying heights, this open-air memorial is a powerful place of remembrance and reflection.
Checkpoint Charlie
We ventured further into the city and made our way to Checkpoint Charlie, which btw is not a person. It’s the name that was given to the best crossing point between East and West Berlin during the Cold War.
On our way to lunch, we admired some of Berlin’s beautiful buildings and took advantage of the Instagrammable stairs leading up to Konzerthaus Berlin.
Although we were in a slight time crunch, we still made time for a relaxing sit-down lunch complete with oysters, schnitzel and wine. Ryan got to enjoy 5x more oysters than he had in Zurich. 😉
Museum Island
Our next destination was Museum Island, an area surrounded by the River Spree and home to five different museums. The Berlin Cathedral is also located here.
We loved Berlin so much that we even bought a puzzle of the Bode-Museum to recreate the moment. Unfortunately it wouldn’t fit in our suitcase so we left it in Wiesbaden for the next tenants to enjoy.
After walking all throughout Berlin in such a short period of time, we were craving something sweet. Luckily we stumbled across a cute little ice cream shop that had a modern, hipster feel.
Berlin Wall Memorial
Our last stop before leaving Berlin was the Berlin Wall Memorial. Crazy that the wall was still standing just over 30 years ago. It was such a humbling experience to see this historic memorial that impacted the lives of so many Germans and changed the course of history.
Our trip to Berlin was coming to a close but little did we know, our journey was not yet over.
We kept hearing about a strong storm that was hitting most of Europe but didn’t think much of it…until our train came to a halt. We were still 3 hours away from Wiesbaden (our temporary home in Germany) on the windiest day of the year.
Travel delays and cancellations were happening all throughout Europe so it was only a matter of time until our plans were affected too. An announcement came through the loud speaker (only in German of course) but we knew exactly what was going on based on the other passengers’ facial expressions. Our train was cancelled and we would have to stay overnight in Erfurt.
Erfurt
We had never heard of this city before and were afraid we were stuck in the middle of nowhere. I called my parents to share the news and was surprised to learn that my dad had been to Erfurt before.
We checked into a Best Western, grabbed dinner at Willy B. (apparently a hot spot in Erfurt) and hopped in bed to binge watch Blacklist. All trains were still canceled the next morning so I convinced Ryan to walk around the city for a bit.
The wind was very strong so we ran into the nearest building for shelter. It just so happened to be a cute boutique so I got to enjoy a spontaneous shopping spree. 🙂
We were delighted to discover how charming Erfurt was. Beautiful architecture, colorful buildings, and cobblestone streets filled every inch of the city.
Trains were back up and running in the early afternoon so we headed back to Wiesbaden. Only problem was that there were no available seats due to the travel disruptions caused by the storm.
It wasn’t an ideal way to end our weekend trip, but it certainly was an adventure!
xoxo,
The Reagles
Reagles in Reality 
Love reading about another adventure. It was especially fun to read now because all of our travel plans are on hold. You helped give me a trip even though I’m sitting in my kitchen.
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Excellent job
Berlin is a great city with much history (both good and bad) and you saw a lot in such a short time. Your descriptions and pics were spot on. The forced stop over in Erfurt was unexpected but certainly very rewarding as conveyed through your spectacular narrative and photos.
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The second installment of the Reagles in Germany didn’t disappoint! A variety of colorful, historic, and somber places to keep the mind’s eye transfixed. Glad the Reagles made it back with these memories in tact so we can share them with you! Auf Wiedersehen!
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