From the memorial we made a brief stop at Charlottenburg Palace (Schloss Charlottenburg), named for Sophie Charlotte, the first Queen consort in Prussia. In the courtyard is an equestrian statue in honor of Friedrich Wilhelm I, son of Sophie Charlotte. The palace is known for its lavish interior décor and formal garden out back. The Palace used to be a royal summer palace when it was first built.
I was surprised to learn that the Amber Room (Bernsteinzimmer) was originally designed and constructed here in Charlottenburg Palace. In case you’re wondering, yes, this is the same Amber Room that is now in Catherine Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia. Friedrich Wilhelm I presented the room to Tsar Peter the Great as a gift in the early 1700s.
Next we moved on to KaDeWe. For some reason, when we rounded the corner to the street where KADeWe is located, my first thought was that this part of Berlin reminded me of San Francisco, California, minus the hills. Maybe it was the vibe I was getting. I was feeling more comfortable being here in Berlin. And I was enjoying it.
At KaDeWe we were given some free time to explore. Our instructions were to return back to the bus at the appointed time, or else. Ok, I made up the ‘or else’ part.
Kaufhaus des Westens (Department Store of the West), usually shortened to KaDeWe, is an impressive building. It has six floors of store space. After Harrod’s of London, it is the second largest department store in Europe, the largest in continental Europe.
So what is in this colossal building? Well, it is pretty much a regular department store but with a seemingly endless amount of goods available. There is a food court inside. It would take you a good part of a day to see everything. Short of vehicles, I doubt there is anything you cannot find here.
My wife and I kind of had unspoken plans to see what was on all six floors. Our plans were going well until we reached the fifth floor. That was when we realized we only had a few minutes of free time left before we had to return to the bus and had spent most of our time in one store. Hurriedly, we breezed through the last two floors, came back down with our purchases, and walked out.
Taking a look around we decided to head across the street to get a closer look at what was there. My wife likes Birkenstock shoes. She was elated to find a Birkenstock store right on the street we were walking down. We went in and she ended up buying a pair of shoes. Since Birkenstock is a German company, it was even more meaningful that she bought a pair here in Germany.
In the few minutes we had remaining, we visited a gift shop. I bought a mug for some friends and a couple of other small items. Then it was time to head back to the bus.
A couple of members of our group returned to the bus with some KFC. This sparked a discussion between my wife and I. My thinking was, “why come all the way here and get KFC, something you can get just about everywhere back home?” She reminded me that this may be what they knew, what they were comfortable with. Maybe, as far as food is concerned, they are not as adventurous as we are. My wife’s comment reminded me that I need to be a little more tolerant. I will admit I would gladly try something at a McDonald’s in Japan, or a Burger King in the Middle East, just to see what they offer there that is not on the menus of their American counterparts.
Comments are closed.