Because We Can

  The disorienting Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. There are memorials in Berlin to the many different groups of people singled out by the National Socialists as needing to be exterminated so as not to dilute the so-called Master Race.   It is impossible to convey the emotions one feels in such a place. At the location of Hitler’s bunker. A socialist mural on the side of the former Luftwaffe building. The mural was placed by the Marxist Socialist DDR regime, and served to reinforce their socialist ideals. But as the fall of the wall proved, the people of East Germany saw through the government propaganda as they lived their dreary everyday lives in the so-called socialist workers paradise. A political/economic theory is one thing. The implementation of that theory is an entirely different matter. You can still see the bullet holes from the Battle for Berlin on this building behind the site of the former Gestapo and SS Headquarters buildings. Grandma made ...

  Three Stolpersteine (stumble stones) in the sidewalk outside the front entrance to our hotel. Before the modern hotel building was here, back during the time of WWII, these three people, not just names on a bronze plaque in the sidewalk but real people, lived here. They were deported, they were murdered in a death camp. It is all there on the plaque. I find it very hard to write about this. A train station on the far west side of Berlin. An abandoned track at that station. On December 12, 1942 a train left here with 1000 Jews. Its destination, the Auschwitz death camp. Man’s inhumanity to his/her fellow human beings. It is happening in countries around the world as we speak. One can not come to this place and not be moved. To do otherwise is disavow ones own humanity. Another day, another train, there many, many over the years. The destination of this one, Theresienstadt. And now we are back to the first photo in this post. This was the concentration camp Sally Cohn was...

  Why is this person looking something up on his Tab while dressed as if going on an arctic adventure? Reason No. 1 is that we know star fruit, but red rind white pulp black speck fruit we don’t. Or at least we didn’t until Linda got fed up with my less than scintillating search efforts, and taking matters, or at least the Tab, in her own hands quickly discovered it was Dragon Fruit. Did I ever marry good! Lucky Bob. The reason for the warm clothing. Breakfast once again on the patio. It was 49 outside, the sun was shining, plus there was this beautiful woman. talk about the perfect beginning to the day. We have done readers an injustice by not posting more photos of the Green Citadel, the building our hotel is located in. This morning Linda discovered this quiet little nook that also had a boutique. Unfortunately for readers, I only have time to report that purchases were made. The window at the top of the photo was the one for our room. The stop at the ATM was necessary a...