First Full Day in Berlin

Monday was our first full day in Berlin and since Guy is such a great travel planning guide, he knew right where to go to get bus passes for all of us to take a bus tour of Berlin.:)  I managed to take a few pictures of the city...

Jeremy seeing the Berlin Wall for the first time.

Swanky shopping we will return to later.:)

Enjoying some German sausage.:)

Trampolines in the plaza!

Jeremy and Elizabeth were crazy about the Buddy Bears.  You can read more about them here. There are different painted bears all over the city!:)   Berlin's symbol is also the bear.  The origin is a bit fuzzy on how exactly the bear became Berlin's symbol, but you can read more about it here.

Oh, Look! A Buddy Bear!!:)

Picture in front of the TV tower (which is in the clouds):)

Humboldt University - The oldest University in Berlin

War Memorial

One of the many palaces in Berlin

Another Buddy bear:)

The famous Brandenburg Gate

The columns are huge!:)

You can read more about The Brandenburg Gate here.:)

Picture of the roadway of where many parades started to end up at the Brandenburg Gate

The picture on the bottom is what the gate looked like after bombings during WW2

We went to the Reichstag Building (where the German Parliament meets).  Right outside that building is a Memorial to the Murdered Members of the Reichstag. It commemorates the 96 members of parliament who died unnaturally (murdered) for opposing Hitler's regime.  It was very humbling to see all the names of the people who were killed.  Knowing the outcome and the total number of people murdered during WWII because of Hitler is chilling...

Jeremy standing in front of the memorial.

The Reichstag building has a very interesting history.  You can read more about it here.  It was used as a place to promote propaganda before WWII and then for military purposes during WW2.

Reichstag Buidling- where Germany's parliament meets

Before the Berlin wall was built, the Soviet Union blocked off railways and canal ways to areas of Berlin occupied by the Western Allies.  On September 9, 1948, the people of  West Berlin gathered at the Reichstag building and the mayor, Ernst Reuter, gave a famous speech.  It was playing when we visited...

Speech was playing through a speaker. It was in German but had an English translation.

Another palace:)

And of course, I had to have schnitzel while I was in Germany.:)

It was a great second day in Berlin planned out by one of the best travel guides I know.:)   Danke, Guy for a great tour so far!:)