We find Berlin to be a rather austere city. Not flamboyant or ancient like others we have been to. They are building a new metro link between the North and Main train stations and there are barriers and huge holes in the ground wherever we have been. Driving around would be hard for newcomers as there are diversions everywhere.
We set off soon after 8am to avoid the heat and the crowds. The crowds were only small and the weather cooled down in the afternoon. We wandered down Friedrichstrasse and crossed the Spree River. There were plenty of people enjoying the river boat trips during the day.
We appreciated this statue which showed a boy and girl escaping the country in contrast to a family wearing stars and heading for death.
Yesterday we saw the metal rail that has been inserted in the ground to mark the complete length of the wall of shame and these parts of the city's history need permanent memorials.
We turned left into Unter den Linden, which is Berlin's Champs Elysees, and had an uncrowded inspection of the Brandenburger Tor.
The carvings were very dramatic and we wondered about the St George legend as we looked at this one.
We could see the Bundestag.
And later the Reichstag. The streets here celebrated March 17 and June 18.
Crossing the road we entered the Tiergarten (animal garden) which was originally a hunting park for royalty, just like the one we saw in Munich. It is the largest park in Berlin and easily accessible. It was very shady for us as the trees and bushes are dense and lawns are only in patches. We saw the Russian War Memorial and listened to the tall Carillon announce 10am. We ended up at the Spree River again and followed the riverside path back past the Hauptbahnhof to the Charite Hospital and Medical School. A cyclist finger sign pointed us through the hospital as a short cut back to our apartment and morning tea.
Crossing the road we entered the Tiergarten (animal garden) which was originally a hunting park for royalty, just like the one we saw in Munich. It is the largest park in Berlin and easily accessible. It was very shady for us as the trees and bushes are dense and lawns are only in patches. We saw the Russian War Memorial and listened to the tall Carillon announce 10am. We ended up at the Spree River again and followed the riverside path back past the Hauptbahnhof to the Charite Hospital and Medical School. A cyclist finger sign pointed us through the hospital as a short cut back to our apartment and morning tea.
We spent the afternoon preparing our gear and ourselves for 11 hours of travel tomorrow to get to Paris and Calais, as we have to board the Queen Mary 2 on Tuesday.
No comments:
Post a Comment