Being back in Europe I was finally able to use some of my useless BA airmiles. We flew to Berlin for free, although the tax was a hefty 80 pounds each. We stayed at the Hotel Winter Am Checkpoint Charlie. It was a reasonably priced modern clean hotel. And as the name suggests very near to Checkpoint Charlie and all the other attractions.
Checkpoint Charlie.
Signs from either side of the checkpoint.
A very quiet Checkpoint Charlie at night.
So different from the 1970s.
Kimi cross in the mark of bricks that traces where the Berlin wall was.
The Brandenburg Gate. It was difficult getting a good shot of the gate because they were setting up a festival.
Zooming in from the side you can see Quadriga, the chariot drawn by four horses driven by Viktoria, the Roman goddess of victory.
Reichstag Parliament Building.
Kimi at the Reichstag Parliament Building.
After quite a bit of walking around it was time for a beer. Follow the man with a beer!
Maximilian's bar in a street off the main Friedrichstr.
Micro brewery on site.
Berlin Cathedral from the river.
Neptune's fountain.
Berlin's Red Town Hall.
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Berlin Cathedral.
Altes Egyptian Museum.
Statue of Alexander von Humboldt outside Humboldt University. The Spanish inscription describes him as "the second discoverer of Cuba"
Denkmal Friedrichs des Grossen.
The Jewish Museum.
Inside the Jewish Museum is the Memory Void for those affected by the Holocaust. Menashe Kadishman's 'Shalechet' ('Fallen leaves') installation filled this void with 10,000 coarsely made iron faces. Visitors are permitted to walk on the work. Doing so creates an almost 'industrial' noise, something with deep meaning.
Holocaust Memorial.
Berlin wall at the Topography of Terror.
Me at the largest remaining section of the Berlin Walls at Muhlenstrasse.
Kimi at the Wall.
From this shot you can see how much of the Wall is left.
All of this part of the wall is covered by graffiti.
View of the Berlin Wall from the Documentation Centre memorial. From this viewing point you can clearly see the Killing Ground.
Charlottenburg Palace.
Kimi with a bear, the mascot of Berlin.
Soviet War Memorial.
Bits of the Berlin wall crop up everywhere!
At the weekend there was an Americafest on at the Brandenburg Gate.
Fortunately they were selling German beer and Bratwurt.
Final shot of the Brandenburg Gate at night.