Berlin, Germany

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I arrive in Berlin and luckily my directions to my hostel were pretty good. I found it without much of a problem, and when I checked into my room, I found out that it was four Americans and one Canadian in with me. I got up the next morning with a full agenda. I went to take the free walking tour, and I am glad I did. We met at the Brandenburg Gate, and the tour guides name was David. He was a Brit who had moved to Berlin. He was very knowledgeable about Berlin and the history. We went to the Jewish Memorial first, and we walked through these amazing concrete columns. The walking ground was not level, so the walls got higher and lower. This was a pretty awesome sight and feeling for the aisles went North, South, East, and West. We left there and went to the sight of the bunker where Hitler committed suicide. The ground above where we stood was a parking lot, but David told us it was about three stories below where we standing. Next we went to the last standing Nazi building. Funny thing is that it is now the Finance Administration building. Next, we went to the last remaining section of the Berlin wall. I could not imagine what the people felt when this wall was erected, and they could not cross. Next, we went to Checkpoint Charlie. It was a different feeling when you look at this. On one side were Allies, and the other side were Communists. Couldn't imagine what these people had to go through. Next, we went to the Museum area. It was very beautiful. Inside of here was Bebelplatz, which is a central square in Berlin by the opera house. This was a curious site. There is a window that looks down on a room with empty bookshelves with enough space for 20,000 books. This is a monument to remember a book burning ceremony held on this spot in 1933. What an empty feeling looking into the window. Next, we finished the walking tour at the Berliner Dom. This was an amazing site in itself. It was a large cathedral, and I just had to go in. I paid my admission fee and entered. The inside was amazing and beautiful. I sat in the pews for a few moments, and then I decided that I wanted to go to the top and get the view. I made my way up a few hundred steps, and I was there. You are able to walk around the top and get some breathtaking views. Loved it. I made my way down, and next I wanted to go to the top of the TV tower. This is a spindle shaped tower that you can see throughout all of Berlin. I paid my admission, waited until my allotted time, and up I went. As with the Berliner Dom, the view was amazing. I would compare to the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Everything looks so small from up at the top. I spent around twenty minutes walking around taking pictures, and it was time to come down. Once down, I decided to re-trace the walking tour, where I could spend more time than I was able to before. I went back to the Jewish Memorial, Hitler's bunker site, and lastly the Berlin wall. Once at the wall, I went to the other side. On this side one can read about the wall, and what lead up to the wall. It also has history of Nazi Germany. After spending some time here, I went back to the wall, had someone take my photo, and started to make my way back to my hostel. I decided I wanted to see the Olympic stadium. I made my way on the tram, and finally after several stops, I was at the right location. I made my way off of the train, and to the Olympic stadium. What a beautiful entrance that led up to the front gate. I noticed that it was very quite and empty. I made my way to the ticket counter, and there were two security there. I was told noone could enter, for preparations were being made for the pope who was suppose to be there in a couple of days, and the Olympic stadium was going to be a meeting point. Actually, after looking around, security was pretty tight, and they watched as I took photos of the stadium. I felt weird, but I took the pictures anyway. I really wanted to take a tour of the inside, but for now, all I have are the photos from the security area. Well, back to the hostel. Tomorrow I have a long train ride to my next destination, so I decided I would go back and get cleaned up and call it a night.

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