Wir kommen aus Andorra, und Ihr?

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Our second morning in Berlin we were greeted with glorious blue skies - we could tell it was going to be a wunderbar day. Once full of breakfast and having packed a sandwich snack for later we were on our way, first heading back through Alexanderplatz. We debated going to the top of the Fernsehturm, the giant futuristic space needle and 4th largest free-standing structure in Europe, but at 10.50€ we deemed it too expensive. Moving along we popped into the Marienkirche, St. Mary's church. Formely Catholic, it has been Protestant for centuries and is tied with Nikolaikirche as the oldest church in Berlin. The inside was heavily under construction so unfortunately we weren't able to see much.

Next we headed toward the Berliner Dom on Museum Island, officially the Supreme Parish and Collegiate Church. The present structure dates to the very end of the 19th century, but the original site was a Catholic church since the late 15th Century. I must say I have never seen anything Protestant so incredibly opulent and gorgeous both inside and out. Reformers like Luther, Melanchthon, Zwingli, and Calvin adorning the interior add that extra Protestant flare. Buried inside the cathedral are many German Kaisers, Kings, and Queens, most notably of the Hollenzolern family. Alex and I were braindead and apparently missed the entrance to the dome, but luckily half of it was closed so we didn't miss all that much.

Working our way around museum island we bought a wonderful giant cheese pretzel to split before hitting up the Neue Synagogue. The building was built from 1859-1866 in a gorgeous Moorish-Byzantine style inspired by Granada's Alhambra but was then mostly destroyed thanks to...the Nazis! Luckily it was refurbished at the end of the last century and is now back to its former glory. The staff were incredibly weird about the anti-photo policy inside and out, but we had a very nice visit learning about the history of the structure.

Continuing on our way we stumbled upon this very alternative art workshop/gallery/cafe/hangout swarming with dreadlocked and pierced Germans, Greeks, Spanish, and everyone else. Some of the artwork was very cool and it was nice to bask in the sun for a bit, but overall I find that sort of thing well...weird. Next stop was a stroll down Unter den Linden, the wide linden-tree-lined boulevard culminating in the world famous Brandenburg gate, a symbol of freedom and German reunification. It was here that Reagan famously declared, "Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"

Just beyond the gate was the Reichstag, built to house the parliament of the German empire. It is a stunning structure capped with a glass dome offering 360-degree views of Berlin. Its front bears the statement, "Dem Deutschen Volk" - "For the German people". Unfortunately the line was far too long to climb up top, but what we saw was enough.

After a failed attempt at hitting up a Biergarten thanks to the one recommended being closed, we had a lovely stroll along the Spree river until finding another recommended place that brewed its own beers, Brewbaker. This ended up being a wonderful decision as we spent over two hours just reveling in German beer and other tasty things. We started with a 3-beer sampler featuring a Bellevue Pils, Red Lager, and St. Hopfen's Gold, then moved onto some half-liters of our favorites of the three. We also had incredible homemade bread along with some sausage and white bean soup, pickles, and giant meatballs. Lecker!

We almost stayed for legit dinner but we figured some fresh air would help us not just end up wasted and in bed by 7pm. After a lovely walk back toward East Berlin as night fell we settled back at Zum Nußbaum where we had had beers the day prior. We were seated alongside a couple from Madrid who were alongside a couple from Germany, so it was a lovely language-f*** where I was attempting to help the Spanish translate from German. We again had some nice beers and a bit of sausage before our main meal. I couldn't resist the fried herring with potatoes and onions, and it didn't disappoint! Others enjoyed ham hock with kraut among other things before we all split two apple cakes. We certainly are having no problem eating until the point of exploding here in Germany!

Back at the hostel we called it a night. To think I still have 3 full days left!

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Comments

[Ii]

Looking Good
You look incredibly handsome and happy! I'm enjoying your blogs and feel as if I'm traveling with you!

[Dad~]

Ach du Lieber!
Looks like you're having a great time in Berlin. Are you enjoying the switch from gallons of wine to copious amounts of beer? The photos are great and the sites so historic. There was a recent article in the Chicago Tribune Travel section about the lack of promotion of German tourism. Seems like the Germans are still a bit self conscious from the war. Have anyone mistaken you for a native yet? Your grandfather's ancestors (my side) are from Bavaria, the very Catholic part of Germany. The fried herring with potatoes and onions look zer gut! I hear the night life is amazing as well. Maybe you'll get a chance to check it out in the next few nights.