Europe 2012: Berlin I

The Christian retreat center where we spent last night, "Haus der Stille" or "House of Silence", is well-named. We had a wonderfully restful night and a delicious breakfast before we departed for Berlin. A special treat was having the party at the other table, who were there representing several church choirs, sing their prayer of thanks in wonderful harmony before eating their morning meal.

Botho's classroom

Berlin is a 3.5 hour drive from our starting point today. That is, it's 3.5 hours assuming you have the Autobahn, a fine vehicle, and Botho's driving experience. It was a beautiful thing. By the way, we were being passed as I took this shot:

Fields of canola were all along the way.

Gisela's travel snacks

Upon arriving in Berlin we checked into our hotel, parked the Volvo, and took the train into the city. Gisela had reserved tickets for a tour of the "Bundestag", or German House of Parliament.

The dome ahead is part of the Bundestag.

The German Bundestag, analogous to the US Capitol

"For the German people"


While the exterior architecture is 150 years old, the center of the structure is modern, culminating in this dome which we climbed to enjoy 360 views of the City. The mirrored center reflects light down into the meeting room of the Bundestag.

The historical Berlin Wall is an almost unavoidable feature of the City. The dark line above the sign marks the exact boundary between East and West Berlin during the years 1961 to 1989.

These crosses memorialize those who were killed trying to reach the West and freedom by swimming across the boundary line, which was in the middle of the river. There are many other crosses in other locations along the Wall.

One of the most iconic locations in Berlin is the Brandenburg Gate. In 1989 President Reagan was near this gate on the western side when he famously challenged, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"