Berlin

Off to Berlin! We had a good trip up - thanks Steve! Followed by a good flight and train journey to the city centre.
Our hotel was smart and comfortable and in a fantastic position (just off the Ku'damm) for getting wherever we wanted to go.
We started with a little mooch around the area popping into the amazing Kaiser Wilhelm church (old and new parts in photos) and beginning the food fest with coffee and cake!

Berlin April 2013

Day 3
Another chilly grey day on the bus and lots more fabulous things to look at. So good that the weather was almost unimportant.
We loved this bridge near the East Side Gallery and I couldn't resist a picture of it. Under that is a photo of the Ampelmännchen. He was the crossing man in East Berlin and was being removed until the locals decided they wanted to keep a little bit of individualism. it has become an iconic design of former times and is being spread out across the whole of Berlin!

Ah, I hear you cry, lovely bit of modern art there! No. Actually the pink pipes are water pipes while the roads are being dug up. It amused us anyway!

We had a little walk around the grounds of Charlottenburg Palace. It was so beautiful and only the knowledge that we were visiting another palace the next day stopped us going in! The lake was partially frozen and very photogenic.

Below are a few pictures from the Berliner Dom - the cathedral. We went down in the crypts; around the main church; up into the galleries; and finally up onto the roof. All fabulous and bright, but we were most fascinated by the selection of tombs in the crypt - and that it was warm and well lit. Not what we expected after our dark damp English churches!

Here we are at The East Side Gallery. This is one of the last remaining sections of the Berlin Wall. However, this one has been "murialised" by a variety of famous and not so famous artists. This one is my favourite.
Trouble is they want to redevelop the area and locals are not happy. Watch this space to see what happens next!

Whoops. Pictures a bit out of order here. This is Leigh, Sue and me climbing down from the dome of the Dom!

What can I say?

Day 4

Back to Charlottenburg, leaving Sue and Leigh to have a quiet day. Apparently I had exhausted them by doing too much too quickly. Bless.
We went to the Brohan Museum which had a wonderful collection of Art Deco and Art Nouveau artifacts. we had a lovely time there.

When we came out we were met by Jonathan and Jordanna carrying a small white box. Jonathan had rung dad to say we were meeting and had been reminded that it was our wedding anniversary. Pity dad didn't remind us - we had completely forgotten! We embarrassed Jordana by making her go to a tourist cafe - it was 2pm and Gordon and I hadn't eaten since breakfast!

After that we went back to their flat for a cuppa. It made us laugh that we had passed and noticed these apartments twice on the bus tour not realising that they lived there.

Later that afternoon we went to the Holocaust Memorial. What a fascinating place. It looks like blocks of concrete as you drive past, but when you go in they all change in size and the path meanders up and down and side to side. Amazingly fun for such a sombre place - but the smiles did not seem out of place.

  

That evening we met up at Jordanna's mum's cafe bar for a meal. This is my one regret - if we had seen them earlier in the week we could have eaten fantastic food all week!! Her mum was gorgeous. So if you are ever in Berlin get your self to Cafe Savigny on Grolmanstrasse.

Day5

Today we went on the train to Potsdam and the Sanssouci Palace which was the summer residence for King Frederick the Great. It was full of Rococo gaudiness and was fabulous. The grounds were extensive and we would like to go back to see all the parts we missed. The only sunny day we had - and I forgot my sunglasses! Typical.

After our palace visit we went into the town itself. A delightful place with most shops closed as it was a Sunday (quite right too). I did treat myself to some wooden ornaments that reminded me of my childhood.
This is the main gate - their answer to the Brandenburg Gate.

  

A lovely town that luckily did not take much damage in the war.