Day 3--Berlin (long post with lots of pictures)

Our first sight-seeing day! We set off at a reasonable time to start on our list of things to see and do. The U-Bahn was our first stop, since public transportation was to be our mode of travel that day. After buying tickets and  finding an ATM, we headed out on the bus along Unter den Linden towards the famous Brandenberg Gate. Several embassies surround the square by the gate, including the American Embassy. Because of the EuroCup, there were projection screens set up behind the gate for big parties when the games Germany was playing in were aired. So our pictures and memories of this landmark will always include giant screens...

Brandenberg Gate

One of the giant projection screens for the soccer games (you can see the sculpture from the gate at the very top)

Looking down the park at other screens

The only picture of all four of us taken on this trip

The American Embassy

 Next we walked over to the Holocaust Denkmal (the official translated title is Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe). This is Germany's national Holocaust memorial designed by American architect Peter Eisenman. It was debated about for years, but finally completed in 2005. We took lots of pictures here, and might of stayed even longer if we didn't have an appointment coming up. There is an information center beneath the memorial that we visited as well. 

I thought the raindrops on the walls looked like teardrops (purely coincidental that it  had been raining)

We had made reservations ahead of time to visit the Reichstag, home of the German Parliament. We had to submit our passports, go through security, be escorted through a couple of sets of glass doors before reaching the Dome where we were given an audio tour. There are good views of the city from the dome and Aubrey was able to point out a few things to us.

On the steps outside the building

Cool reflection from the floor of the dome

At the top of the dome

The dome from the outside

Brandenberg Gate from the roof of the Reichstag

Tiergarten from the roof

A cool sculpture outside the Reichstag

The Reichstag
You can see the dome behind the old front

We were pretty hungry by now and decided to find us some currywurst. Luckily, there were vendors set up in the park near the giant screens and we were able to satisfy that craving. Currywurst was first made in Berlin and is a favorite there. It's a steamed & fried or just roasted sausage cut into slices and covered with curry ketchup (or just ketchup and curry powder). The kids all had that for lunch with frites (french fries), while I had bratwurst and frites. I happen to like my frites with mayo, Maren & Carson tried it too, but Aubrey isn't too fond of fries and mayonnaise, so he skipped that part.

Maren just finishing her currywurst

With our bellies full, we decided to walk to Potsdamer Platz. Along the way we happened upon the Otto Bock Science Center. The unusual building caught our eye and when we found out it was free admission, we thought, why not? It was pretty interesting, all about our body's movements and inventions that restore mobility. Check out the website here.

After our detour, we made it to Potsdamer Platz, a large office and shopping area. There are pieces of the Wall on display here, along with a brick path where the Wall stood. We wandered around a bit and found a Lego Discovery Center. It was pretty pricey, but the store was open (and free), so we browsed there for a few minutes.

Along the way to our next destination, we saw these. Trabants (nicknamed Trabi) were popular cars manufactured in East Germany. Apparently they weren't that great of cars, but were durable, so people held on to them, especially since they were difficult to obtain. According to Wikipedia, a Trabant "is regarded with derisive affection as a symbol of the failed former East Germany and of the fall of communism (in former West Germany, as many East Germans streamed into West Berlin and West Germany in their Trabants after the opening of the Berlin Wall in 1989)."

Next, we came upon the Topography of Terror. This is an outdoor museum on the site of buildings which  were the headquarters of the Gestapo and the SS from 1933 to 1945. The buildings did not survive the war, but in later years the cellars were excavated. Also, there is a large section of the Berlin Wall that was never demolished. 

Looking down the Wall

We made our way to Checkpoint Charlie. It seems pretty commercialized and touristy now, but it was significant in that between 1961 and 1990 it was the only crossing for foreigners between East and West Berlin.

The Altes Museum was our final destination for the day. It was their late open day, so we took advantage of the evening hours to view the Greek and Roman antiquities housed there. 

The Berliner Dom which is right next to the Altes Museum

By now we were tired, hungry, and ready for bed, but hunger won out first. We stopped at a little restaurant on Unter den Linden called Kartoffelhaus No. 1. It was a quaint little place with interesting decorations. It certainly wasn't fancy or high-end, but we weren't looking for that anyway. After a meal of pork steaks for the boys and vegetable skillets for the girls, we headed back home to sleep the sleep of exhausted travelers.