This is the German Democratic Republic mural depicting the one big happy family…which was a lie. April 26, 2016

This part of the historic Berlin Wall is the central site (and now the Berlin Wall Memorial) of German division, located in the middle of Berlin on Bernauer Strasse. But, I’ll have more on the wall and the memorial tomorrow. April 26, 2016

I was at the top of the Hop-on/Hop-off bus this afternoon when we came across this canal view on the Unter den Linden street and I just thought it was beautiful. April 26, 2016

I have a thing for functional, efficient and attractive public transportation and these trams shuttling people through Berlin city center are just beautiful to me. April 26, 2016

This iconic television tower, called Berliner Fernsehturm, was launched in 1958 and can be seen from anywhere in the city. April 26, 2016

The Reichstag, the seat of the German parliament, is one of Berlin’s most historic landmarks. The highlight of the Reichstag is its striking glass dome. April 26, 2016

I love ornate bridges with beautiful carvings and the Palace Bridge is now definitely high on my list of gorgeous bridges. Located on the eastern end of the Unter den Linden street, the bridge has eight of these figures, but only four are seen here, fashioned from Carrara marble. April 26, 2016

I conquered the S-Bahn train that brought me from my hotel in Savignyplatz to the Hackerscher Markt train station for my Original Berlin Walks tour called “Discover Berlin.” April 26, 2016

Another iconic Berlin site is Checkpoint Charlie. It is an important symbol of the Cold War, because it came to epitomize the separation between east and west. After the Berlin Wall was erected in 1961 by the East German government to prevent its citizens from fleeing to the more prosperous West, President John F. Kennedy ordered the U.S. forces to build three checkpoints at different locations along the wall so diplomats and allied forces could enter West Berlin. Checkpoint Charlie became the most famous. April 26, 2016

I was so hungry at dinner time that I started eating before I remembered to take the picture. I’m at Mar y Sol, a Spanish tapas restaurant in Savignyplatz, the section of Berlin where I’m staying. I’m enjoying chorizo, herbed potatoes and shrimp boiled with red peppers and garlic. And, to top it off, I’m having a glass…well two glasses…of Tinto de Verano…red wine with lemonade on the rock, that’s correct just one ice cube. It was all quite delicious! April 26, 2016

I don’t make a practice of hating, but I hate barriers. I hate being told what I can or can’t do or where I can or can’t go. And, seeing this concrete wall, meant to keep people in their place, against their will, infuriates me. On Aug. 12, 1961 the East German authorities decided to close the border around the Western sectors of Berlin in order to prevent people from fleeing. The next day, West Berlin was surrounded by barbed wire. Officially, it was an antifascist protection barrier to defend the East against Western aggression but in truth it separated families and kept people against their will. April 27, 2016

I walked through the out door Berlin Wall Memorial site, through a modern day neighborhood, and this monument for Olga Segler is part of the memorial. When the border was closed Aug. 13, 1961, Olga Segler was separated from her daughter in West Berlin. On the evening of Sept. 25, 1961, the 80-year-old Olga leapt into the fireman’s rescue net from the second floor of the apartment building at Bernauer Strasse 34. She was seriously injured and brought to the nearby Lazarus Hospital. The next day, Olga died from her injuries.

The wall ran directly in front of buildings on Bernauer Strasse. After barriers were erected, many residents living in these buildings by the wall tried to flee by sliding down ropes from their apartments or jumped into rescue nets, like Olga did, that the West Berlin fire department held ready. I can’t imagine what it would feel like to be separated from my own mother by a wall my government thinks is necessary to keep me separated from the ways of the West or from fleeing. April 27, 2016

This sculpture also part of the outdoor Berlin Wall Memorial is called “Reconciliation” by Josefina de Vasconcellos. It is a call for reconciliation following the devastation of World War II. April 27, 2016

Another part of the outdoor Berlin Wall Memorial are photos of individuals who died in an effort to get across the wall. April 27, 2016

This is a photo from 1961 that’s part of the outdoor Berlin Wall Memorial. It shows people on the east side showing their newborns to people on the west side. Imagine having to communicate with your family through a wall. April 27, 2016

This photo, which is also part of the outdoor Berlin Wall Memorial, shows the masses of people getting out during the opening of the wall on Nov. 11, 1989. April 27, 2016