It’s just a white shed and a stack of sandbags filled with concrete, a replica of Checkpoint Charlie. Visitors to this traffic island on Friedrichstrasse pose from two directions – west and east – because they’re standing on the old symbolic border of the two Berlins.

Checkpoint Charlie was for diplomats, Allied military and foreign tourists wanting to get into East Berlin, and that’s the source of its mystique.

Today’s Cold War buffs have to be content with photos by the 1960s-era replica shed, or browse through the private collections of the nearby Haus am Checkpoint Charlie – and maybe a visit to the Allied Museum in Berlin’s Zehlendorf district, where the original Checkpoint Charlie building is on display.

The huge portrait photographs over Checkpoint Charlie are of two soldiers – one American, one Soviet – symbolize the Big Brother military presence of Cold War Berlin.

Little known fact – the young Soviet guard isn’t Soviet at all; the photo was taken in 1994, three years after the fall of the Soviet Union. He’s wearing the uniform of the Russian Federation.

Promises to God are notoriously hard to keep. The townspeople of Oberammergau in the Bavarian Alps have not only kept their renaissance promise, they’ve turned it into euros and cents. Flashback to 1633. Oberammergau was a stop on the market road between Augsburg and Venice. When the plague hit, the town elders swore to heaven: Protect us and we’ll do a play about Jesus’ crucifixion every ten years. Read the rest of this entry »

The medieval tale goes like this: The song of a rat catcher’s flute lures the rats of Hamelin into the waters of the Weser River. The town elders renege on their promise to pay him, so the piper sought revenge by playing a different tune. Legend has it that 130 children danced to his music out the city gates into a cave in the hills nearby. They were never seen again.

There are versions of the tale with a happier ending, and one of them is for the city of Hamelin itself, which has used its 800-year-old tale to bolster its image and its economy. Unlike most towns, Hamelin seems to love rats. The motif is everywhere: little rats painted on the sidewalk to guide visitors through town, rat-shaped bread in the bakery window, chocolate rats on a stick for the kids.

But was the legend true? Read the rest of this entry »

Sitting down to a white sausage (Weisswurst) at Munich’s Hofbräuhaus is more of a complex undertaking than you might think. What exactly is the right way to eat the plump white “wurst?” With your fingers? A fork? Do you cut it into pieces before dipping it into mustard, or do you dunk the whole thing?

Expert opinions on Weisswurst-eating differ. But fear not; the Hofbräuhaus, the hall where beer used to be brewed for the kings of Bavaria – and where Hitler began his rise to power in 1920 – won’t expel anyone for a sausage faux pas.

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Say Auf Wiedersehen to the UK as we depart for our new series on Deutschland.

Join us over the next couple weeks as we explore Berlin, the capital of once-divided Germany, visit the replica of Checkpoint Charlie and dine on the traditional Weisswurst at Munich’s Hofbräuhaus.

On the journey learn about the German cliché of lederhosen, experience the once-in-a-decade Passion Play in Oberammergau and discover the history behind the legend of the Pied Piper.

Enjoy your tour of the Rhineland…

Throughout history much has been discussed about the positioning of statues, acknowledging that sometimes, a statue’s station is as important as his stance and design.  A good example of the thought that goes into this process relates to the statues outside Westminster Palace.

Outside the Palace walls, stands a sword-bearing statue of Oliver Cromwell facing stridently east. Across the street, in a niche in the wall of St. Margaret’s Church, Charles I looks back at his murderer with forgiveness in his eyes, the two wedded for posterity in sculpture as they are in history.  And, a short distance away in Parliament Square stands Sir Winston Churchill.

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Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace has served as the official London residence of Britain’s sovereigns since 1837. Today it is The Queen’s official residence. Although in use for the many official events and receptions held by The Queen, areas of Buckingham Palace are opened to visitor during July and August.

Paris by Eurostar Day Excursion
Included transfer to Waterloo International Station to join an early morning Eurostar express train arriving in Paris in just 2 hours 35 minutes. After a two hour guided city orientation tour you’ll be free to explore Paris on your own before returning to London in the evening. On the train back to London a supplement for first class is available and includes a three course dinner, wine and coffee.

Tower of London
The Tower of London has been part of English history for nearly 1000 years, and is the oldest palace, fortress and prison in Europe. Today it houses the Crown Jewels and is keeper to the Royal Ravens. The ravens are flightless birds due to the fact their wings are clipped and this tradition points to the superstition that the English still believe dating back from time of Charles II that when there are no longer ravens in the Tower both the White Tower and the Commonwealth of England would fall.

Bath
The golden city of Bath has been welcoming visitors for over 2,000 years. Designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, Bath presents some of the finest architectural sights in Europe. The surrounding seven hills, the river Avon running through the heart of the city, and the towers of Bath Abbey combine to create a wonderful impression.

Stonehenge
Nobody knows why the mysterious stone circle of Stonehenge was built, but it is none the less one of the world’s most important and intriguing pre-historic sites and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Murder Mystery Theatre Evening

Pre-theatre dining is at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese on Fleet Street, one of London’s few remaining 17th century Chop Houses. After dinner, it’s front stalls seats at the Gielgud Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue for “And Then There Were None”, a new West End production of the best selling thriller by Agatha Christie.

We hope that these London must-see sights will help you get more vacation from your vacation and will help serve as a planning resource for your United Kingdom vacation.

Continuing our post from Friday, here are six more London gems just waiting to be discovered.

Bramah Tea and Coffee Museum
Tea and coffee connoisseurs will find this small museum fascinating, in which the story of London’s premier caffeinated beverages unfolds. Stop by the museum café for a wide selection of the museum’s subjects.

Hampstead Heath
Take a vacation from the city without leaving it. Meadows, hills, woods and ponds sprawl across this 791-acre park. Wander nearby cobblestone streets to lose all sense of time as pristine Georgian cottages and gas lamps galore light your path.

The Dove
This charming 17th-century inn is one of West London’s favorite watering holes. Tucked away down a tiny alley, this historical pub serves excellent fish and chips and is an ideal place to while away a lazy afternoon.
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