wall – Snapping The Globe

Off the Wall

An infinite number of billboards line the highway for miles between Rapid City and the tiny town of Wall (population 766).

Come to Wall Drug.

See Original Western Paintings at Wall Drug.

Don’t Miss Out. Wall Drug.

Wall Drug or Bust.

Wall Drug. The Experience. Priceless.

Only 5 cents. Hot Coffee. Wall Drug.

Free Ice Water. Wall Drug.

I was heading to the Badlands National Park, but I was intrigued and next thing I knew, I was taking exit 110 off of Interstate 90 and navigating to Wall Drug.

What was this amazing place that you could see dinosaurs, western oil paintings and get coffee for five cents?

First and foremost, Wall Drug is a drug store. It’s also a roadside attraction…a tourist stop…a restaurant…an art gallery…a shopping mall. Each store operates under the Wall Drug brand and attracts two million visitors annually who come to eat, purchase souvenirs, take pictures and see what the fuss is all about.

In 1931, Dorothy and Ted Hustead purchased the only drug store in Wall, South Dakota on the edge of the Badlands National Park. Though the store initially did not attract the attention it gets now, they both knew that Mount Rushmore would be finished in the near future and hoped that it would bring more visitors to the area.

Five years later, when business still had not picked up and cars continually passed them by, Dorothy, unable to sleep during the summer heat, came up with the idea to offer free water to travelers. Ted modeled 12 by 36 signs using Dorothy’s phrases, “Get a soda . . . Get a root beer . . . turn next corner . . . Just as near . . . To Highway 16 & 14. . . Free Ice Water. . . Wall Drug.” He spaced them out along the highway so that people could read them as they drove by.

Dorothy was right. People driving across that hot, dry prairie were very thirsty. They saw the signs and they stopped at Wall Drug, not only for ice water. And they never stopped stopping in.

Over the years, their drug store grew as did their promotions. Five cent coffee was added for those cold winter days and when the United States Air Force operated the Minuteman missile silos east of Wall, the Husteads offered free coffee and donuts to the service personnel as they traveled to and from Ellsworth Air Force Base.

As I pulled into the parking lot, I looked at the quaint buildings that lined each side of the street and was sorry that I didn’t have more time to spend in each…and sorry that I didn’t have a trusty steed to secure to one of the horsehead hitching posts.

Heading into the massive complex of stores that was Wall Drug, I was amazed at its interior. Quirky cowboy-themed statues lined its halls, mounted deer heads perched above my head and even a Zoltar fortune teller was available for everyone’s amusement. Native American tributes were abound, antique pieces scattered to and fro and there was even a Traveler’s Chapel should the need arise to offer up a prayer or two.

It was a great deal of fun wandering from store to store checking out all of the souvenirs and art pieces. I didn’t end up with lunch, which I had planned, but I did find a cute Christmas ornament which paid tribute to Wall Drug’s 5 cent coffee.

Though it was not originally in my plan for the day, I am glad that all of that advertising lured me in. A major part of South Dakota history, it was fun to see Dorothy’s plan in action and what the Husteads created in this small town.

Go get your free water!

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Wall Drug Store

https://www.walldrug.com/
Address: 510 Main Street, PO Box 401, Wall, South Dakota 57790-0401
Hours: Main Store, Monday-Saturday, 0800-1730, Sunday, 0800-1630. Cafe, Monday-Saturday, 0800-1700, Sunday, 0800-1600. Mall Shops, Monday-Saturday, 0830-1700, Sunday, 0830-1630. Pharmacy, Monday-Friday, 0830-1700.
Admission: free

Movin’ On Up…To the East Side

The wall.

For you and me, it could be the barrier between our bedroom and the hallway.

For Germans, during the years between 1961 and 1989, it meant something vastly different.

The Berlin wall was a heavily guarded, concrete barrier, that divided Germany both physically and politically during the Cold War. Constructed by the German Democratic Republic, it remained until its demolition in November 1990 after the reopening of the border in 1989.

There are many of my colleagues who remember the division of their country and more importantly, when the wall came down. One friend tells me that each time she comes back to Berlin, she still get emotional when she sees the portions of the wall that remain, reminders of the years of separation from her family.

Today, the wall is a large draw for visitors to Berlin, eager to see the physical barrier that split families and friends. There are quite few locations where the wall can be seen in the city, including Mauerpark, Checkpoint Charlie, the Berlin Wall Memorial, Schlesischer Busch Watch Tower, Potsdamer Platz and the longest remaining stretch at the East Side Gallery located on Mühlenstraße. Having visited the wall on a few occasions, it is always surprising to see how narrow it really was. I guess I always thought that its height and depth was what deterred people from scaling it and defecting to the other side, however, the guards and their machine guns were the real obstacle.

A few years ago, while on a tour bus, we had driven down Mühlenstraße and I was mesmerized by the brightly painted longest span of the wall. Why it had taken me so long to return, I am not sure, but on this trip to Berlin, I was going to take advantage of the sunny afternoon.

Arriving at the East Side Gallery, I decided to start at the part of the wall nearest to the Oberbaum Bridge, the iconic double decker bridge that crosses the River Spree (note to self, come check out this beautiful bridge on another trip to the city!).

At the start of the wall, there is the Berlin Wall Museum, located on the second floor of the Pirates of Berlin building, a great place to start your exploration of the history of the wall.

This museum, founded on the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Wall at Checkpoint Charlie (November 2014), highlights why and how the wall was built and how Germans, both East and West, suffered; how this aberration changed people’s lives. There are many historical facts, exhibitions, film clips and photos and a portion of the museum that commemorates the dead who died on the wall during its twenty-eight years of existence.

Mikhail Gorbachev had announced the founding of the museum on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Wall at Checkpoint Charlie in November 2014 in Berlin. A part of the museum is dedicated to him, as he is a trigger and guarantor of change and a peaceful revolution.

After my departure from the museum, I headed to the start of the wall and made my way down its length, taking the time to examine each of the one hundred and five murals painted by artists from all over the globe. Possibly the largest and longest lasting open-air gallery in the world, originated in 1990, the murals document the time of change when the wall fell and the jubilation that those affected by its presence experienced.

Though some of the paintings have suffered from exposure to the elements, the heritage protected landmark still draws over three million visitors every year. Work has been conducted to restore over a third of the murals and the effort continues.

Any visit to Berlin should include a stop at one of the remaining portions of the wall. The East Side Gallery is highly recommended for its artistic renditions of the joy felt around the world when the wall came down. Head first to the museum, walk the wall’s length and even check out the backside, filled with graffiti…the perfect place to enjoy both the river and an important historic landmark marking the reunification of Germany.

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East Side Gallery

http://www.eastsidegallery-berlin.com/
Address: Mühlenstraße 3-100, 10243 Berlin, Germany
Hours: 24 hours
Admission: free
Getting There: Nearest U-bahn stations, Warschauer Straße, Schlesisches Tor, Jannowitzbrücke

The Wall Museum

https://thewallmuseum.com/
Address: Mühlenstraße 78-80, 10243 Berlin, Germany
Hours: 1000-1900, daily
Admission: Adults, 12,50€, Students, 6,50€, Groups of 10 persons or more, 9,50€, Children up to 7 years, free
Getting There: Nearest U-bahn stations, Warschauer Straße, Schlesisches Tor, Jannowitzbrücke

Cross That Bridge When You Come To It!

Train travel in Switzerland is easy.

Efficient and far-reaching, it’s easy to go out and explore all that the country has to offer.

Having recently gotten a taste of venturing out to another city in Switzerland, I was ready for more! So…it was off to the train station to see what else I could discover.

The winner on this particular day?

Lucerne. Located only an hour from Zurich, it is an easy trip, albeit expensive, for the short time I had to spend there. The small city is known for its preserved medieval architecture, imposing mountains and beautiful Lake Lucerne.

History, architecture and nature! I couldn’t wait!

As we arrived at the modern train station, we anxiously peeked out in hopes that the blues skies that had been promised in the forecast were visible above.

No such luck.

A cool afternoon, it was quite overcast, the dim gray skies exaggerated by the dwindling light of the approaching winter season, yet, we anxiously ventured out, eager to see what the city would present.

When I had researched the Swiss city, the picture that I came across most often was of the beautiful bridges that span the River Reuss in the colorful Alstadt (Old Town).

This is what I most wanted to see and as luck would have it, they were extremely close to the station.

A quick two minute walk, past the archway (welcoming us to Lucerne) and a festive carousel brought us to the river. Just like in the pictures, here it was…the Kapellbrücke (Chapel Bridge)! I was aware that the bridge was beautiful from its exterior, yet when we set foot inside, I found out that so much more was to be discovered.

The 17th century, covered, diagonal footbridge links the Aldstadt to the Reuss River’s right bank. Destroyed by fire in 1993, it has been restored to it original beauty and is the oldest wooden, covered, truss bridge in Europe.

Named after St. Peter’s Chapel, located nearby, the bridge gives off the feeling of an ancient church, with its dark wood structure and ancient wood paneled paintings. These paintings, dating back to the 17th century, were created by local Catholic painter, Hans Heinrich Wägmann, during the Counter-Reformation. Though most of the originals, depicting events from Lucerne’s history, were destroyed in the devastating fire, about 30 were fully restored and command your full attention, sometimes requiring you to step to the side to allow those traversing the walkway to pass, while you spend a few moments studying each panel. These panels display the life and death of Lucerne’s patron saints, St. Leger and St. Maurice.

Also part of the bridge complex is the Wasserturm, or water tower, which stands proudly in the waters of the Reuss. Built about 30 years before the bridge’s construction, the tower has served as a prison, torture chamber and a municipal archive. Today, the tower houses a local artillery association and a tourist gift shop, however, it does not host visitors, except those seeking Swiss mementos.

Truly the symbol of Lucerne, I was awe-struck by the Kapellbrücke’s grand beauty, enhanced by the bright pink flowers that line its periphery. Once we crossed the bridge, assisted some beautiful young Japanese travelers with memorable photos and grabbed a quick beer in the nearby pub, it was time to head up the river to the other venerable structure which crossses Lake Lucerne’s tributary.

Linking the left and right banks of the River Reuss is the Spreuerbrücke. The Spreuerbrücke, or Spreuer Bridge, earning its name from the chaffs of wheat which were thrown in the river here, dates back to 1408 and was part of the city’s fortification. The bridge was constructed to connect the Mühlenplatz (Mill Place) on the right bank with the mills in the middle of the river.

From 1626 and for the next nine years, Kaspar Meglinger decorated the triangular panels in the bridge with 67 paintings that represent the Danse Macabre, leading everyone to understand that death is everywhere. Forty-five of the originals are still in existence today and contain the coat of arms of the donor in the lower left corner and coat of arms of the donor’s wife in the right. These paintings also contain portraits of the donors and explanations and the names of the donors.

Not the original bridge, the Spreüerbrucke was destroyed in 1566 by floodwaters but rebuilt with an added grain storehouse as the bridge head called the Herrenkeller. A small chapel can also be found in the middle of the bridge, a spot also marked with a crucifix mounted on the outside of the structure.

After crossing the Spreüerbrucke, though we wandered alongside the river, the third bridge was not to be found…the Hofbrücke, which once existed, was demolished in the 19th century.

Life in Lucerne revolves around its proximity to water as is evident by the Old Town’s location on the river’s banks. It’s easy to spend time perusing the historic homes, embellished with frescoes, that line the waterfront, browsing the watch and souvenir shops or dining at one of the many restaurants while watching joggers run by and swans glide gracefully in the clear, glacial water.

Though there was much more to explore in lovely Lucerne, I was glad that we had started with the bridges, the symbols of the city. Yet, our day wasn’t over. We had so much more to discover!

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Kapellbrücke

Address: Kapellbrücke, 6002 Luzern, Switzerland
Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Admission: free

Spreuer Bridge

Address: 6004 Lucerne, Switzerland
Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Admission: free