As exciting as that tid-bit was, there is so much more to talk about in regards to our time in Berlin.
Let's begin at the begining. Our train left Mainz at 4:05am last Sunday. Yes, 4:05am. After riding on 5 different trains we arrived in Berlin at 2:45pm. Yes, a 10 hour journey. We both slept off and on but Sam less so because he was afraid someone might do something to the sleeping Americans (i.e. take their luggage).
Our hotel was great. Sidenote- We have learned that even if you book a room for two you will always get two single beds (sometimes pushed together, sometimes not) unless you specifically request a king size bed. The hotel was in the prime tourist location. All of the main sights were within walking distance. Due to time constraints though, we did take a tour bus to make sure we got at least a glimpse at the important things.
We took oh-so-many pictures. I can only do my best to remember where each of them were taken and what they entail.
The Hauptbahnhof (main train station). The largest one in Europe.
My favorite part was the Holocaust memorial. Thousands of concrete blocks (interpret them as you will) spread out with a museum underneath. The museum is unique because it is so personal (specific names and families with their real stories).
This is the T.V. tower. The tallest structure in Berlin. Our hotel, the Park Inn, is right behind it.
A church that was destroyed in the war with a new reinterpretation/memorial on the side.
A well-known sculpture in the center of East Berlin.
A parking lot of "Trabbies". The car of communist Berlin.
A hot air balloon that tourists can pay $20 to go up for 15 minutes...
Berlin's town hall.
The front of "Museum Island" - it lies between two rivers. Berlin is known for it's amazing museums.
Humboldt University.
This is the infamous hotel where Michael Jackson held is baby out the window.
Tourists getting their Passports stamped with the old East and West Berlin day pass stamp.
The most widely recognized symbol of Berlin, the Brandenburg gate.
A memorial to those who held high political positions and tried to resist Hitler's regime and were mudered for it.
Just your classic man on a horse statue. Surely Sam remembers the details of this one and will promptly edit this caption.
The view of Alexander Square where our hotel was.
Opera house.
Berlin's "Dom" (Cathedral). Only finished in the late '90's! That is, finished with RE-construction after the city was completely leveled in the war.
Spree River.
This is the "Reichstag". Berlin's public parliamentary building and a popular tourist site because of the glass dome on top. We waited in line for over two hours to go up there. Quite the view of Berlin. We had an audio guide to tell us about all of the things we saw. Very cool but I suggest getting there before 9am to avoid the line!
A few shots from inside the dome...
Here is the wall. The real wall that once diveded East and West Berlin. They have left a small chunk of it up for a memorial.
Checkpoint Charlie. A point along the wall where Americans had to pass through in order to travel to the opposite side. This guy stands there and charges tourists to take pictures with him. Or you could just take one OF him for free...
I'll end with my two favorite pictures of the Brandenburg gate:
The first from inside the famous chocolate shop, made entirely of chocolate!
The second we took on our last night in Berlin. Not bad for our little camera, huh?
Overall, we enjoyed Berlin and are very grateful to Senator Fulbright for making that trip possible! Sam appreciated it more than I did (because of the history for one thing). I felt it was so touristy, so crowded, so much construction and just not the typical beautiful German city we have become used to. I wish we could have spent more time there because I know there is so much more to see outside of the main down town area. Sam did actually have conferences and events he had to attend so we did our best to fit in what we could. Everyone we talk to LOVES Berlin. I did like it, I just didn't LOVE it.
