Berlin Day 1: "Life is too short to build walls"

Our first impressions of Berlin are fantastic!  It is interesting to explore and learn about a city recently reunited.  We learned a couple things right off the bat:

- DO NOT walk in the bike lane

- ALWAYS bring your rain jacket

We were up bright and early today to make our 10AM reservations for the Reichstag building. The Reichstag is the German Parliament building, most famous for it's glass dome. The dome at the top of the building is open to visitors and offers 360 degree views of the city.  The main parliament hall where the elected officials work can be seen from inside the dome. It was a great first day activity that allowed us to get oriented with this awesome city.

Next stop was to Brandenburg Gate.  It is a 18th century arch that marks the start of the road from Berlin to the town of Brandenburg an her Havel.   On 9 November 1989, thousands gathered at Brandenburg Gate which separated east and west Berlin and watched the East German Prime Minister greet the West German chancellor greet each other in peace and not long after the wall came down. The Brandenburg Gate was symbolic because it was such a large gateway between east and west Berlin. 

Next up was the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.  It is a touching memorial constructed by the country of Germany. They had a museum underneath the memorial which told the stories of the struggles endured by the jewish during WWII.  

After we left the memorial, we walked 2 blocks to Hitler's bunker.  After the end of WWII, Hitler's underground bunker was destroyed.  It is now a parking lot, with almost no acknowledgement or trace that he ever operated there. 

Our last stop was to Mauer Park.  It is a big park in the middle of the city where people can shop, eat and drink.  There were a ton of vendors selling local made art and crafts.  We relaxed, drank beer in Biergartens and watched street performers.  We had a great first day! 

PS

We walked past the Hotel Adlon, which is the hotel where Michael Jackson dangled his baby over the balcony.  It will be a nice thing to tell people at dinner parties. 

PPS

The wi-fi here is touch and go, we'll post more pictures when Berlin gets it's wi-fi act together.