Tip 1. Don't drive from Frankfurt on the first day of a holiday that is only a holiday in Frankfurt and not in Berlin and on the weekend of the European Champions League championship game in Berlin. If you drive from Frankfurt on this day, the 4.5 hour drive will take 7 hours. All the Frankfurters are leaving town because they have holiday, but their friends and family in Berlin, or Hamburg, or Cologne, don't. So all the traffic is outbound. Then, when you get to Berlin, all the traffic is inbound on account of the big soccer game. Also, while there is technically no speed limit most of the time on the autobahn, there is always construction, so you go slow anyway. Myth busted.
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| 14 hours of our 4-day weekend. |
Tip 2. Swim in the Wannsee. Did you know Berlin has an awesome lake? I did not. Now you know. Just note that Germans are very comfortable with nudity.
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| Gorillas in the Wannsee mist |
Tip 3. While not ideal for grown ups wanting to really get the history, when traveling with kids, a family can see the compulsory sites in one day. Just note that if you are an average American like me, you probably know way less of the history than you think you do. Why did I learn only three days ago that the Berlin Wall didn't just divide Berlin but completely surrounded West Berlin. It's obvious when you think about it, which I guess just shows that I had never thought about it.
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| Walking the Berlin Wall at East Side Gallery |
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| Test driving the Trabant, the only car available in East Germany |
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| An East Berlin living room. Maddie described the couch as "scratchy." |
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| Lady Liberty |
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| Random. Couldn't resist. |
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| Holocaust Memorial |
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| Brandenburg Gate |
