Berlin
We arrived in Berlin around 3:30pm with our two personal tour guides, Laura and Chris. Actually they didn't know Berlin all that well, but obviously can read and speak German so were a huge help. And it was very nice to be able to spend more time with them both.
First thing was to catch a train to Alexanderplatz, a vibrant shopping district. We then began walking with no real plan other to head towards Brandenburg Gate. There were heaps of people out and about in the main street Unter den Linden and we enjoyed the walk, passing Museum Island - with at least 6 different museums, and just people watching. First impressions were of a pretty funky town with people on bikes everywhere. We found the bikes amusing, some were circular, some rectangular, both with about 8 people aboard, all pedalling, and some drinking beer as they went. We also saw a bike with a mattress out the back, so two people could lie down whilst the guide did all the pedalling.
Brandenburg Gate was much as you have seen on TV, quite large and impressive. It has been around in one form or another since the 18th Century and was repaired after WW2.
Over the next 2 1/2 days we have walked in excess of 20kms and caught so many trains. We have seen some historic sites and beautiful buildings including Checkpoint Charlie, Charlottenburg Palace, the Holocaust Memorial, the Siegessaule (Berlin Victory Column), Concert House, Berlin Wall remnants and Guard Tower, the Reichstag (Parliament Building) and any number of other buildings. We also visited the Berlin Wall and the Jewish Museums, spending several hours in each. A quick note on the trains, the stations are quite strange in that there are no gates or barriers, nor did we see any ticket inspectors. I'm sure the penalties are high but it must be very tempting to not buy a ticket. We did though, every day.
We have enjoyed Berlin, even though the weather has been a bit drizzly and overcast.
First thing was to catch a train to Alexanderplatz, a vibrant shopping district. We then began walking with no real plan other to head towards Brandenburg Gate. There were heaps of people out and about in the main street Unter den Linden and we enjoyed the walk, passing Museum Island - with at least 6 different museums, and just people watching. First impressions were of a pretty funky town with people on bikes everywhere. We found the bikes amusing, some were circular, some rectangular, both with about 8 people aboard, all pedalling, and some drinking beer as they went. We also saw a bike with a mattress out the back, so two people could lie down whilst the guide did all the pedalling.
Brandenburg Gate was much as you have seen on TV, quite large and impressive. It has been around in one form or another since the 18th Century and was repaired after WW2.
Over the next 2 1/2 days we have walked in excess of 20kms and caught so many trains. We have seen some historic sites and beautiful buildings including Checkpoint Charlie, Charlottenburg Palace, the Holocaust Memorial, the Siegessaule (Berlin Victory Column), Concert House, Berlin Wall remnants and Guard Tower, the Reichstag (Parliament Building) and any number of other buildings. We also visited the Berlin Wall and the Jewish Museums, spending several hours in each. A quick note on the trains, the stations are quite strange in that there are no gates or barriers, nor did we see any ticket inspectors. I'm sure the penalties are high but it must be very tempting to not buy a ticket. We did though, every day.
We have enjoyed Berlin, even though the weather has been a bit drizzly and overcast.
Beer Bike
Brandenburg Gate
Holocaust memorial
Siegessaule Column
Berlin Wall remnants
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