All over the place in Berlin

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This morning was the first time I’ve had a chance to do all the tour book stuff that I found interesting. It would be a long day of it since it’s my only day here to do it.

I started out by walking down to Alexanderplatz. There I saw the world clock (a 3-D cylindrical clock that shows the approximate time in each time zone around the world) and the outside of the Fernsehturm (TV tower). I went inside the TV tower to go to the top. I was able to get a ticket but had about 45 minutes until my time to go up. So I decided to hit some other nearby spots.

I walked through an area called Nikolaiviertel on my way to visit the Berliner Dom. The Berliner Dom is Berlin’s cathedral which was first consecrated in 1451. Like many buildings in Berlin, it was heavily damaged by WWII bombing. But its interior has been entirely restored and appears so as it looks like it was recently completed in an older style.

I didn’t have much time in the Berliner Dom before I had to race back to the TV tower to make my scheduled time. I made it back without a problem and took the quick elevator ride to the viewing area.

The views from the tower covered they entire city. To the west I could see the Brandenberg Gate and Reichstag and far beyond the Tiergarten. To the east, I could see the East Side Gallery, which I had been to yesterday.

The next part of my day was a walk down Under den Linden. Under den Linden is a long boulevard that stretches down to the Brandenberg Gate. Along its sides are embassies, grand hotels, high end automotive dealers and retailers. One of the hotels is the well known Westin Grand which was in The Bourne Supremacy. I walked into its grand lobby and remembered staying in places similar to it for work. I can’t say I miss that, especially now. The hostels have had too much character that a stuffy hotel like that can’t possibly possess.

I continued my walk through the Brandenberg Gate and down to Potsdamer Platz. Potsdamer Platz has a number of modern buildings, including the Sony Center. The Sony Center’s atrium featured a number of retailers, restaurants and an Imax in the atrium below its glass dome. Outside was a Lego store with about a 20 foot giraffe made out of Legos.

Just down the street is the ultra modernly designed Philharmonie. I tried to get a good view of this but could only see small sections through the thick trees.

Continuing my walk, I went back to the east towards Checkpoint Charlie. There I had lunch (another kebab that couldn’t beat Sebah’s) and went to the Checkpoint Charlie Museum. The museum featured a wealth of information, pictures and exhibits on the history of the Berlin Wall, communist control, failed escapes and escape methods used to flee East Germany.

After the museum I took the subway to the Kurführstendamm area, located to the southwest of the Tiergarten. There I saw the Kaiser Wilhelm Gedachtnischirche, which was heavily damaged by WWII bombing. This church had its roof completely destroyed and now has a modern replacement atop its old façade.

Outside the church I tried a currywurst, a local specialty, which is a bratwurst with curry sauce. Nearby some street performers put on a break dancing show for tips from the crowd.

I walked up to the Zoologischer Garten, which is the oldest zoo in Germany. It also contains the world’s largest number of species. There I saw cheetahs, lions, orangutans, monkeys, gorillas, anteloupe, giraffes, wolves, hippos, llamas, brown bears, a polar bear, birds (but no parrots) and an eagle.

One of the orangutans was hamming it up for the tourists as he sat and posed for pictures. The lions roared at the crowd, showing off their vocal chords. One wolf howled as the sun began to set. The eagle sat majestically on his perch.

The zoo wrapped up my busy day of touring. I left it and went back to the hostel to regroup. While I was there, I saw Jeff who was going to a Berlin Ice Bears hockey game. He invited me along but I passed. I was beat.

While I was in the hostel’s bar area catching up on my journal/blog entries Sara, one of Mustafa’s friends from his dorm, came in looking for Mustafa and Jeff. She was supposed to join them but was a bit late. Actually about two hours late. She stuck around until Jeff got back from the game shortly thereafter.

We shot the breeze for a bit but then all decided to go to bed. I was shot and so were they as apparently that planned one drink last night turned into many. I’m glad I passed on that.

Tomorrow I am supposed to do my last long run. No way that’s happening. I still have a tour I want to do and my legs are beat.

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Photos

World clock
The world clock showing the nearby time zones.

Fernsehturm
The Fernsehturm (TV tower) stands 1,207 feet tall making it the fourth tallest freestanding structure in Europe.

Views from Fernsehturm
Views to the west from the TV tower.

Kaiser Wilhelm Gedachtnischirche
This church was heavily damaged by bombing in WWII.

Hippo
A baby hippo follows its mama.

Polar bear
The zoo's polar bear sprawls out for a nap on a rock.

Eagle
He looks so majestic.