If you are planning to visit Berlin while cruising the Baltic bear in mind that the ship docks at the port of Warnemunde and you can get to Berlin by train, bus or car. We went by train, which is about a three hour ride that made a few stops and gave a glimpse of the countryside. I would not miss this as I wanted to see the historical wall and other points of interest. Generally while on cruises and for a tour that might take some time and at a distance from the port, I take one of the ship organized tour. I am always mindful of being in a foreign country, the language, using public or private transportation and the amount of time we are in port. If you are on a ship organized tour and unforeseen circumstances cause a delay in return to the ship after the scheduled time of departure you will not be left behind. On the other hand if you are on your own itinerary and you do not make the embarkation time you could be left stranded and it will be your responsibility to get to the next scheduled port so be warned.

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I am not sure what I expected to see of what remained of the wall but in my mind I was expecting very high walls well quite the opposite. What I noticed was that the wall was thick and the top had a rounded finish which would make it hard from one to climb. The wall ran along the Spree River and the eastern portion of the wall remains. This portion is now like an outdoor art exhibit as there are graffiti-like paintings done by artists from several countries reflecting the issues politically and. Otherwise. A double row of cobblestone pathway outlines the previous route of the wall through the city.

One of the paintings that drew a lot of attention was the graffiti painting titled, My God Help Me to Survive this deadly love, a depiction of the Socialist Fraternal kiss between Leonid Brezhnev and Erich Honecker which was a reproduction of a photograph taken sometime earlier. The kiss, a special form of greeting between socialist leaders, was usually cheek to cheek but if there was admiration between the parties there could be kiss on the lips.

A block away is another point of interest, The Holocaust Memorial, is wheelchair accessible and there is an underground pavilion housing an information Centre. The memorial consists of concrete slabs.

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We also visited another iconic monument, The Brandenburg Gate, the only standing historical gate in Berlin.

A block from the gate is the Reichstag Building where their deliberative body met more of a site for negotiations.

As we continued our exploration we came upon Charlie’s Beach yes a beach area without water. This is an area for bathroom use and get refreshments. I guess it got its name from Checkpoint Charlie which was an historical crossing between the east and west. In that area there were historical pictures and narratives.

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We passed through the square where the Old Library is located I believe this was where the historical book burning occurred.

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There is something about Tallin, Estonia that l love and would revisit but for a longer stay to really explore. There is something so picturesque maybe it the pinkish rooftops.

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There was a celebration when we went back to the ship in commemoration of the opening of this new and larger port. It was a lovely water show that drew everyone’s attention.

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