scubacruiserx2

We were all ready for a change and we got it when we stopped for lunch at Deponie ( Landfill ) .

I had : #431 Grilled Sausage „Berlin Style“ 9,50 €

with sauerkraut and boiled potatoes

Pat had : #434 „Schweineschnitzel“ 12,50 €

fried meat of pork coated in breadcrumbs with

mixed vegetables and boiled potatoes

And Ty had : #440 Fried Sausage „Berlin Style“ CURRYWURST 8,50 €

with pommes frites and homemeade currydip

And for desert , we all had #481 Applestrudel 4,10 €

fresh from the oven with vanilla sauce .

Wunderbar !

And after lunch we had a chance to walk it off . No tram needed !

Museum Island and the river Spree , under construction .

Such a poignant reminder of a horrific episode in history and such waste.:(

It truly was , and we hope and pray that something like this never happens again !

The memorial seems to be stark , dark , twisted , confusing and depressing .

But , I think that's the point .

Our challenge was to enter it , and walk through individually , exiting and meeting our bus at the far side .

And of course , I turned off course looking for and finding , no reference point .

The memorial is near the yellow American embassy and in the distance , the Reichstag .

I really felt the desire to interject some color .

It sure was a sad thing with so many lives taken needlessly.:(

Yes it was and unfortunately our next stop reflected on it even more - Memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe .

At this point Heather stopped us and explained that this was where President Reagan have uttered his famous words " Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this Wall! "

On this day you could a large screen where many people were gathering for the Group Stage games of the European Football Championship . At this point it used to be part of the British Sector when the city was still divided .

Photo from Stefan-XP and wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandenburg_Gate

It was raining steady and hard to take a photo of Pat and Ty without others in the photo .

On our left we noticed flowers and a memorial

They were in front of the American Embassy . Heather talked about the Embassy and Pariser Platz , while I was busy taking photos .

I was so busy that I didn't notice the flag at half mast , and as we left I privately asked Heather about the memorial . We hadn't yet heard about terrorist attack and shooting in Orlando . :(

The double brick road reminds me of the various tourist routes in places like Boston and such, like the freedom walk, etc. Whenever I see something like this and do not know why I ask someone what it represents.

It's great that you have an inquiring mind Mic ! We had not noticed it until Heather pointed it out . She did a great job with the Cold War segment of the tour ! :) :D

At our next stop , Heather shared a photo and some history of our next site , The Reichstag building .

The Reichstag building (German: Reichstagsgebäude; officially: Deutscher Bundestag - Plenarbereich Reichstagsgebäude) is a historical edifice in Berlin, Germany, constructed to house the Imperial Diet (German: Reichstag), of the German Empire. It was opened in 1894 and housed the Diet until 1933, when it was severely damaged after it was set on fire. After World War II, the building fell into disuse; the parliament of the German Democratic Republic (the Volkskammer) met in the Palast der Republik in East Berlin, while the parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany (the Bundestag) met in the Bundeshaus in Bonn.

The ruined building was made safe against the elements and partially refurbished in the 1960s, but no attempt at full restoration was made until after German reunification on 3 October 1990, when it underwent a reconstruction led by architect Norman Foster. After its completion in 1999, it once again became the meeting place of the German parliament: the modern Bundestag.

The term Reichstag, when used to connote a diet, dates back to the Holy Roman Empire. The building was built for the Diet of the German Empire, which was succeeded by the Reichstag of the Weimar Republic. The latter would become the Reichstag of **** Germany, which left the building (and ceased to act as a parliament) after the 1933 fire and never returned; the term Reichstag has not been used by German parliaments since World War II. In today's usage, the German word Reichstag (Imperial Diet Building) refers mainly to the building, while Bundestag (Federal Diet) refers to the institution.

Article from Wikipedia

The dedication translation means To the German people .

This was also the site of one of the most famous Soviet photographs of WW II .

We next walked about 10 minutes across a green area toward the Brandenburg Gate .

The double brick line in the street follows the path of the Berlin Wall .

In the old church , there we a number of beautiful mosaics .

But in the new church , and the surrounding area , it was totally different and thoroughly modern .

Including a Tombak alloy Jesus .

You can see the modern surroundings and pay toilet which Pat found novel enough for couple of a photos . And don't forget your 50 cent coins !

Thank you everybody for the help . It does make sense , as we had seen a number of casinos in SPB .

On our bus ride to Berlin we had exceeded the number of 24 people promised by SPB Tours .

Video clip of the Autobahn :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxN72_CQarg

But at our first at the Olympiastadion , we picked up our guide Heather , and broke up into 2 groups . We stayed on the bus and they transferred to another bus .

The stadium was home to the pre war Olympics , where Jessie Owens won 4 gold medals under Hitler's nose .

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympiastadion_(Berlin)

In the city now , Heather gives us some background history of Berlin :

Our first stop was at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaiser_Wilhelm_Memorial_Church

There are 2 churches here , the old one which was bombed in 1943 , and left intact and a new one .

First , the old .

Inside

Actually, the lyrics are "Wir fahr'n fahr'n fahr'n auf der Autobahn"

 

We drive drive drive on the Autobahn :D

Thank you CruiserRob for the literal translation .

Unfortunately , I've always had a Weird Al Yankovic mindset ( It must be a Slavic thing ) , which allows me a creative interpretation , and /or changing of , the literal lyrics . :confused:

Anyhow , I did read that Ralf Hütter , the lead singer, keyboardist, founding member and leader of the electronic-music band Kraftwerk , has said that The Beach Boys were an influence on the band, and seemed[to whom?] more open to the interpretation of the chorus as a homage to their song . Wikipedia

For us , because we weren't driving , and we were on vacation , it was fun , fun , fun watching some of the vehicles roar past ( Our grandson loved some of the exotic sports cars ) . Also , there was a spontaneous outburst of applause , by some people , when a local Polizei , had a car stopped which had passed us earlier , at a high rate of speed . :eek:

Fabulous read. Thanks for sharing your time, pictures and memories. We will be on a similar itinerary on the Silhouette next May. Could I ask if the casino was shut the whole time you were docked at SPB?

I'm afraid that we can't help you , as we didn't gamble or go into that area while in SPB .

I like this one about cars from Gary Numan, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ldyx3KHOFXw

 

It reached #1 in the UK in 1979.

A real defining moment in the electric new wave / synthpop style of keyboard driven music ! The early predecessors that I think were influential on synthpop besides Kraftwerk , were Tangerine Dream , also from Germany and on the side of the Atlantic , Devo . Stevie Wonder and Gary Wright had great success also with keyboard driven music .

But of course the New Wave took on a much more edgy sound . :cool:

Nice song to get stuck in my head. cheers for that.

An older song (1974) which seemed appropriate as the cars whizzed past us on the Autobaun . But their song ( and video ) that stuck in my head the most was Das Model .

It reached #1 in the UK in February , 1982 .

Here's the English version :

The morning in Germany looked great and began early .

We had booked the following tour with SPB Tours , our first with them .

Classic Berlin Tour with roundtrip Berlin-port transfer

24 person max or private | 6hrs. transfer + 6hrs. with guide and driver | Very active

This is an exciting tour that gives you an inside view of the City's turbulent past and promising future. We arrange a tour for you to see the majority of the main sights & landmarks during this one day and all at an affordable price. You will be picked up at the port (in Warnemünde, Rostock or Wismar) in a comfortable A/C vehicle. It will be at your service for 12 hours. You will enjoy a 3 hour ride on the German Autobahn on your way to the city of Berlin. You will then be met by your English speaking guide and either transfer to another vehicle for the day, or stay with the vehicle you are in.

Sightseeing will include highlights of the capital with photo stops at the Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, The Berlin Wall and the famous Reichstag with the glass dome. You will have a chance to walk, drive and take plenty of pictures on the tour. You also have the option to try a traditional German meal for lunch.

Tour runs with any number of people signed up (for most, but not all, cruise ships. Please inquire if your cruise ship is eligible.)

This tour is not recommended for wheelchair passengers, and if a person with a wheelchair decides to participate he/she must have a personal helper to assist in boarding/disembarking the vehicle, and entering the restrooms and restaurant, and all sites. At certain locations a wheelchair person may not be able to exit the bus, and may have to stay inside the bus.

After exiting through the white shed , and having our passports stamped , we walked passed the row of Celebrity buses .

After boarding the bus and being seated waited about 30 minutes between the second to the last person , and the last person , to arrive . We had chosen the ensuite seats about half way back .

It's about a 3 hour ride non stop to Berlin and found myself humming the old Kraftwerk lyrics , Fun , fun , fun on the Autobaun .

We did make a pit stop along the way and we hoped that it wasn't the traditional German meal promised in the description of the tour .

Also on celebrity and Royal Caribbean, they will match your spouse to your level. For example, if you are already elite when you get married your spouse automatically becomes elite even if she's never been on a celebrity cruise before.

Thank you for the great information KikisDad . Fortunately , I wasn't matched to my spouse's level , but married up to Elite ! :)

YES!!! IRON MAN Phelps!! Amazing Olympics..... doubt anyone will ever equal what he has over 4 Olympics....

 

sorry....couldn't help but comment....:o

Yes he's truly an amazing swimmer - the best ! Pat was a swimmer and I played football , track and volleyball so I'm looking forward to Usain Bolt - the Micheal Phelps of sprinters . ;)

The Celebrity Today for Germany .

And a first look

Hi Joe,

I have just started to read this thread. Hope all is well with you and Pat, will catch up soon.:D

Hi Mic , and welcome aboard ! :) :D

Just saw a program on that ship on 'Mighty Ships', it is the one they use for putting up and maintaining the wind turbines.:D

We really like the Mighty Ships series , but it's been mostly the Olympics on the telly here .

After breakfast , but before lunch , we headed down to the Russian Bazaar . You can tell when you've been on the ship for a long time when you've lost touch with the news from around the world , and you begin to measure time by what meal of the day it is !

It looks like we weren't the only ones rushin to find a bargain ! But , alas , they were no bargains to be found !

In fact , Tyler's hat for which we paid $ 11 , was $ 30 on the ship ! It was at this point that we wished that we would have done a quick , last 15 minute , shopping spree before our 6 pm departure time in SPB . However , we did find a couple of nice specialty items for some special people .

It was really nice to have a quite day at sea before our long , day trip to Berlin and dinner was also nice and easy . Bread , butter and condiments were now on all the tables in the MDR and full self service at the buffet .

I've posted one in the past. If it was mine, it was this one where I Photoshopped flowers over my panties because it just felt strange to post a picture of my undergarments!:eek:

 

I think that your Photoshopping has a more interesting selection of objets d'art than my photobucket stickers ! ;)

 

I felt sorry for my steward. He had to dodge my underpants for two days!:p

I don't know for sure , but I suspect , that during his career - he may have seen a lot stranger things than your flower arrangement . :eek:

Joe,

You each will be Select with 150 points p.p

 

https://secure.celebritycruises.com/captains-club/membership/captains-club-overview

 

Just watch that they credit you both, I was awarded the points, but after Adrain became Elite they no longer credited him, until I contacted them. They said he was no longer a member!!

We've done the same number of cruises.

Thank you Jackie . We did check and we're both now select . Thankfully , your vigilance was rewarded and is a positive example to be emulated - if necessary , and we're certainly happy that it turned out well ! :) :D

I agree with you on this. I'm Elite on Celebrity (because I'm Diamond on RCI), and even though we take advantage of the laundry perk I still have quite a few things I won't send out because I don't want them washed in hot water and/or dried on high heat.[emoji5]

 

I end up washing by hand and having a clothes line strung across my cabin for the two+ days it takes things to completely dry in the Caribbean humidity.[emoji12] People say they don't want to take time to do laundry on vacation, but I'd much rather put a load in, sit on my balcony, transfer clothes to the dryer, sit on my balcony again, and be done with it than play limbo with my undies for two days![emoji23]

 

Cindy

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

If I recall correctly , I first saw the clothes line on one of your threads ! :cool:

We had hoped for the $ 45 laundry bag challenge , but that didn't happen and so the hand wash / line dry was a plan B . Patty did do some more laundry , and so It was mostly clean by the time that we got back to Southhampton , because we still had almost a week left in the UK , post cruise .

Yes that is an area that Celebrity and Royal could do better on.....but you should be getting close to Elite on Celebrity now since you've been doing longer cruises with them....

 

Glad you saw a bit of sun anyway as you left SPB!!

 

Your pictures continue to amaze....:)

 

We may have to try that "Martini Flight"......after 10 of them though I will need a taxi to get me back to my room!!! HA!!:D

I'm not sure about Elite . We have 150 points each from 3-14 day cruises . Their web site says 300 , but we're not sure if that's p.p. or combined .

We noticed that it always seemed to be sunny when we were away from the land and rainy inland . :confused:

Thank you , the light really helps with the photos !

They are mini Martinis , about half size . And I'm sure that you wouldn't be the first person to have a crash landing , after a Martini Flight !! :) :D

The free bag of laundry (x2) is certainly worth while!:)

It surely is a nice perk . :) :D

We have it on Carnival and Princess ( and they both have self service laundry ) and that's one of the reasons why we have more cruises with both of those cruise lines . We also like HAL which also has the self serve option . And other luxury cruise lines like Seabourn and Regent also offer self - service .

On the Celebrity web site they ask and answer the following question .

What is Modern Luxury?

The world has changed. Tastes have changed. Maybe luxury vacations could use an update as well. Modern luxury is airy spaces with all the right, tasteful details, restaurants where the design is just as important as the cuisine, intuitive service with a keen eye for detail , and doing as much or as little as you choose .

Thus , according to their definition , it should be about having options , like a choice to DIY . It's kinda like cruise ships trying to restrict private shore excursions in SPB . They can't get away with it on shore , but at sea , it's a different story . :p