Towers, culture and history

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I was determined to make the most of today, as it is my last full day in Berlin. Last night I booked myself on the 9am slot for the Berlin Tower so I was up at 7 to make sure I had time to shower and have breakfast before leaving the hotel to walk there.

Wow - so glad I did! It was a beautiful, crisp and clear day so was perfect to shoot 368m into the air to check out the whole city. To give you an idea of the height, the Sydney Tower is only 309m. This was a perfect way to see the old and the new buildings and how the city has certainly rebuilt itself since the war. I spent just over 50 mins up the tower and needed to keep moving as I was on a mission today!

Next stop - the Pergamon Museum. This is an internationally renowned ancient history museum and holds many artifacts from ancient times. The highlight was the Ishtar Gate of Babylon - hard to believe the amount of work that went into discovering all the remains and then meticulously piecing them back together to form this huge gate! There was also the market Gate of Milet (gigantic!) and the Mschatta facade. I felt like I was in Braavos from Game of Thrones! Unfortunately, part of the museum was under renovation and the Pergamon Altar, which is one of the main features, wasn't able to be seen.

Next on my list - back to the Memorial for Murdered Jews to see the underground museum. I am so glad I did this - such a powerful way of fully understanding the atrocities that occurred to the Jews (and the Sinta and Roma gypsies too). Some of the pictures are very confronting and the more and more stories you hear make you sick to your stomach that humans can do this to one another. And then you realise that this is still happening in some countries around the world - hence why there are so many refugees looking for a way out. When will we learn from past mistakes ......

Then to the other side - I walked to Checkpoint Charlie which I guess just had to be done. But, from the traffic driving right past to the "American soldiers" wanting 3 euro for a photo, it certainly doesn't have the same sombre feel about it.

By now my feet were really hurting but I felt like I had ticked off a few more things from my list. Someone once said that 4 days wouldn't be enough time in Berlin and they were right! i shall be better prepared for my next visit.

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Photos

The Berlin Tower
Funny story - after it was built they realised when the sun caught the windows if formed a cross. The guy that designed it tried to save face by saying it was the Nazi swastika but everyone in Berlin knew it was giving the Fuhrer the virtual 'up yours'