We made it to Berlin yesterday! Our train from Prague got a bit delayed, so we got in about an hour and a half late, but plenty of fun was still had last night! We had an amazing dinner and afterwards had a TON of fun at a karaoke place!
Today was our first day out and about! Our brilliant tour guide Gabe gave us a fantastic walking tour in parts of the city.
In the picture above you can see us listening as he explains the history of the Germanic nations and the rise of militarization in Germany. We discussed everything including German culture, the damage (bullet holes particularly) seen from WWII remaining on some of the buildings here in Berlin, and the historical “game of thrones” that took place in Europe leading up to the establishment of Germany as a nation. Unlike some of the other cities we have visited so far, Berlin is a much more “modern” and “new” city, because Germany boomed much later than most other European nations. This means that the oldest buildings in Berlin are much newer than some of the ancient buildings we’ve seen in cities like Budapest.
Some highlights during our short tour was a memorial to the book burnings that took place in Nazi Germany and also a brief visit to a War museum in which an attempt on Hitler’s life was once made, which is where the above picture of us listening to Gabe was taken. Apparently there were many known failed attempts on Hitler’s life. I believe he said 44!
After a long morning of history, who doesn’t love some sweets? Many of us then treated ourselves to German chocolates and baked goods. The hot chocolate I had was amazing.
After the break we went for a visit at the Reichstag Building, which is where WWII ended. Reich may sound familiar to history lovers, because during WWII the Nazi’s often referred to the Third Reich. Well, Reich in German means empire. Although, this name is merely another remaining piece of German history. Today this “empire” building is the Parliament building of Germany. Interestingly enough, right behind the Reichstag along the river is where East and West Germany were once divided. We actually got to stand right at the line where the wall once stood.
The inside of the Reichstag building was very cool! We got to climb up the spirals of the dome and see Berlin below! It was a bit snowy/rainy and cloudy, so the view wasn’t absolutely fantastic, but definitely worthwhile. Fun fact: apparently the mirrors in this dome are there to direct natural light down into the Parliament chamber. Check it out below!
After this packed first full day, half of the group went to our tour guide’s apartment for dinner. He lives here in Berlin and had some friends treat us to a home cooked meal. The other half of the group went out to dinner, and then we are swapping tomorrow; They are going to Gabe’s tomorrow night, and we will be going to that restaurant! It was loads of fun!
Bis morgen!
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