Writer Steve

Who doesn’t love the Irish? Well, I do…I married one. But the Irish love us, too; Dublin is one international city that “really does” like Americans. I have previously written about the major Irish migrations to the United States and their enormous contribution to American culture and life and government, even though many of them came here as slaves or indentured servants at the time of the US Civil War. See the book "Going My Way? Tales of Travel" with chapter "We All Love the Irish."

Dublin goes back about three thousand years founded by local tribes, the Gael, and later reinforced by Viking invaders (about 840 AD) and settlers. Conflict between Irish warlords themselves and between Scotland and between Britain was common in those early years. Although born in Britain, St Patrick is credited with bringing Christianity and the Roman Catholic Church to Ireland in the 400’s. Under British rule it grew to the United Kingdom’s second largest city for a time. Aggressive English effort could not remove the Catholic influence and of course religious differences were a large part of the “troubles” of Northern Ireland together with British heavy handedness.

After revolution in 1916 and independence in 1922, Dublin has become the capital of the Republic of Ireland. Dublin metro now has about 2 million people. I have been there at least five times. Although I once had business interests (a TriVirix plant) in Belfast, Dublin remains my favorite Irish city. The people like to be “out and about” and rarely stay indoors; they like to be in groups in shopping centers, town centers with many parks and squares and their local pubs. They like to smoke ci******es and drink Guinness beer. They love great stories.

The word “Dublin” means “pool” or “dark/black pool” referring to its watery location off the ocean up the Poddle and Liffey Rivers.
The Normans first invaded from England in 1169 at the invitation of a feuding Irish warlord and Ireland remained, before independence, more or less under English influence ever since, particularly after Henry II wrestled control from local leaders such as Strongbow in 1171. Dublin Castle was built in 1204 by King John (Richard the Lionhearts most famous brother) to protect English influence. Queen Elizabeth established Trinity College as Anglican in 1592, closing St Patrick’s and Christ Churches, or converted them to Protestant.

Much important construction occurred in the 1700 and 1800’s (Temple Bar, the Four Courts, Custom House, Grafton Street, Merrion Square, Parliament House and the Royal Exchange). The modern era has seen removal of the old with new construction and economic success with financial and high tech firms coming in. One sign of the modern times is that rock star Bono and his associates own significant downtown real estate.

Unlike most other European cities, Dublin is not circular since it is not Roman, but rather linear, so it is best to tour by theme rather than location. Shopping is great: Dublin has Dundrum Suburban Center, Blanchardstown Center, the Square in Tallaght, Liffey Valley Shopping Center, the Omni Shopping Center, the Nutgrove Shopping Center, the Powerscourt Center and the Swords Pavilion. On a trip with Shirley, I just aimed her at one of them, and went off to government buildings and museums. Powerscourt Center was of special interest to Shirley and me since Lady Powerscourt, fiancée of John Nelson Darby, Admiral Nelson’s godson, financed the origins of what is now called the Brethren Movement, when John Darby was an Anglican Priest in Ireland graduated from Trinity. The huge Powerscourt estate is actually south of Dublin, in County Wicklow, and the site of Darby led conferences on Biblical prophecy in 1831 - 1833.

Dublin Castle has a fascinating history; take its tour. Although 800 years old the current Castle was mostly rebuilt in the 1700’s but still at the site of the “dark pool.” It was the home of the Lord Lieutenant Governor of Ireland and now in administrative and ceremonial use by the Irish Republic. The state apartments, St Patrick’s Hall and the Throne Room are particularly well decorated and impressive – I was able to sit on the King George IV throne for a few minutes. Paintings of various famous English leaders line the walls.

But the political side of the Irish Government is across town in Leinster House, the Parliament (Dail) with a House (166 members elected directly) and a Senate (60 members elected indirectly by the Vocations, the President and the Universities); attempts to abolish the Senate have failed. The major political parties of Ireland include Fiana Fail, Fine Gael, Shinn Finn and the Green Party; the current government includes the Greens, Fiana Fail and Fine Gael. The President, now Michael Higgins, serves for 7 years, elected directly, can have two terms, and lives in grand mansion in Phoenix Park (we drove over to the Park, but were not invited in for dinner); the American Ambassador’s residence is nearby. Once I was in Dublin during a national election; the street demonstrations were loud and fascinating to watch. Next door to Parliament is the important National Museum and the Irish Gallery of Art (Caravaggio, Jack B Yeats, JWM Turner and Monet).

Dublin is famous for its writers that include Bram Stoker (Dracula), CS Lewis (the Narnia Tales and Christian theology), Samuel Beckett (Waiting for Godot), Johnathan Swift (Gulliver’s Travels), WB Yeats (the Wanderings of Oisin), George Bernard Shaw (Pygmalion), Oscar Wilde (the Picture of Dorian Grey) and James Joyce (Ulysses).
Several museums are dedicated to them or include material on them including 14 Henrietta Street, the Irish Museum of Literature, the National Museum and the Little Museum. Oscar Wilde has his own statue and park in Merrion Square. Dublin has twelve important museums: find time for the Dublina and its Viking ships, the Sir Alfred Beatty Collection Museum, the Irish Emigration Museum and the Richmond Barracks for a great history of the 1916 Revolution (the “Rising”) the but stay away from the Kilmainhan Gaol (Jail).

Spend at least half a day at Trinity College to visit its famous reading room at the old library with the Book of Kells being its most famous volume, but it also is the largest library in Ireland. The Book of Kells, the first four biblical gospels, were hand copied by monks on the Scotch Island of Kells in about the 800 AD in Latin Vulgate with marvelous illustrations. Loyds of London has them insured at about 50 million dollars. The library’s reading room is also an important visit. Thomas Cahill credits this and other Irish monk libraries with rescuing, coping and preserving important documents after the fall of the Roman Empire and the destruction of its huge libraries in Rome and Alexandria in “How the Irish Saved Civilization.” Actually, the whole Trinity campus is interesting and worth a “walk around.”

On one trip I took a carriage ride (or use one of the Start-Stop bus tours) around town to drive along the Liffey River and across some of its famous 23 bridges (you might want to stop and walk across some – note the Samuel Beckett) to drive past the Dublin Spire (389 feet high, a second millennial monument, but not finished until 2005), to drive past the famous statues of the “Famine Sculptures” and then over to “Molly Malone” and to admire the fine architecture of Christ Church, the Old Post Office (site of the early 1916 ‘Rising) and St Patrick’s Cathedral. The locals use these famous sites as meeting locations as in “Meet me at the Molly Malone.”

There are seven major breweries (lots of small ones), the most famous Guinness, and seven major liquor distilleries, the most famous Jameson, in Dublin. Guinness was founded by the English family about 250 years ago in Dublin at St James Gate by Arthur Guinness and has been successful from the start; they have a 9,000 year lease but have outgrown their current site. Their headquarters is now in London, and they are part of the business group, Diageo. They produce a staggering 3 billion dollars’ worth of beer (three main varieties) per year, produce in about 50 countries, but nothing tastes better than Dublin brewed, and market in 120 countries Their tour is sophisticated and engaging and at the end they offer a pint of Guinness stout, and you can buy more (limit three per person.)

Sending our wives off shopping late one morning, a close friend and I decided that Jamesons needed close inspection. Jameson was founded by Scottish lawyer John Jameson in 1780 on Bow St and not immediately successful, but certainly is now. They have moved out to County Cork and produce a staggering 10 million cases of Irish Whiskey per year, marketing in 130 countries. They are now owned by Pernod Ricard. After a brief tour, we spent the afternoon in their lunch and tasting room since it was his treat. We started at 5 dollars a glass and after a couple of hours were up to the “really good stuff” at $60 per glass. Not Jameson’s fault, he came down with a cold that day, and even though not really his doctor, I gave him some prednisone.

Now, you will surely understand that I love Irish food, particularly real shepherd pie (with lamb, not beef). My favorite Dublin restaurants include Nancy Hands, Reillys, O’Neills, Glovers Alley, Mannigans, the East Side Tavern, Mulberry Garden, the Winding Stair, Bang, 31 Lennox, Pichet, Trocardero, Ryleighs and the Shelbourne Hotel.

The Irish have a bitter-sweet saying: “We Irish do not always have troubles, but we have enough to get us through the good times.”

slán a fhágáil

A Farewell to Mayor Frank

First published in part June 11, 2022 by the Morning News and SCNow and reproduced here with permission.

Frank Willis

A life well lived...A life of Service

Always Mayor Frank to me, Frank Willis died quietly June 10, 2022. An unexpected loss for us all.

Frank came into city politics through the business world, a roads contractor, not typical for our established order. But he shone and he rose to the top of our town, getting all of us ready for economic expansion and the growth we all have come to enjoy and expect. He helped to develop our attitude of achievement, our expectation for excellence and particularly the exuberance of our downtown. During most of this time he was also lucky to have the vivacious Marguerite at his side.

I met Mayor Frank through what was called Florence County Progress, him asking me to be his membership recruiter. We became fast friends over the years and even travelled some together. But even on our trips, Frank wanted to talk about Florence: how to develop infrastructure to support the future, how to grow the economy and how to grow opportunity. I miss those thoughtful, reflective and yes, even ambitious, conversations.

We also had some adventures together...the stories his friends could tell!!

Mayor Frank looms large in the history of Florence. He brought us to the Florence we now enjoy - he enabled his successors to thrive.

And so Mayor Frank lives on.....stroll downtown Florence; visit some of our parks, particularly the Veterans Memorial Park; drink our water................................ and appreciate his impact.

Stephen lmbeau

Most recent Dr Imbeau column published February 9, 2022 on Haifa, Israel reproduced here by permission.

If you like my columns, ,you will like my books at www.amazon.com/author/stephenaimbeau

Most of us have a mental picture of the Middle East as heated desert with cultures in conflict, often violently, and so it can be. But NOT Haifa. Although I have been specifically to Haifa only once, I have explored through Northern Israel many times. Haifa is one of my favorites partly, I suppose, because of friends living there, and partly because of its outdoor life, its multicultural business buzz and its zest for life. It is a walking city and no desert in sight.

Haifa is a beautiful small city of about 300,000 population, nestled between harbor and ocean running up and along a hill they call Mt Carmel. And it has been there in some form for about 3300 years.
The name has evolved over the years from Canaanite, Latin and Persian/Arabic, probably meaning “fruit/sumak” or “near the seashore;” the Greeks and Jews say the name might have come from Caiaphas.

It became a more important industrial and port city in the late Muslim or near modern era starting from about 1750. Part of its multicultural heritage reflects forward to today and helps to explain its free spirit and vibrant sense of community. It has been ruled by Canaanites, Israelites, Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Ottomans, Egyptians, the British and now the Israelites again. The city itself over the years was home to large populations of Syrians and Turks, then Crusaders mostly German and French (you can still explore the German Colony and nearby Muslim markets), then the Bahai, then the early major Jewish migrations from North Africa, Turkey and Romania and then from Central Europe; so that even the Jewish populations in Haifa are diverse.

Without intent, Haifa became a truly international city; its common to walk along and hear three or four languages, all from the locals. But all this diversity did not prevent the chaos of the times during the end of the British Mandate and the establishment of the Jewish state, as there were shelling and bombings into and within Haifa. Ironically, the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv were trying to drive the Arabs and Bahai out of Haifa while the locals, including even the mayor, were working overtime to keep them. Much of this conflict has been forgotten or forgiven. The Bahai have become an important part of the city, both with real estate and influence and as a tourist draw, and even the Catholic Carmelite Monastery on Mr Carmel is a tourist draw. Only once did I see hostility, with an Arab waitress at one of the many beach restaurants that line the ocean, who yelled at we dumb Americans, not knowing some of us understood her insults and tropes – by the way the food was great, just not the waitress’ prejudice.

Besides tourism the major business of Haifa is education (the top three schools of all Israel are there - the University of Haifa, the Hebrew Reali School and the Technion Institute (see the Mada Tech Center); other key business include shipping, refining, maybe a surprise, but electronics and “high tech,” and chemicals (akin to Basle, Switzerland, dye making went back to Canaanite times). Maybe peculiar to me, but I enjoyed watching the ships coming and going out of the harbor.

Since its easier to go downhill than uphill, start your tour atop Mt Carmel at the University of Haifa. Stroll its campus and explored its excellent library and museums of early Haifa life, culture, art and history that include some life-sized exhibits. Carmel Park is nearby. You probably should take a cab, or the underground to downtown, in any event, over the hill to the Carmelite Monastery (Stella Moris) and Lighthouse. The Chapel is fabulous with ceiling art and a statue dedicated to Elijah of Old Testament times; Elijah withstood Jezebel nearby and hid in a cave here, before fleeing further south to Sinai. Then down to seaside, turning south to famous beaches and north to the city.

Oddly enough, since now a Jewish city, the Bahai Center and Gardens are the most prominent tourist point in Haifa, greeting over a million visitors per year. The Bahai Faith grew out of Iran/Persia from one individual Muslim believing in one creator god, a unified humanity and a unified world/universe; he is now called the Bab, and his successor, Bahaullah, is recognized by adherents as the Messiah of the Hebrew and Muslim scriptures. The Bab was executed in Persia in 1850, but his mausoleum is now in Haifa. The Bahai Faith now has about 9 million worldwide adherents, the largest number in India. Haifa is its world center; curiously, there is a small Bahai center in Kingstree, SC with a major radio station/transmitter. Fleeing persecution in Persia and Turkey the Bahai adherents began buying up land in Haifa in about 1870 from the Ottoman government based in Acre accumulating about 1000 acres in the heart of Haifa, running from mountain top to the harbor. The amazing gardens are built down the hill (finished in 2001) deliberately in 19 terraces and 1000 steps, to include a library, offices, meeting centers, the Universal House of Justice and the Bab Mausoleum. Expect to spend about half a day here; I was able to talk my way into all the buildings, save the Bab Mausoleum/Temple (I was a Gentile non-believer). Some guards were conversational, but most just looked at me in polite silence. Curiously, few Bahia really live in Haifa anymore, they are there only because of the Center. A fascinating factoid: the gardens require about 400 swimming pools of water per day, and water is the highest single overhead expense – also no machinery is allowed in the gardens, all work is done by hand.

Make time for side trips around Haifa…the local history and architecture is great and the ambiance of history, important. I suggest at least one day along the coast to Acre, Caesarea and Nahariyya: Acre is famous for its Crusader and Ottoman Empire days and Caesarea for its Roman days (interesting factoid: the sea walls at Caesarea are even now well preserved cement walls and piers poured under seawater, something we STILL TODAY have trouble doing). Save at least another day for the Galilee area and its important Hebrew and Roman/Orthodox Catholic sites, monuments, architecture and artwork; spend some time at Beth Shan and Mallott if you can. Cute story: one day, Alex and I, driving a couple of Florence, SC folks around Galilee, began to argue over or disobey our Israeli Waze GPS in English system “lady” to the consternation of our passengers – so I whispered to Alex to dial it to a language they would not know – problem solved – and we could still argue. Another time Alex and I were warmly allowed to join an American Jewish wedding within an ancient Synagogue in Zippori, once used by the Sanhedrin; we were not invited wedding guests, of course.

By now you all know I like small, family style restaurants and my favorite foods are Italian, French, Chinese, Middle Eastern and Indian – but really, I like food everywhere and have eaten almost everything from snake to monkey. Unfortunately, my favorite restaurant in Haifa is a place you probably can’t get into…..the kitchens of Aggie and Alex majestically perched atop Mt Carmel overlooking both the Bay and the Ocean. They have plotted to make me gain weight, as they feed me almost every two waking hours, no matter “what.” But you will enjoy, as have I, Ein El Wadi, Fattoush, Kandarim and Abu Marun. I would be amiss not to also recommend Nof Chinese.

Shalom….Lehitraot

My most recent column on Geneva published October 20, 2021 and reproduced here by permission of the Morning News and SCNow.

if you like my columns, you will like my books at www.amazon.com/author/stephenaimbeau.

Geneva is a grand city, built on hills along the south-western shore of Lake Geneva, famous for its offshore fountain and citizens with great legs and stamina (the hills, smile). It has become a financial center, a center of culture, a center for international organizations and a center for peace, even though not the Swiss capital. It is ranked the ninth most livable city in the world. It is small, with a metro population of about 500,000. It is in the French sector of Switzerland at the southwest tip of Lake Geneva (see “Going My Way?” Page 7 for a train trip along the lake’s southern shore). I have been there five times.

The name is based on the Celtic, adapted into Latin by Julius Caesar, and means “bend” or “knee” (of the Rhone River). The Swiss tribes first organized the area. It became part of the Roman empire in about 120 BC and then brought under the Holy Roman Empire in the early Middle Ages by the House of Savoy until the Catholic influence was overcome by the Protestant Reformation; John Calvin formed the Geneva Republic and ruled, twice. An important Bastion Park monument was built in 1909, the Reformation Memorial honoring William Farrell, John Calvin, Theodore Bezsa and John Knox; other Reformation/Protestant leaders standing nearby include William the Silent, Gaspard de Coligny, Frederick of Brandenburg, Roger Williams, Oliver Cromwell and Stephen Bocskay – and just across the grass a complicated memorial to the International Red Cross and Henri Dunant. The local youths curiously gather here on weekends to drink, do drugs and cavort, with little regard for the history; the same park is a common site of protests and outdoor chess games.

About two hundred years later the French Catholics regained control, until after the Napoleonic wars, when Geneva joined Switzerland. In 1907 Switzerland separated Church and State. Despite the impact of Calvinism, the city is now once again Catholic, with large French immigration since Napoleon ( now 40% Catholic, 25% agnostic and 15% Protestant). Once I was amused to attend one Sunday morning a service in an old Catholic Church that was being shared by a Brethren Assembly, a Reformed Congregation and a Catholic Mass, all in their own parts of the same structure, each group with its own entrance and signage. The most striking church buildings are Notre Dame, Cathedral St Pierre, the St Germain Church and the Russian Church – several with important art and artifacts. The World Council of Churches is headquartered in Geneva.

Because it is small, Geneva is very walkable, but be prepared for the lake front hills. It is divided into 8 boroughs that they call “quartiers.” Begin your tour along the lake front strolling through the English Garden Park (1854, named for its English style) to admire its many flowers in season, the famous Flower Clock, the National Monument (1869, Geneva joins Switzerland), several monuments to Geneva artists and the Geneva Boat (where the Austrian Princess “Sissi” was stabbed – see previous essay on Vienna) which serves tourist meals and enjoy a Grand View of the Lake – the Riverside Bar also nearby; continue on to the Grange and the Arboretum. Nearby are several museums, an old jail, several old churches in the Old City with remaining Roman walls and old street signs (with amusing names). Along the lake front itself, beware ducks and swans, admire the amazing Water Jet Fountain (1886, moved in 1891) spraying up to a height of 460 feet, and walk in front of famous buildings and monuments, particularly to the International Red Cross (founded in 1863 in the aftermath the Italian wars of 1859 – the original Geneva Convention adopted 1864 ), famous hotels and stunning old homes and some new condominium towers. On both sides of the Rhone the lake front boulevards are very walkable with the Mont Blanc bridge providing easy access to both sides (the north side is called the “right side”).

The city is dotted with public art and statures, some famous: Charlie Chaplin, The People, the Little Mermaid, the mythical Greek Acis (Sicilian lover of Galatea), Captain Corto Maltese (famous fictional Italian/French sailor), Freddie Mercury (surprise!), St. Leger, Henri Dunant (Red Cross founder), Jean Jacque Rousseau, Boy with Fish, Boy with Horse, General Dufour (general and map maker who helped forge modern Switzerland and initiate the Red Cross), The Brunswick Mausoleum (the Duke an infamous, but very wealthy, carouser, French-German who gave millions to the City in exchange for this Mausoleum, having been forced to leave Germany and France because of his behavior), A Woman, Mahatma Gandhi and Princess Sissi.

The UN Headquarters is worth most of a day, the Palace of Nations. The UN established its European headquarters here in 1946. The Palace was built in 1929 (since expanded 6 times) for the headquarters of the League of Nations. The UN has 33 agencies in Geneva, most at the Palace, even though it also has a major European office in Vienna and a lesser one in Rome. The most important UN agencies in Geneva including the High Commission for Refugees, for Human Rights, the World Health Organization, the International Labor Organization and the International Telecommunications Union. The Palace is an impressive building with an entrance lined with the flags of the member nations. Its architecture, walkways and sculpture gardens (the Broken Chair and the Globes – both the ”Sphere Within a Sphere” and the primary globe sculpture called “Thoughts and Desires” ) , the grand Assembly Hall; the conference rooms and council chambers are all well-appointed with important modern art with sculptures, frescos and wall hangings; particularly impressive are the Spanish ceiling in the Chamber of Civilizations, the Russian Peace Sculpture, the French Reception rooms and the Chagall Window. Son Andrew gave his maiden UN speech from the stage of the Assembly Hall, but only his brother and I were in audience, but at least we did not need interpreters. Conveniently, the home of the Russian Ambassador is across the street; we boldly waived at the cameras, but no response.

Surprisingly, Geneva is home to about a third of the World’s Commodities exchange even for oil and sugar, so therefore large international trading companies are in town such as Cargill (headquarters in Minneapolis), OPEC (headquarters in Vienna) and BNP Paribas (headquarters in Paris) and accompanying banks and wealth management private banks such as HSBC, JP Morgan, the Rothschilds, the Lombards and The Mirabaud Group. Geneva competes with the Gnomes of Zurich and is has the largest per capita income in all Europe. The world’s oldest International Studies educational program was begun in Geneva in 1924 growing up with the League of Nations, and several other prominent programs have come alongside.

Geneva has 36 museums, about one third State owned. Their unusual collections of old watches, scientific instruments, musical instruments, ceramics and glass, rare books and famous Swiss artists, including Giacometti, are all noteworthy. Sadly, the most important art in Geneva is locked up in private collections in the Geneva Free Port, possibly to be never seen again by the public.

My favorite Geneva restaurants (there are about 2000 restaurants in Geneva) include L ’Agape (the staff helped me in an emergency), L-Aparte’ (they let us in without ties), Les Armures, Boef Rouge (my friends will know why I like this place), the Living Room, Vieux Port, Le Mexicain (surprise, but excellent), Café du Soleil, Café de Paris Sauce, Demi Luen and the Pekin Palace.

Adieux

NINE - ELEVEN 20th Memorial Essay

First published September 9, 2021 and reproduced here by permission of the Morning News and SCNow.

If you like my articles, you will like my books at www.amazon.com/author/stephenaimbeau

A Day of Horror - September 9, 2011

It was a beautiful late summer Tuesday morning. I typically get to work early in the morning for paperwork and to collect my thoughts for the day ahead.

About 8:30 that morning I stood up to look at the train yard across the street, a favorite view. The small TV set on my desk, long before our ubiquitous down streaming internet, suddenly took a high pitch. I moved to look and in horror saw a large commercial jet liner heading straight for the North Twin Tower in New York City.

My first thought was oh, no, this can’t be happening again, as I remembered the 1945 B25 crash into the Empire State Building in fog and Corey Lidle’s 2006 crash into a condo building, misjudging the width of the river. NO, this was into the city, in perfect weather, where no plane should ever go.

AND THEN I WATCHED DUMB FOUNDED, IN SHOCK, as it plowed right into the Tower, 8:46 AM, covering what looked like about 10 floors. The Smoke and the Fire. I couldn’t believe it. I screamed and yelled, and the rest of the office came running. And then only a few minutes later another one; now obvious, of course, that “this” was terrorism, this was a bombing. At 9:03 AM the second plane crashed into the South Tower.

The TV crews went crazy, reaching out to the mayor’s office, the police and the fire department. And they all came, along with nearby priests, to bravely face the burning buildings and save people. Their courage and their skill was breathtaking, long lines of firefighters, with gear and hoses, rushing to enter the buildings, but some to never return. Because, in only an hour and 42 minutes, the buildings began to quiver and smoke and then collapse, like a tired slinky, all the way down to the ground.

“The Horror, the Horror.” We couldn’t be sure until later, but it looked like people jumping and trying to scale down the buildings.

The first weekend of November, Shirley and I visited the site. We watched one of the main steel beams, twisted, being removed on a huge truck. We held hands with some tourists and Irish, Hispanic and Black Cops and Firefighters and cried.

Stephen A Imbeau

The quote is from “Apocalypse Now” by Francis Ford Coppola and United Artists, 1979.

Stephen A. Imbeau Follow Stephen A. Imbeau and explore their bibliography from Amazon.com's Stephen A. Imbeau Author Page.

My Favorite International Cities #7 - Berlin
First published September 22, 2021 and reproduced here by permission of the Morning News and SCNow.com.

Although reluctant in early life to go to Germany, duty, conventions, tourism and daughter Stephanie all called. By now I have been to Berlin 10 -15 times. It has grown on me to become one of my favorite cities. In particular, I love its “wide open” spaces (1/3 of the city is green space), the determination and hard charging attitude of the people and its general modern spirit of gusto teeming with about 4.5 Million people in its Metro. Come with me for a brief history and tour.

Of course, Berlin was damaged in World War II, not as severely as Dresden nor Frankfort, but now rebuilt and thriving, even surviving with renewed vigor the Communist division of 1945 to 1991 (but all foreign troops not withdrawn until 1994) with its fatigue and drabness, mostly with American, Arab States, Russian, Japanese and Chinese money. The Berlin Wall, built by the Russians to keep Germans in East Berlin, fell in 1989. Berlin is proud to be once again the capital city of all Germany since 1999. See “Mr. Gorbechev, tear down this wall” Morning News, July 3, 2018.

Germania attracted Roman attention about 100 BC with later famous excursions and conquest by Julius Caesar and Augustus. But the Romans were interested in the natural resources, in access to water, in a northern land buffer for Italy, in trade routes and for country retreats; besides they really didn’t want large gathering of peoples, and so developed no large cities. The Germans were at first pleased with Roman influence and embraced the Romans, moving south and joining the Roman legions. As Roman influence wanned the Germany peoples fought among themselves, against the Romans and against their Western neighbors to form the Franks or Franco-Germanic peoples, with influence waxing and waning between local and regional leaders. In the 800’s some regional capital cities were built mainly for trade as the economies were still basically agrarian. Charlemagne (Charles the Great) was able to gather many French/German tribes together into what was called the “Holy Roman Empire” or as he preferred “The Empire of the Franks and the Lombards;” over the years he found himself fighting not the Roman Empire, but rather the Roman Church. Eventually, Slavic tribes from the east also mixed in with the Saxons and Franks to the west; even today many towns in the eastern part of Germany have slavish names.

Berlin began as a city in the 1200’s with the combination of Spandau, Koepenick and Colln nestling themselves along the banks of the Spree River. It became the center for the Elector of Brandenburg in 1415 and reinforced by the Hohenzollern family to become the center of their Elector government that eventually became the Kingdom of Prussia in 1701; incredibly the family ruled until 1918 (longevity akin to the Medici in Florence, Italy). The family began building projects including Berlin (the City) Palace in 1451. The Lutheran revolution disturbed the city, but by 1539, the city and the government was solidly Lutheran. The Thirty Years War devastated Berlin; the war can be simplified and portrayed as partly Catholic vs Protestant, partly a German civil war, and partly Northern Europe vs Southern Europe – it was finally ended by the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. The war destroyed about a third of Berlin and it lost about half of its population to death and emigration. Curiously, in order to rebuild Berlin, the Elector Frederick William issued the 1685 Proclamation of Potsdam to encourage immigration to Berlin of Huguenots from all over Europe to avoid Catholic persecution and by 1700 30% of the city was French, plus other immigrants from Bohemia, Poland, and Salzburg. Rebuilt and successful again by 1701 the family named Berlin the new capital of the Kingdom of Prussia, Frederick III, of Brandenburg declared himself then to be the new King, Frederick I of Prussia. The Berlin land area was increased with amalgamation with Freiderichasweder, Freidrichastadt and Dorotheesnstadt. By 1740 the city was successful enough to be consider the center of the Enlightenment (think Immanuel Kant and later, German Higher Criticism – curiously, still resonating today, the City birthed the Critical Race Theory philosophy, from 1927-1937) and to attract temporary military occupation by Russia (Seven Years War (what Americans call the French and Indian Wars), 1762) and Napoleon (1806). The Industrial Revolution cemented Berlin as the most important German City and in 1871 it was named the Capital of all Germany.

Both the architecture and economy of Berlin flourished after the two World Wars. The whole county is proud of their government center the Reichstag and their cultural achievements in the arts, theater and architecture. The population zoomed to about 4 million and despite political turmoil became ever richer as a tourist center and the physical spirit of the Roaring Twenty’s (see the movie, Cabaret, and the novel series, the Berlin Stations by David Downing) stretching into the 30’s. Albert Einstein of Berlin, won a Novel Prize for Physics in 1921. The Berlin economy now is dominated by the service sector, with around 84% of all companies doing business in services. Important economic sectors include life sciences, transportation, information and communication technologies, media and music, advertising and design, biotechnology, environmental services, construction, e-commerce, retail, hotel business, and medical engineering.

Begin your Berlin tour at the Brandenburg Gate, built in the 1700s to mark the road to Brandenburg, now one of Europe’s most famous architectural landmarks. To one side is the Reichstag with the Bundestag (Parliament) with both old and new buildings, some of modern, striking glass and the other as above, surviving the N***s. To the other is a solemn Memorial to the Holocaust (the Memorial to the Killed Jews of Europe) with solid stone coffin-like blocks, all in different sizes, but even so, also smile as the children climb over them, unawares of the dreadful events of the 1930-1940s. Berlin has enabled bronze bricks/pavers throughout the City to mark the address of all exported Jews from the Holocaust. Basically, part of the same complex are monuments to the Berlin Wall with slabs still standing and preserved with appropriate text. Curiously, the new American embassy is RIGHT THERE, too, but deliberately across the line in the old east or at least straddling the two old sectors. And along some side streets, mounds of grass along the route of the Wall built up to its old height, now playgrounds for children and picnic spots. And within just a block or so is the old Checkpoint Charlie (guarded crossing betwixt East and West), now with volunteer actors and several private museums, all great for pictures.

Just along the canal behind the Brandenburg Gate looms the old Berlin City Palace, now a great museum of both art and lost kingdoms. Nearby loons the Dom Berlin, the old, still magnificent Catholic Church, but no longer Catholic, of course, basically a museum piece with marvelous and amazing interior art and architecture. Further along this direction opens the old Center of the East German Government, now much changed, some buildings taken down, but with dour architecture reflecting a dour and oppressive regime, now past. By the way the hotels in the old east sector are great and bit cheaper than in the west (I prefer, don’t laugh, Best Western and Dorint).

Now turn back to the opposite side of the Bundestag, across the great park (the Tiergarten), a huge collection of high quality museums: the Bauhaus, the Musical Instruments, Haus Der Kultrum, KPM, the Berlin State Museums (5), the Collectors Rooms, the Film Museum and the Science Center. Set aside at least two days for these visits. Go to Museum Island on the north end of Spree Island, for even more museums; the Berlin State Museums (6), the Humbolt Box and the Islam Museum . You really can’t miss the area of the Charlottenburg Castle: the Abyuss, the Berlin State Museums (4), the Brohan, the Photography Museum, the Villa Oppenheim, the Palace, Das Verborgene, the Kerunik and the Museum of Architecture. We also love the Train Museum.

Now if you really like to walk, go back to the Gate and trek the Great Park towards the magnificent Column to Victory; feel free to wander among the adjoining shrubs and forest; free yourself, relax. Somewhere within the forest is also Europe’s most famous and important Zoo. It’s easy to see the landmark Berlin Radio tower along the way. But you also can use the marvelous public transport tram and subway system (called the U-train and the S-train).

My teenaged boys loved the new City ExpoCenter (the Messe Berlin) particularly after I fell asleep, but so did I, even by day, with great stores, restaurants, several dramatic ,office towers and a few more museums. Ignore that it was all built with Japanese money to worship their cars, electronics and stores. The Convention Center is also here, and once I almost talked my way, with some old tickets, into the famous International Film Festival, passing through two levels of guards, but thwarted at the very doors themselves – oh, well, I got to watch some famous people pass by.

Keep this paragraph a secret, please. But it’s “neat” that you can visit the old Gestapo and KGB/Stasi offices; for a while the old Russian paperwork was actually left in place, well not all of it, now secured in vaults. These old offices are only six blocks apart. But the west did discover the unfortunate end of Raoul Wallenberg through the old files. I also like the Russian Memorial Park in Treptower Park with fascinating stonework, some history of the USSR and Russia and memorials including to their unknown soldier and a striking statute of a weeping, comforting “Mother Russia”; the Russians suffered 7,000 dead and 80,000 wounded in the Battle of Berlin. All this despite their evil treatment of Wallenberg.

I love German food, even those dishes turned aside by most Americans. Be sure to visit any neighborhood restaurant you wish, they are all excellent, but my usual compulsive memory fails me on the names. Typical of the well organized German, many restaurants have tourist sections, some with rooms or areas where they only use English menus (but beware, the prices are often higher on the English menus – do not ask for English menus, German words are mostly “English like”) and some even have rooms just for schnitzel. The Germans still love beer, although their white wines can be excellent, and wine is rising in popularity; you can buy draft beer in huge steins or even tall pipes that loom over your table. There are restaurants that they call “gartens” that serve only beer, or only wine, along with some food, often schnitzel or brats with spatzle or bread…these places are great in warm weather with large outdoor serving areas, but more common in southwest Germany, rather than Berlin.

And save one day for Potsdam. We remember it for the Potsdam Conference and the Church of Peace. Potsdam was the old capital of the German Empire, once mighty and rich, ruling much of Europe since about 200 years before WW II (Germany, Austria (although Austria might say it ruled Germany - Vienna is on our tour, soon), parts of Russia, France, Northern Italy, Denmark, and some of the Balkans). The palaces are magnificent, gathered around a central plaza, and almost overwhelming particularly the Sanssouci, competing with Louis XIV Versailles, Peter the Great, Nero and Solomon.

Take two pairs of shoes and lots of film or camera chips.