Berlin

Our trip to Berlin started bright and early at 3am! It took just under 5 hours to get there and we stopped about halfway for breakfast. Once arriving in Berlin we were given about 30 minutes to stretch our legs before getting back on the bus with a tour guide for a two and a half hour long bus tour. We stopped many times during the bus tour to take pictures. After the tour was over we were given time to explore the city before we got back on the bus for our 5 hour ride back home. When we got back home we barely made it to our bed! Both of us fell asleep fully dressed; shoes and everything. 

Here are some highlights of our tour in Berlin!

The Brandenburg Gate, architecturally designed by Carl G. Langhans, was built out of sandstone in 1791. The Brandenburg Gate was intended to be called "Friedenstor" or Peace Gate.  Three years after the completion of the Brandenburg Gate the Quadriga, designed by Johann Schadow, was placed on top to portray the success of peace.

Napoleon's troops invaded Berlin and he had the Quadriga moved to Paris in 1806. In 1814, after Napoleon's defeat, the Quadriga was placed back on top of the Brandenburg Gate.

The Reichstag was built between 1884 and 1894. Above the entrance are the words "Dem Deutschen Volke", which means To the German people. In 1991 when Berlin once again became Germany's capital, the building was renovated and extended. The Reichstag and the Brandenburg Gate were reopened in 1999 and both are surrounded by memorials.

Frederick the Great.

In one of the most architecturally beautiful parts of the city stands the Gendarmenmarkt. It's three buildings next to each other; the German cathedral, concert hall, and French cathedral. All three buildings compliment each other and they appear as one flawless piece.

 German Cathedral

Concert Hall

French Cathedral

A memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe

The Berlin wall was the part of Berlin that I was most excited to see. 162 km of barricades, ran through water, streets, parks, and residential areas. 300 watch towers, 22 bunkers, and 256 dog pens guarded the border. Of course on November 9th, 1989 the Berlin wall fell. But there are still a few places in Berlin that you can still see pieces of the wall. We saw a section of the wall that was untouched:

There is a section of the Berlin Wall, known as the East-Side Gallery, that is decorated with some amazing artwork. Here are a few of our favorites:

Even though the wall is completely gone in some places there is still a path of bricks in the road where you can see where it once stood:

We also went by Checkpoint Charlie! The U.S. Army Checkpoint.

One of the things that stuck out most to me in Berlin was the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. It was badly damaged during WWII. There was some talk about whether the church should be demolished. Instead of demolishing this beautiful church it was left as a ruin and surrounded by new construction.