Discovering My Family History

First of all, I have to say Berlin is growing on me.  I still don't love Germany but I think higher of Berlin than I did on day one.  The weather has been fantastic (knock on wood).  Blue skies every day!  When I walk I get too heated to wear my jacket!  I have been beyond blessed with weather on this trip.  I think it only rained 2 days on my entire trip.

I also have to say how attractive the German young men are.  In a past post I wrote that European men are ugly, but that excludes the Germans.  They serve as nice eye candy on the underground.

Speaking of eye candy, yesterday I started my day with a trip to KaDeWe, a huge department store.  On the 6th floor is a food court like nothing I had ever seen before.  It was the most upscale eatery; for as far as the eyes could see in every direction was gourmet food!  Chocolate!  Pastries!  Cheese!  Etc!  Etc!  Etc!  I chose an asian cuisine solely based on the fact that their menu had an english section.  It was very yummy though and I watched the chef make it in front of me.  All the stands were set up so that the food consumer sits at a counter and the food is cooked behind the counter.  I picked a dark chocolate truffle from a Parisian chocolate company and was so impressed I ended up buying a chocolate bar too.

After my tummy was full I began my family history tour.  Before I left LA, my dad made me a personalized walking tour with detailed maps!  I brought the maps with me and started my tour...

My family history tour: 

This is in the Tiergarten, the huge park in Berlin.  I can imagine its beauty in summer/spring.

Altonaer Strasse is the street my grandma walked to Tiergarten from her house.

Bartningallee is the street where my grandma used to live.

Around here is where my grandma's house used to be.

These are memorials for my great great grandmother and great great aunts.  They are in front of houses where Jews were deported.  I found this very emotional.

Notice the trees in a line?  An elderly lady saw me staring at the plaques above which are in front of these trees.  She started talking to me and told me the neighborhood used to look completely different.  She showed me these trees and told me there used to be a road that went through them! 

This is the bakery my grandma's family used to go to.  My dad insisted I eat cake while I was here.... so upon his orders I had a marzipan chocolate cake!!!

This river runs through my grandma's old neighborhood.  I think this is the prettiest part of Berlin.

This is the bridge my grandma used to walk across with her sister. 

Another photo of the river... with a doggie!

This is my grandma's old elementary school.  She used to play here.

Levetzowstrasse is the street where my grandma's synagogue was as well as my great-aunt's high school.

This is a memorial to Jews and the synagogue.  The Nazis turned the synagogue into a building to house Jews about to be deported.  The trains would pick them up here. 

My great-aunt's high school 

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Last night I met up with my parents' friend's son who is my age.  He took me out to his favorite bar.  We had a great time chatting.  Although he is not Jewish, he is very into Israel and is in a socialist youth movement whose sister/brother chapter is in Israel.  He wanted to discuss the differences between America and the rest of the world.  I told him that California is all I know and it is much different than many other states.

Today I found the Berlin Birkenstock store -- my dream!  Birkenstocks are half the price of what they sell for in America!  I bought two pairs for what I would have paid for in America.  Score!  I also went to a five-story thrift store and the coolest bead store where I created custom-made earrings.  In the evening I went to the Jewish Museum.  The architecture is gorgeous!  A very cool, interactive museum.  The most memorable part of the museum is a temporary exhibit that shows Holocaust victims belongings.

Tomorrow morning I leave for Munich.  My job in Berlin is done.  I have seen everything I wanted to see.  Only one week left on my trip... it's so hard to believe!

I saw this spray-painted on a wall near the underground.

The Jewish Museum