Turns out BrumaRV is parked virtually on top of what was once part of the “Berlin Wall”. We discovered this as we walked out of our surprisingly central Berlin campground this morning. We then followed a fragmented  pathway that was once a part of this notorious wall and it stretched all the way to the “new” Reichstag (German Parliament). Interestingly, sections of the old original wall still exist in many neighbourhoods but for the most part you’d be hard pressed to find concrete evidence of its existence in this rapidly changing city. This is not the same Berlin that Bert and I saw in 1972. No mean looking and threatening GDR military guards at “Checkpoint Charley” to contend with.  Instead, work cranes everywhere filling in the empty gaps of old East Berlin with massive building projects and creating impressive ultra modern structures all over the city. Todays Berlin is truly an amazing city with a friendly, safe, and vibrant feel to it. Walking through the Brandenburg Gate this afternoon was an exciting experience for me considering the last time I saw this Gate it was literally trapped in a strange and surreal “no-man’s-land” between the East and the West. Bert and I could only  look at this impressive historical Gate from atop a wooden tower on the Western side of the dividing wall, about a 100 yards back. Nearby we had an interesting conversation with a young East Berliner couple as we waited in a lineup to get reserved access tickets to walk through the new glass Dome of the Reichstag that covers the main legislative chambers. This very impressive structure built to replace the old “bombed-out” dome was only in the conceptual stages in 1972 but now it provides a wonderful panoramic view of central Berlin. Walking along some impressive boulevards we even found the Canadian Embassy and a great Mediterranean buffet.  Much more to see tomorrow.

We drove into the small city of Weimar late in the day with the intent of spending a night in the “Stellplatz” park-up near the town centre and then heading out in the morning for Berlin. A Stellplatz (German) or “Aires” (French) provide a great alternative for overnight parking when on the move. Most of them have limited services so you need to be somewhat self contained. Often the locations are near town centres or sports facilities where you can use the complex’s amenities for a reasonable charge. The free Stellplatz in Weimar turned out to be a good one and the electrical hook-up was a pleasant surprise but more importantly it’s proximity to the old town centre was fantastic. Weimar seemed to be a cool place so we decided to spend the day and check it out and we’re sure glad we did. Turns out that this has been a major arts centre for 500 years. It’s magnificent palace is now used as a cultural centre and art museum and we really enjoyed going through it. Famous painters, author’s, poets and composers including Bach himself have all called Weimar home. What a great day we had starting it off strolling through the cobble stone streets with our coffee and snack in hand and basking in the warm sunshine. We found a great little ‘Roma” hat and clothing store that we know you would love Kristen. We capped the day off with a wonderful traditional German dinner and beer in a popular tudor pub that I’m sure has served many interesting people over the years. This morning we got up, pointed ourselves in the direction of Berlin, and then drove through some magnificent countryside. Rolling green hills with scattered towns and villages that date back hundreds of years. Driving into Berlin on a Sunday evening turned out to be a very good decision considering the reasonable traffic we encountered. We are now staying at a “no-frill” campsite near the centre of Berlin which is just a short walk away from the Brandenburg Gate. Tomorrow we begin our Berlin experience in earnest.