Excursions

Art and Museums

Art and Museums Pergammon Museum, Martin Gropius Bau, Hamburger Hauptbahnhof, KZ Contemporary, the Berlin Biennial, and as many more as we can squeeze in.  Berlin is the museum capital of the world, many of which are world class.

Waldbuhne

Waldbuhne If tickets are to be had, we will be attending the last concert performance of Sir Simon Rattle, the conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, accompanied by his famous wife, mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kožená, in the outdoor stadium in the Olympic Park.

Spreewald

Spreewald Spreewald is a lush reserve on the river Spree south of Berlin. This land consists of 200 small canals that wind their ways through quaint old German towns. We will stay overnight in the small town of Burg and canoe or hike in the Spreewald.

Potsdam and Sanssouci Palace

Potsdam and Sanssouci Palace Designed to rival Versailles, Sanssouci was the summer palace of Frederick the Great. Its name means “without a care”. Potsdam itself is markedly different from Berlin in architecture and feel. We will explore both.

Jewish Museum, Holocaust Memorial, and Sachsenhausen

Jewish Museum, Holocaust Memorial, and Sachsenhausen Berlin’s Jewish Museum is one of the best memorial museums in the world. We will visit the Jewish museum, the Holocaust Memorial, a massive outdoor installation near the Brandenburg Gate, as well as the Sachsenhausen concentration camp on the outskirts of Berlin.

Markets and the Berlin Wall

Markets and the Berlin Wall Markets are vibrant, cultural hubs of contemporary German culture, and we will visit several in various parts of the city including the Mauerpark Fleamarket, held in the shadow of the Berlin Wall, making sure to visit the Berlin Wall Documentation Center and Church.

Neighborhood Walks

Neighborhood Walks We begin our trip with several walks around Berlin that will highlight World War II history, the Holocaust of the Jewish culture in Berlin, the Soviet occupation and Berlin’s rebirth as the center of modern Germany.