This summer Sarah and I had the opportunity to travel to Berlin, Germany. It is one of our favorite cities in Europe, just behind Paris and London. We made the trip on a whim. Actually, we went for a win. You see, since I was 10 years old I have been enthralled with football (soccer). With Germany hosting the EURO 2024 Cup I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to travel to Berlin for a week to watch the world’s best soccer players. They did not disappoint. If you are remotely aware of the sport you have perhaps heard of Killian Mbappe, Luka Modrić and Harry Kane. They were all there at the prime of their game.

But ‘the beautiful game’ was not our only interest. We combined our travel as a scouting trip for an upcoming tour called, Bohemian Europe. This tour is scheduled for October, 2025 and it begins in Berlin. (You can find more information about this tour here.) On an off day we took a train to Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic to check out this medieval city. Wow. What a glorious and magical venue. I’ll be writing a narrative of this compelling city in a future blog!

Berlin is one of those rare cities in which you can travel five blocks and encounter five different eras of the city. There are edifices from Imperial Germany of Kaiser Wilhelm II, the ‘Roaring Twenties' of the Weimar Republic, 1930’s Nazi Germany of Adolf Hitler, the 1960’s Soviet controlled East Berlin and the post Berlin Wall shiny Germany. Each has its distinct style and significance.

A special place in Berlin is called, ‘Museum Island’. On a narrow strip of land surrounded by the Spree River sits an area that is filled with 6 museums and the Berlin Cathedral. One could spend days there and never tire of being shipwrecked on this elegant island. The treasures are immense, including the bust of Nefertiti from Egypt, the Treasures of Priam from ancient Troy, the towering Gates of Ishtar through which the Hebrew slaves passed during their Babylonian Captivity in 587 BC, impressionist paintings by Monet and Van Gogh, and much more. We spent the better part of a day and returned to our hotel walking on air. 

One of our delights was spending an afternoon with our friend and guide Matthias Kort. Tall and handsome, he's a former musician with straggly gray hair and fashionable glasses, Matthias was kind enough to show us around some of his favorite haunts. Matthias grew up in East Berlin and has endless stories to tell about his formative years. He said it succinctly. ‘It was like living in covid lockdown for 20 years!’  

During our walk he pointed out where MLK surreptitiously made his way across Check Point Charlie to preach at the St. Sophia Lutheran Church in 1964. The Jewish High School which the Gestapo converted into a processing center to ship Jews to concentration camps. The courtyards where East German youth held covert concerts before the Stasi police shut them down. Finally, we sat for a delicious Döner at his favorite Turkish restaurant. Filled with fresh vegetables and savory sauces, we each met the challenge and enjoyed every last bite!

Getting around Berlin is so very people friendly. With the purchase of a day-ticket of 4 Euros, we were able to take a subway, a light rail and a bus anywhere we desired on the same day. On Sunday we journeyed west to the Kurfürstendamm and the towering Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church for worship. One day we traveled south to visit the world renowned Jewish Museum. Another day we traveled north to the labyrinthine courts of the Hackescher neighborhood. Safe, frequent and clean. It was a joy to navigate.

One of the unforgettable memories we will have of this trip was the ‘British Invasion’. Although we never spotted any of the Beatles, we encountered thousands of their countrymen. England made it to the finals and it felt as if half of London crossed the English Channel for the championship game. Especially on Saturday and Sunday, the sound of cheering, chanting and singing British fans was everywhere. Around every corner we came upon another gaggle of Brits singing their lungs out. They were celebrating King, Country and the national team, the Three Lions. 

An endearing custom of British soccer fans are their ubiquitous banners. They carry them everywhere and festoon them on any railing or fence. The banners are simply the national flag of England (a white field with the red cross of St. George) with their hometown boldly written across. Whole blocks were covered with the bold white and red flags with happy fans.

‘Coming late to the game’ we were unable to purchase tickets for seats inside the stadium. No worry, Berlin set up a massive Fan Zone in front of the iconic Brandenburg Gate. We joined a throng of well over one hundred thousand fans to cheer on the players projected on over a dozen jumbo-tron video screens. There was not a bad seat/view for a quarter mile, stretching into the Tiergarten. All along the sides of the grassy viewing area were bratwurst and beer stands. No one went hungry or thirsty. 

The final game was between England and Spain. It was a riveting match that pitted the world’s best squads against each other. The white-clad British fans out numbered the red-shirted Spanish fans by 2 - 1. Unfortunately, that was the final score with England on the short end. To their credit the Brits took the loss like a typical Minnesota Vikings fan; with the inevitability of fate in their downcast eyes. 

On our final day we had dinner at a restaurant that overlooked the Spree River. With the river at our side we gazed up at the Friedrichstrasse Train Station made famous in the Bourne Identity movie. It is where Matt Damon escapes the Berlin Police through a series of jumps and leaps and turns. Our trip was coming to an end and we were grateful to have escaped to Berlin for a glorious time in this thriving city. We look forward to returning and diving deeper into its engaging identity.