Berlin Calling

This is the third time we have been to Berlin but during the previous two trips back in the 90’s our kids were still small. This time around, we wanted to show them Berlin and the history and struggle of East Berliners before the unification.

Our first stop was Checkpoint Charlie, the famous crossing point between East and West Berlin during the Cold War. It became a symbol of the Cold War, representing the separation of east and west, and for some East Germans a gateway to freedom.

Since the Berlin Wall was built by the East German government in 1961 to the destruction of the wall in 1989, many East Berliners tried to escape to the West. All of these are captured in the museum next to the Checkpoint Charlie to show some of the people’s ingenuity in coming up with all sort of escapes method.