Fortified by Frühstück (breakfast), Adam’s morning lecture will tackle the Cold War and the literal partition of the city of Berlin between the Allied powers and Communist Russia up to what could be considered Germany’s greatest modern achievement, the reunification.

All aboard our private coach for a tour of Berlin, this time replacing the landscape of the Prussians, Imperial Germans and Nazis with that of the divided Cold War city. We will drive past remaining part of the Berlin Wall as well as Check Point Charlie en route to the Stasi Museum.  Located in former headquarters of the secret police of the GDR, the Stasi Museum is complete with the original spying equipment & archives—make sure and watch The Lives of Others before coming on the trip! 

Time to relax over lunch at Hackescher Markt which emerged as a commercial area when its railway station was built in the 1880s. Post-Reunification it became a nightlife hub, an escape from the city center across the River Spree. Explore a series of courtyards busy with shops, cafes and small businesses tucked into arches.  We will point out our favorite shops and restaurants and let you delve into this colorful corner of Berlin.

The afternoon is at leisure.  For those of you who wish to discover Museum Island (UNESCO), set off with our guide who will give an overview on all there is to explore, then provide time at leisure for you to see what interests you the most.  Spoiled for choice, you can visit the early 20th-century Pergamon Museum’s collection of antiquities and archaeology; Queen Nefertiti at home in the Neues Museum; the James Simon Gallery (designed by David Chipperfield and opened July 2019); or the modern and contemporary collection – including German Romantics and Expressionists – in the majestic Alt Nationalgalerie.

Dine together this evening at a traditional German restaurant where you can try some of the city’s best Käsespätzle or Bratwurst washed down by a local Pilsner or Weizen. 

THE HOTEL ADLON KEMPINSKI BERLIN (B, D)