{"id":13766,"date":"2022-03-01T06:07:18","date_gmt":"2022-03-01T11:07:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/exploringed.com\/?p=13766"},"modified":"2022-11-09T05:12:49","modified_gmt":"2022-11-09T10:12:49","slug":"germany-berlin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/exploringed.com\/germany-berlin\/","title":{"rendered":"Berlin \u2013 Dynamic and Vibrant"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
I finally made it to Berlin, the capital of Germany and a cultural, political and commercial powerhouse for centuries. I was eager to see if it would live up to its reputation as a city tolerant of alternative lifestyles and immigrants amid a galaxy of museums, a wide variety of architectural styles and a plethora of historical landmarks. Well, it didn\u2019t just meet my expectations, but exceeded them! <\/span><\/p> Berlin has a history of cultural and intellectual achievements, especially before WWI and during the Weimar Republic (1919 to 1933), where the Bauhaus architectural movement started, several eventual Nobel Prize winners in science lived including Albert Einstein and an animated social scene existed as depicted by the book and movie \u201cCabaret.\u201d This cultural explosion was mostly at odds with Germany\u2019s military imperialism and extreme nationalist movements such as the Nazis. As a result, Berlin has continually been a city of opportunity and tension, forever recreating itself.<\/span><\/p> A mere 32 years ago, Berlin was divided between the democratic West and Soviet-controlled East. There are a few places where the wall remains and others which have markers in the street where it stood.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t When the Berlin Wall fell, the Iron Curtain came down and Berlin united. West and East Germany were expected to blend together seamlessly, but after four decades of living apart, it was quite a difficult transition. Perhaps East Berlin merged more easily than the rest of the former Communist state because of Berlin\u2019s culture of tolerance and acceptance.<\/span><\/p> This post is one personal journey in the current manifestation of dynamic Berlin. You can spend weeks here flitting among attractions from many historical periods while dining, drinking and dancing in a profusion of restaurants, cafes and bars.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t In August and September 2021, my wife Khadija and I went on a\u00a0 <\/span>five-week drive through Eastern Europe<\/span><\/a> and visited many of the great cities of the region. We allocated the most time to Berlin, four-full days, which allowed us to touch the surface of what the city offers. Our plan was to split our time among the hipster neighborhoods, world-class museums and historical landmarks. Of course, we improvised every day.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\tWhy We Went to Berlin<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t