Bill Vinson

European Trip: Berlin, Germany

Ben and Ian in front of the UEFA Euro booth in the Brandenburg Gate Fanzone Ben and Ian in front of the UEFA Euro booth in the Brandenburg Gate Fanzone Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
Ben and Ian in front of the UEFA Euro booth in the Brandenburg Gate Fanzone

Berlin Itinerary

Day 1 (June 24, 2024)

Our family's European trip began with Germany, specifically Berlin. We flew into Berlin's Brandenburg Airport and we arrived just before 8am local time. We had 3 days planned for Berlin. We got to our hotel, Hotel AMANO [1], and checked-in before heading back out.

The first day did end up being somewhat rough due to jetlag and the fact that Berlin was rather hot for this time of year. I had multiple outings planned, things I cared about, things my wife cared about and things I believed my sons should or would want to see. I tried to light load the days so we weren't overwhelmed, but I don't typically aim for relax on the beach kind of vacations. A trip like this is to see what you can from a new place.

For Day 1, we explored the Brandenburg Gate and the co-located EUROs Fanzone. We arrived while the EURO 2024 tournament was going on and as you likely understand, soccer is much more important to Europeans than it is to Americans (well, my sons accepted as not typical). I tried to get us into a match while we were there, but it was just too costly for the tickets I could buy. So, I wanted them to experience the festivities as much as possible. We then visited the Victory Column which I climbed with my younger son and got a view out of the area. Finally, after lots of wandering, getting checked into our hotel and exploring, we had dinner at a Spanish Tapas restaurant. Why not German food? Well, that would definitely happen (as I'm a fan of the cuisine), but Berlin is really a mixture of many cultures within the city and doesn't have the same old world feel as other cities, like Munich.

Day 2 (June 25, 2024)

On Day 2, we went to the Topography of Terror museum. It's not a fun museum, similar to some of the next day's stops. However, I think it's important to spend some time with things that are uncomfortable, even if fascinating. I did try to space out the more painful exhibits. The museum focuses on the history and the crimes committed by the police and SS, Gestapo in the Third Reich. We then went to visit Checkpoint Charlie on our way to our scheduled appointment at the Reichstag Dome. Note, it's free and great, but requires requesting an appointment and they are very serious about security in that I had to provide Passport details in advance and then show the matching passports when going in. The Dome is beautiful, but the view of the city is also quite something. Next we took a proper break and went to Ritter Sport, which I would enthusiastically recommend. It's part cafe, part store, part museum for chocolate. We ended up having some free chocolate, buying some chocolate and enjoying some cooldown in the cafe. I had a delicious, fancy chocolate milk drink (picture in the gallery below). Finally, we went to the last stop, the Berlin Cathedral. Ben and Ian chose to climb the 270 steps up to the dome where you get a 360° panoramic view. Finally, we all had pizza for dinner (yes, again with non-German food).

Day 3 (June 26, 2024)

On our final full day in Berlin, we went to see the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. It is a LOT. The museum is extremely sobering and painful to consider what is being shown. The museum occupies two levels, a lower exhibit with photos, video and explanation and an above field of stelae in rows & columns that is left to the interpretation of the visitor. It looks like a graveyard and is still rather unsettling, but also impressive. From there, we went to view the East Side Gallery which is longest remaining section of the Berlin Wall that acts as an open air art. From there, we went to the Stasi Museum which is housed in the former headquarters of the Ministry for State Security. I would not recommend the guided tour as it is somewhat dry, but the museum gives a glimpse into what was done to control the state in those years. The museum has no air conditioning and was rather stifling as you go up the floors, but it is still very much worth visiting. At this point, I split for the evening with my wife & sons. They went to get dinner and to watch a EUROs match on TV and I went to see Greta Van Fleet at the Spandau Citadel.

  1. Hotel AMANO, Auguststrasse 43, 10119 Berlin ↩︎