DAY 13

As we arrived in Berlin we were greeted by cold rainy weather, a huge contrast from Greece. We took the subway to our hotel, Hilton Berlin. After checking in, we were off on a whirlwind sightseeing tour of Berlin. We only had a day and a half and we were going to see EVERYTHING!

We first headed to the site of the 1936 Olympic games, the Berlin Olympic Stadium. The stadium itself was impressive. We were allowed to go inside and walk around the stadium. We took a few pictures, which you can see below.

Then headed to the Jewish Museum. On the way to the Museum we stopped by Checkpoint Charlie for a quick picture. The checkpoint used to be a famous border crossing between East and West Berlin. There is an interesting museum at the checkpoint featuring some old stuff, but we decided we didn't have enough time to see it.

The Jewish Museum was very interesting. It's housed in one of the most spectacular buildings in the city. The shape suggests a shattered Star of David. Inside the spaces are designed to make the visitors feel uneasy and disoriented, simulating the feelings of those who were exiled. The section of the museum addressing the holocaust was communicated almost entirely through architecture. There were strange rooms with uneven floors and jagged angles. The most interesting exhibit is shown in the picture to the left. It is an installation titled Shalechet (Fallen Leaves) in the Memory Void. Over 10,000 open-mouthed faces coarsely cut from heavy, circular iron plates cover the floor. The exhibition asks visitors to walk on the metal faces. It was an extremely powerful experience. The sound of the metal reverberated throughout the large empty space. The exhibit was very thought provoking and alone was worth the visit to the museum.

The rest of the museum was dedicated to the long history of the Jewish people. It began with the diaspora and the destruction of the temple. The museum was very well designed with many interactive components that kept the interest of its visitors while conveying important historical information. However, it was simply too much to see for one visit. We spent about two and a half hours at the museum.

DAY 14 (Last Day!)

We began the last day of our honeymoon with a visit to the Schlossgarten Charlottenburg. It is a palace built by Sophie Charlotte, the wife of Friedrich the First in the 1700s. We took a little tour of the palace with the help of an audio guide. The palace was very ornately decorated with many gold and silver trimmings. It provided a glimpse into the extravagant life of the Prussian royalty.

We then decided to walk from one end of Berlin to the other. We walked from the Schlossgarten Charlottenburg all the way to the Reichstag, which is about 4 miles. (yeah we are on our HONEYMOON...) It was a nice walk through the Tiergarten, Berlin's large public park. Along the way we saw the Siegessaule (Victory Column), and rested on a bench in the park.

We got to the Reichstag as it started pouring outside. We used the rain as an opportunity to cut to the front of the line. The Reichstag is the German Parliament building and it is the ONLY free attraction in Berlin. You can take the elevator to the top, where there is a large glass dome providing a sweeping view of Berlin. The Dome was a cool glass and metal structure with lots of reflective surfaces (as you can see on your left).

Real Version (old church)

We quickly walked by the Brandenburg Gate and tried to stay out of the rain at the same time. After returning to our hotel to get into warmer clothing and jackets (yes, it was indeed the middle of July), we headed out for one last adventure. Steve, for some reason, really wanted to see this fountain with Neptune the god of the sea. We had to ask the consierge at the hotel in order to figure out where this fountain was. Well, we located it in Alexandra Platz and took a few pictures.

Now, onto the last feast of the Honeymoon. After looking at menus (in German) at about 10 different restaurants, we finally decided to have dinner at a brew pub named "Georg Braeu Brauhaus". We couldn't have made a better choice for our last meal on this trip. The food was excellent. We had a "light" fare involving sausages, pork ribs, and many starchy vegetables. Of course, no meal is complete without a large pitch of locally brewed beer. Steve was a little tipsy after we polished off the large pitcher of beer (see picture below).