Welcome to the neighborhood! This is our street, Lausitzer Platz, in Kruezberg (part of the old American sector). To the left is a great little park with a playground and church where Rocky loved to play, straight ahead are a few different (very tasty) restaurants and to the right is our house!
Here's the entrance to the building. On the left is a 2nd hand shop and on the right is a delicious vegetarian restaurant where we enjoyed quite a few meals.
Once you walk in, it's the living room!
Next door is the office.
Across the hall is the kitchen.
And off the living room is the bed room (with a great balcony that looks out on the park!)
Just around the corner, the only German restaurant in the neighborhood. The rest were all authentic, just not German.
Our weekly BioMarkt!
Our favorite bakery stand. They had delicious raisin bread!
Just down the street at a little coffee kiosk. This is our friend Brett, he comes to visit us just about everyplace we go, it's great.
Alexanderplatz. One of the larger metro stops in Berlin
Sitting outside Alexanderplatz is the TV tower. It's basic purpose (besides broadcasting TV) was simply to serve as a symbol of the city.
On the way to Musuem Island from Alexanderplatz, we ran into these two. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, authors of The Communist Manifesto of 1848. The park was created by the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in 1986.
Along Unter den Linden, The Berliner Dom. Originally built in 1790, remodeled to what it is today in 1822.
Overlooking Museum Island.
The Altes Museum (German for Old Museum), built between 1825 and 1828.
Humbolt University, where Einstein taught. In response to the growing threat to the Jewish, Einstein prudently traveled to the U.S. in December 1932, Hitler was elected in January 1933. One of the first things he did was fire Jews (including professors) from their jobs, unless they had served in WWI, thus demonstrating their loyalty to Germany.
St Hedwig's Cathedral at Babelplatz.
Babelplatz - The location of the historic book burning by Nazi Youth Camps and the SA on May 10, 1933. Some 20,000 books were burned.
Memorial in the center of Babelpltaz. You can't see it too well but it's a room of empty bookshelves, enough to fit the 20,000 books.
Also along Unter den Linden, a little car museum.
Bugati anyone?
Thunderbolt.
Checkpoint Charlie.
"Checkpoint C" (Charlie) was the name given by the Western Allies to the crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War.
This is what remains of the wall. All throughout the city you see this path winding its way through the streets.
Topography of Terror. An outdoor museum (currently under construction) on the site of the Gestapo and the SS headquarters from 1933 to 1945.
A preserved section of the Berlin Wall.
An exhibit displaying artistic sections of the wall. There is also a stand where you can get your passport stamped with the East Berlin stamp.
The Brandenburg Gate. Built as the main city gate, provides an entrance to Unter den Linden, which led the way to the former Prussian palace, when it was constructed between 1788 and 1791. It was built as a sign of peace.
The hotel made famous when Michael Jackson dangled his child - Blanket we think, we're not exactly certain, it could have been Prince ;) off the balcony.
Brett fixing some amazing dinner for us.
In the subway somewhere :)
The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, built in the 1890s and damaged in a bombing raid in 1943. The damaged spire has been left standing as a memorial.
Some amazing street performers who get together outside the Kaiser Wilhelm church regular to do street shows.
At the Berlin Zoo. The oldest zoo in Germany and the zoo with the most species of any zoo in the world.
Even baby goats, so cute!
Brett and Ross decided they needed to feed the goats in the KinderZoo.
And pet the pony.
This is also the zoo where Knut lives. He was born here in Berlin, but his mother abandoned him and one of the trainers raised him instead. Now, he's much more familiar with humans than other bears so he's in an enclosure all by himself. He doesn't seem to mind though, there are always tons of people surrounding him and he's happy to do lots of tricks.
These guys were massive and so active. The whole day it seemed like every animal was there to perform.
We got to the Cat exhibit just in time for feeding.
The Reichstag, the first parliament of the German Empire. It was opened in 1894.
This huge glass dome sits on top of the Reichstag and serves as a monument to the original 1894 cupola. Also, it represents the transparency the German government hopes to achieve as the main hall of the parliament below can be seen from the mirrors facing downward.
After a 1.5hr wait, you make your way to the top.
For some amazing views of the city.
Then head right back down :)
