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25 Years after the Fall of the Wall

November 10, 2014

This weekend was very exciting for us because it was the 25th anniversary of the Fall of the WAll (hashtag: #FOTW25) and Berlin, with the rest of the world, was celebrating in a big way with so many meaningful activities. We feel very lucky to be in Berlin and be able to celebrate such a important part of world history in the very city where it happened.

Lichtgrenze or Border of Light

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Situated right in the heart of the city this unique and arresting light installation will trace a circa 15 km long segment of the former course of the wall that once separated Berlin in two. The light installation is based on an idea by Christopher Bauder and Marc Bauder.

Berliners and visitors are invited to take a stroll along the LICHTGRENZE. The LICHTGRENZE is highly evocative of the magnitude of the Berlin Wall, the historical significance of its fall and the joy that came with the happy ending of the division.

The ‘frontier of lights’ will create unique images on streets, squares and bridges, along paths and housing walls, that—formerly separated—now set the tone after 25 years: a tone that is creative, exciting, future oriented and international.

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Someone recommended we check out the installation from a high place and we came upon Solar, a hidden bar on the rooftop of a building in Kreuzberg. It’s a very hip bar and because we were there at 20.00 – early by Berlin’s standards – we got the swing. Seriously our seating was an oversized swing. (Nor recommend for those who get motion sick, like me!)

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solar bar berlin
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Each balloon has a patron The evening of November 9 was the spectacular and highly symbolic highlight of the anniversary, a communal action. Each balloon has a patron, with their personal messages attached to the balloon. At 7pm yesterday they released the balloons one by one and you could see the pieces of paper dangling from their strings. It was a solemn and emotional thing to watch with the Staatskapelle Berlin playing “Ode an die Freude” (Ode to Joy) with Daniel Barenboim conducting by the Brandenburg Gate

For those of you who aren’t in Berlin, you can post your message for Berlin with the hashtag #FOTW25 and your message will be posted in this virtual wall.

I thought this video was really cool. You can see the preparation and thought that went into the Border of Light and how it traced Berlin,

Berlin Wall Memorial

We decided to go to the Berlin Wall Memorial in Bernauer Strasse because we didn’t want to go through the immense crowd at Brandenburger Tor and Potsdamer Plats. I am so happy that we went here because we were able to really appreciate the different points of interest and learn about the memorial. It wasn’t too crowded on the afternoon of November 9.

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fall of the wall berlin

We saw a cool piece of street art upon exiting the Nordbahnhof.

Touching scenes of the past. The iron columns on the right side is part of the permanent open-air exhibit on the former border strip.

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Behind the cross you can see part of the traces of the Berlin Wall that have been preserved. This area used to be the Sophien parish cemetery and though bodies were exhumed, there is a high possibility that not all remains were transferred.

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Window of Remembrance for those who died attempting to cross the “death strip”

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DiploDog having a photo with the Border of Light. 

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This platform is a viewing area of the Berlin Wall Memorial.

This video shows you the astounding difference in Berlin 25 years after the wall has fallen. I hope you watch it. I was really impressed by how Berlin has progressed in such a short span of time. I can only attribute it to German discipline and their tireless need to improve. It is so inspiring, don’t you think?

Learn more about the the Fall of the Wall 25 Years After, Berlin Wall Memorial and get an authentic piece of the wall. (I honestly don’t believe that the stuff that souvenir shops are selling, are genuinely part of the wall, but a certificate from the official Visit Berlin website is more believable for me and they sell it at a fraction of the price of souvenir shops, who sell it for 10 Euros!)

image credits: Berlin.de | Restaurants Berlin

2 Comments · berlin good to know, What's Happening

Comments

  1. Janice says

    December 17, 2014 at 7:59 AM

    nice photos, DW! 🙂

    Reply
    • diplomaticwife says

      December 17, 2014 at 10:37 AM

      Thanks Janice! Though, I can only take credit for the photos with my own watermark. =)

      Reply

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Welcome

Hello! I’m Ayessa, trailing spouse to a diplomat, mama to DiploBaby and DiploDog and founder of Declutter MNL. I love talking about how to achieve a minimaluxe lifestyle one step at a time.

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I am an Amazon affiliate, but all opinions are my own. The content of all my blog and social media posts are products and experiences that I truly enjoy and I only work with brands that fit my life and style.

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SANTA CLAUS MAIN POST OFFICE So one really meanin SANTA CLAUS MAIN POST OFFICE

So one really meaningful part of our trip was @santaclausmainpostoffice which is right outside of @santaclausoffice.

🎄 @diplobaby wrote a postcard for Santa

🎄 He also wrote some postcards to his friends

🎄 I wrote a postcard to @diplobaby to remember our many firsts in this trip.

For the last 2 we were lucky that our hotel @glass_resort  had many FREE POSTCARDS  and STAMPS and we didn’t have to go to the post office. They conveniently sent it for us.

His close friends were happy to receive them and I also loved getting our own post. So cool!

Please don’t forget to LIKE this post to see more family adventures & travel tips!

If Finland is on your bucket list then definitely SAVE THIS!

#udwinfinland #udwinsantaclausvillage #diplobaby #diilofamily
SEEING SANTA Everyday is Christmas Day in @santac SEEING SANTA

Everyday is Christmas Day in @santaclausvillage_rovaniemi! 

While we were walking back to our hotel @glass_resort guess who passed by and was sweet enough to roll down his window to say high.

Roll down for the quick conversation. I’m glad I caught it on camera.

TD was pretty impressed that his car is also red. 😂

Mind you his facial hair looked totally real!

#udwinfinland #udwinsantaclausvillage
NIGHT OF THE MUSEUMS 2: For the 2nd Museum we cho NIGHT OF THE MUSEUMS 2:

For the 2nd Museum we chose
SAINT PETER’S CATHEDRAL ARCHEOLOGICAL SITE

🤍 Impressive cathedral even from the outside. If you are interested in the Church’s history, or even just history, this place is a must!

🤍 Off to the right is the stairs to go to another time, to see the ruins underneath the current cathedral. 

🤍 You get to see what was built here before the cathedral even up to the years before Christ.

🤍 I was really impressed with the mosaic tile flooring

🤍 You can see how Christianity evolved in Geneva over millenia 

🤍 There were a lot of deep wells. I wonder how they dug them out during simpler times? Some people even dropped credit cards. Be careful because once something falls out of your wallet, it’s gone. 

🤍 If you have fear of heights there are parts on the floor where there is a bigger distance from the ruin to the flooring. I got a bit scared in those parts.

🤍 We explained what we learned to @diplobaby and he was very fascinated with it. From the coins of the old days, the combs, how baptisms were done and how old these things were… he soaked it all up.

🤍 It’s so important not to underestimate our kids. If we share what we read and explain things to them even a museum like this is interesting. 

🤍 When we got out at 11, we walked back to the shuttle to get back to TD’s office. We saw some things like canons that made us realize how little we have explored of @ville_de_geneve! Must come back for more!

🤍 shuttle was like a private bus coz there were only 2 other people with us!

Night at the Museums is a great way to explore the city on a budget!
#UDWinGeneva #diplobaby #diplofamily #undiplomaticwife
NIGHT OF THE MUSEUMS 1: Last 13 May we went with NIGHT OF THE MUSEUMS 1:

Last 13 May we went with some colleagues & their families to check out Night in the Museums for the first time!

A FEW TIPS:

🤍 Doing the “Nuit des musées” is another way to see more museums in Geneva on a budget.

🤍 To avoid long lines, you can buy tickets online for chf10/adult. Kids are FREE.

🤍 BUT you might not get the pink lanyard/ID if the museums run out. No worries, nobody checked us.

🤍 Included in your ticket are FREE shuttle buses to take you from different points to another. So no need to buy regular train/tram tickets.

🤍 There are less people in the shuttles too, so this is good if you don’t like crowds. 

🤍 It starts at 5pm & ends at 12mn. But some museums close earlier

🤍 This year we started at 7pm and only got 2 museums done. If you get 2 in one night, it’s already worth it. 

🤍 Next year we will definitely start at 5 to see more museums.

🤍 And it’s better to schedule & book where you will have dinner, otherwise everything is totally full. 

🤍 For our group of about 20 (coz we were with 2 other families) we were able to get tables at McDonalds. 

🤍 If it’s rainy, use a lightweight hooded down jacket that can easily be folded like our favorite @uniqlo UltraLightDown Jacket. The cool thing about it is if you have not time to go to a coat check, you can roll it into it’s own bag.

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM @museum.geneve 

✨ We prioritized this because we knew the kids would love learning about the animals, the environment and even the crystals.

✨ It’s interesting because it’s also interactive. 

✨ It’s small but packs a punch and has several floors so the kids didn’t even want to leave. 

So happy we are exploring @ville_de_geneve more!

#UDWinGeneva #diplobaby #diplofamily #undiplomaticwife
TRUFFLE TIPS When buying truffle products, it’s TRUFFLE TIPS

When buying truffle products, it’s important to know what you are buying. I’m not an expert but I’d like to share with you what I’ve learned over the years. 

Did you know that many TRUFFLE OILS only contain faux truffle flavoring?

⚡️Try to buy oils that contain small truffle bits to know that it’s a genuine truffle infusion. 

⚡️If the oil is clear (or even if it’s not), it’s important to read the ingredients list & make sure that it lists truffle/truffle infusion as an ingredient. 

⚡️Truffle flavor(ing) is not real truffle.

⚡️Black truffle is more common & cheaper than white truffle.

⚡️TRUFFLE SALT is cheaper but less flavorful than truffle oil. It’s great to layer on top of truffle oil when making truffle popcorn, eggs or pasta. But used alone the flavor isn’t as strong as time goes by. It’s good bang for buck though!

⚡️TRUFFLE POWDER is nice to have to give that truffle color, but not a must. It’s also more expensive coz it’s pure dried truffle.

Swipe to see how much we get them for at @tkmaxxat. We always go to @tkmaxxde when we go to Germany to get fancy things to fit within our limited budget.

As for the @turci_firenze traditionally infused truffle oil, we get them at an affordable price in @elcorteingles when we are in Madrid.

We don’t have it all the time, but when we want to treat ourselves at home we make our favorites:

1. Truffle popcorn for movie nights
2. Truffle scrambled eggs for weekends
3. Truffle cream pasta for special meals

What are your other truffle tips?

What are your favorite truffle dishes? #diplotummy
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