Every year I try to go somewhere I have never been before. This summer it was Berlin and the Cotswolds. I took two of my nephews for their bar mitzvah trips along with my parents (because they don't trust me with my nephews alone!) It was a multi-generational trip and I highly recommend it.

If you have not yet been to Berlin it is a must on your to-do list. I had no idea what to expect as everyone who had visited told me it was one of their favorite cities. I could not imagine a city ravaged by war and division could be so interesting. But it is. And for all the history and all the memorials and the most amazing Jewish Museum I would not have missed it for the world. Before my trip I had no idea what went down during WWII or the Berlin Wall. Now I do and it's important to understand. That's all I am going to reveal about it for now.

One of the interesting things are the traffic lights. They are a bit different as seen above. Called "Ampelmann" because of the cute figures telling you to walk or not, the ones from East Berlin are still at intersections reminding the city of the days when the Wall was up. Searching for a souvenir to bring back - I just had to get a coffee mug with the little red man on it.

FYI our guide told us to read Erik Larson's book "In the Garden of Beasts - The extraordinary story of one family witnessing Hitler's rise to absolute power" and I am finding it riveting.