Berlin

Back in Berlin for another night at the opera, followed by drinks in the hotel where they have a pianist playing. Another good night's sleep and up again next morning for a day of random sightseeing. Earlier in 2006 (this is now May) the new Main train station (Hauptbahnhof) in Berlin had been finished. Here I am on one of it's platforms waiting to videotape an incoming train a week or so before the official opening by Angela Merkel. It has 5 levels and handles 1800 above ground (S Bahn) and Underground trains (U Bahn) a day, carrying roughly 350,000 people a day. So-it's BIG! Work started in 1995. I am on the top level about 30 feet above the streets.

The see-through dome of the Reichstag building is visible in the distance at left

In 2006 we embraced public transportation for trips within the city as it was too much trouble to drive and find parking in the center of the city. There was a U Bahn station (subway) right outside our hotel. That station is called Mitte. It's a cheap, clean safe way to get around such a sprawling city.

It was a lengthy walk to the Brandenburg Gate for us (but we did it) but the U Bahn made it quick and easy to get there. Taxis are always an option too. Clean modern cars driven by professionals which couldn't be said of Chicago. You don't wave them down in the street as in the USA-they can be found resting at taxi ranks, often outside hotels. These are by the Hotel Adlon.

A short walk from Potsdammer Platz, the former central hub of East Berlin is this "monument to the murdered Jews" which is a vast area of concrete slabs of varying heights and the ground they are built on undulates so you can see someone walking in the next row to you and then suddenly they disappear. People there one minute and gone the next....It's very moving just to walk through it with that realization in mind.

Now the weather is ideal for strolling. An organ grinder (with a monkey not visible) cranks out a merry tune.  I gave him a tip as I had never actually seen one in the flesh before.

We had spent some time with out friend Ciaran on this 2006 trip as he loves Wagner opera as much as us and was seeing Berlin for his first time.  Our 2006 visit featured more Wagner opera as Wagner is one composer that is guaranteed to  fill theaters. One of his daughters had even come over to Berlin from England to meet him and had 4 friends with her so we got to spend some time with them all drinking in bars and eating in casual restaurants we might normally not have visited, so that was good fun and made the week even more special.

We like to go our own way too and do things that people half our age might think as dull or boring.

Like taking a river cruise! Berlin has many river tour boats-long boats with glass roofs to aid photography and have a captain and a guide who gives a narration as you glide along. Beer is available on board. Hooray! The guide speaks in rapid German and the audience, mostly German during our time there, laughs along. We can only understand brief snatches of what he is saying.
It's a great way to see a lot of the city in two hours without having to so any walking...

Here we are on the River Spree, approaching the Reichstag Parliament Building

I have beer so even the window glare on my photos doesn't bother me

Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom)

The train station seen from a lower angle

As we sailed along in the sunshine we noticed some outdoor cafes and so when we came to the end of our tour we had to find one and sit out in the sun with a drink for a while.

We had a good lunch here-no I didn't have a schnitzel- I had sauerbraten instead.

It was so pleasant here in the sun that we stayed for two hours before continuing on for a walk to Alexanderplatz. I am enjoying an espresso with my German cigarettes after lunch.

City carriage rides, a reminder of the days before cars and traffic lights, are popular in every city we visit.

You can easily find Alexander Platz without a map- you just look for this......

the Fernsehturm (TV Tower) is 1207 feet tall to the tip of the mast. There is an observation deck at 666 ft and just above that the row of windows belong to a revolving restaurant that turns 360 degrees every 30 minutes. We haven't yet eaten there or taken the trip up in the elevator. Next time!

Nearby in a park you will find  statues of these two gentlemen-Marx and Engels. Now those are mustaches!

Three  other famous men are these....the giant "Molecule Men" (3 x 100 ft aluminum sculptures) embracing far from the center of the city. I had to take a train to get to this place to photograph them.

Berlin is so vast and there is so much to see. As we had opera shows to attend on both visits we had only a few hours each day (the Operas usually start at 4 pm and end around 10 or 11 pm) to fit in any sightseeing we did. Some things like our meals and restaurants I only captured on video. Our hotel also. The same goes for our visit to the Pergammon Museum  and Ka De We the largest luxury department store in Europe (worth a visit and has a great cafeteria on the top floor). I took a train (S Bahn) out to the Olympic stadium on our 2nd visit and went inside this time but with camcorder only. My apologies to all, including myself. Back then I was all about video and had no plans to share it with anyone other than Carol. We walked through the Tiergarten and looked at the animals from the park outside the actual Zoo. Berlin is a very Green city so there are a lot of quiet little parks to stroll in.

Buy a U Bahn ticket, ride the train (mostly it is above ground) and when you see a cool looking neighborhood with people eating outside in the sun, step off the train and join them. It is a very lively city full of art and music and cuisines from all over the world.

Go to the East Side Gallery on the train and see what is left of the Berlin wall. Enjoy the Soviet era architecture if there is any still standing by now.

So much to see and so little time to see it all. We will have to return as we only scratched the surface...

Next up- Houston, Texas!