Next Stop - Berlin

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After spending the night in Cologne, we boarded the train and embarked on a 5 hour train ride to the city of Berlin. The train ride was uneventful and not particularly noteworthy and did arrive an hour late to our destination. We attempted to purchase lunch on the train, but anything we wanted they did not have. I settled for a cup of hot chocolate. On that note, coffee in Germany is not the coffee we are accustom to so ordering coffee came with a risk that it was too strong to drink. We learned to water down the coffee at breakfast. The main reason to take the train was to shorten the trip from Cologne to Berlin by half.

Upon arriving in Berlin we were met by our Berlin tour guide and taken on a bus tour of the city. Along the way we stopped at the Brandenburg Gate and the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. Because our train was late we had to skip some stops and merely drive by. Upon arrival at our hotel, we continued with our guide on a walking tour at sites nearby including a stop at the Book Burning Memorial. This memorial commemorates the burning of the books from the University on May 10, 1933.

Unfortunately as we walked I was not able to keep the names and functions of the many ornate buildings we passed along the way. One day I will remember to carry a recorder for the knowledgeable guides.

Arriving back at our hotel we enjoyed a buffet dinner.

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Photos

Reichstag Building
Historic Government Building