Berlin!

Honestly, I don't even know where to start with this post.  Berlin was seriously amazing. I know I say that about just about every new place I go to (and it's true), but Berlin blows them all out of the water so far.  It's got everything, history, culture, fascinating sites, international flair, and it's relatively cheap!  Needless to say, I had a great weekend.  But I absolutely have to go back as there is still sooooo much to see and do.


So, I started out walking from the train station towards the city center (I definitely walk almost everywhere when I'm traveling if possible, so much easier than trying to figure out the public transportation, lol).  After not even 5 minutes, I come up on the Reichstag building.  This is the seat of the German Parliament:

 

 

This dedication means "To the German People"

 

 

Fun Facts: The building was built in 1894 and used until 1933, when it suffered a major fire.  Hitler used this fire as a reason to accuse enemies of treason and suspend parliament and you know what happened next.  After the war, it still wasn't used because the East German government met in a builing in East Berlin and the West German government was seated in Bonn.  It's actually really crazy because the wall went directly behind the building, like 10 feet behind the back entrances/stairs.  After the wall came down, it was restored and in 1999, it became the seat of Parliament again.

 

 

I took this right next to the Reichstag building

 





Walking a block away from the Reichstag, I went to Pariser Platz.  Why there, you ask?  Because I saw these guys heading that way.

If there's one thing I've learned as a tourist, it's always follow the Segways, they will lead you to something awesome.  So, what's in Pariser Platz?  Just the Hotel Adlon. Ring any bells?  Didn't for me either, until I overheard a tour guide tell his group that this is the infamous hotel where Michael Jackson "introduced" Blanket to the world.

No, in all seriousness, I went there because as you can see from the corner of the Reichstag building, Pariser Platz is the home of the most famous landmark in Berlin, the Brandenburger Tur, or Brandenburg Gate.

Afterwards, I decided to go all touristy and get on one of those hop on hop off buses.  Seriously, don't knock them cause they are awesome.  I only had limited time in the city and the bus took me to see all of the major sights on my must see list.  I, of course, still have to go back and see a million more things (especially all of the museums) and get a more thorough look at everything, but it was a great start.  Anyways, before this post gets super-boring for you guys, here are some of the highlights of my weekend in Berlin.

The Victory Column

Checkpoint Charlie

 

Remaining section of the Wall

 

The famous TV Tower at Alexanderplatz

The Red City Hall or Rotes Rathaus

The city has different colored cobblestones in the streets marking the former path of the Berlin Wall.

 

 

There were also tons of other things I didn't get great pictures of, like the Schloss Charlottenburg (a really cool looking palace), the Berliner Dom (Berlin Cathedral), Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, and so many more.  I highly recommend you put Berlin on your must visit bucket list.