Bicycles, boats and Berlin!!

I did it! Got on that bicycle and took the 4-hour city tour. And I didn't fall off once!

Gene got his T-shirt! Whew, mark that off the bucket list.

We really put on the miles in Berlin, walking, boating, bike riding and taking the bus and underground. It is a big city and we covered it multiple times. Beautiful sun sets. Chilly mornings and perfect days.

We met up with Irene and enjoyed a great Turkish dinner with her in the "Deutsche Opera" neighborhood. This is right in front of our hotel.


Saw a lot of sights in two days. Could have definitely seen more if we had read Rick Steves' suggestions before we got in line. Twice we wanted to go to sights that were reservation only. Darn!! Something left for us to see next time. We managed to get into two out of the 150 museums.

Here are my photo winners for Berlin:
Most sights in one photo!

I took this photo of Berlin (below) to share as much as I could in one photo. First, look at the amazing blue sky with white, puffy, clouds, then scan down to the big building on the left, this is the last Hitler-era building left in Berlin, it is huge, in order to make us feel small (it works), just below it with the gray cap, you will see the remains of the Berlin Wall. This little stretch is one of only a few places where it is still standing. And below that, you will see people looking at an open air museum called "Topography of Terror" which tells the story of the Nazi party from early 1920's to the final days. It progresses from left to right, Gene and I went from right to left, our museum karma was off today. It is located in the remains of the basement of the actual Nazi Party engine room where the Gestapo and SS had their command centers. These types of exhibits usually give me the shivers, but the sun shine and the kids running around and playing kept me feeling hopeful that this era is gone for ever. Finally, check out the crane in the background. Berlin is still rebuilding, cranes are still dotting the city and it is beautiful.



Most interesting sight! I liked the Memorial to the Murdered Jews. A very interesting memorial.

It is a series of cement blocks, lined up in varying sizes. When you walk into it, you disappear into a maze with other people appearing, then disappearing. The wavy walkways give you the sense of things getting bigger and smaller. It is really interesting. It is supposed to be experiential, no explanations, and no names. It is a public place, so there are people crawling all over it. I left feeling that it was a powerful image and one that makes you ponder the 6 million lives it represents. But it has been very controversial and many people don't like it at all.






Best sight! Brandenburg Gate!! Totally awesome, beautiful, bigger than I imagined. Definitely beats out the other 54 statues and gates we saw:)

Well, we pack up for Dresden tomorrow. Will see Irene for one last breakfast.

Berlin is hopping, glad we stayed an extra day.