Our first stop was Potsdamer Platz, where we saw an exhibit of a few of the panels of the Berlin Wall.
A closeup of the graffiti.
We visited the Holocaust memorial, an open air plaza filled with stone slabs of varying sizes.
Walking through it is quite
disorienting for the visitor.
Sooz and Marcia enjoying the
nearby Brandenburg gate.
The Reichstag has been restored and visitors can go to the huge cupola on its roof to see the city- and the Bundestag at work below!
A panoramic view of the cupola.
Sooz and Rutger enjoying the view.
A view of the cupola from the roof. We had dinner from this vantage point, it was beautiful!
Rutger enjoying the view again.
The Brandenburg gate, restored
to its glory!
The next day, we sent the girls off shopping whilst history buff Rutger led a boy's view of the sights.
One of the girl's stops was the famous Fassbender & Rausch chocolate shop!
On one of the main streets in Berlin
is the Kaiser-Wilhelm church, left
in its damaged state from wartime bombing.
The rebuilt cathedral next door is
not that impressive on the outside
but breathtaking once inside.
Looking down the Kurfürstendamm back at the Gedächtniskirche.
We visited Checkpoint Charlie and its museum. The area has changed so much, it's hard to imagine how it once was not that long ago.
A staple of Berlin street life is the currywurst, so we had to sample a few. And other various wursts, too.
Besides wursts, we sampled
beers and wines, as well.
At Don's insistence, we visited the New National Gallery, Mies van der Rohe's last major building.
Rutger is not a fan of modern art, but we did find an exhibit he enjoyed!
Don bought a hat- from the same providers to Indiana Jones!
Rutger tried one on but it's hard
to find a hat in his size!
A nighttime promenade ended with a last visit to the Gedächtniskirche.