Days 3 and 4

I was going to try to post a blog entry everyday but the internet at our hotel in Berlin was not cooperating so I had to wait until be arrived at the apartment in Poznan. Saturday started with us learning how to use the subway system in Berlin, all in German. Chuck was the leader and we followed where he lead us.....thankfully correctly each and every time!!! We took a 4 hour walking tour of Berlin where we had to find the meeting point to start the tour (hence, the subway system). We started by the Spree River. The name, Berlin, means swamp and the people use to call it the "stinky fish village".

The tour started in what was East Berlin by the grounds where the old royal palace stood. Museum Island was right by there and we got a description of what was in each museum. We crossed what used to be the royal palace bridge. The big green top building was the private chapel of the royal family. From there we walked down, Unter den Linden, which was the road through the middle of the royal area. We saw where the Nazi's burnt all the books by Jewish authors and where they have an underground tribute. We saw Humboldt University where Einstein and Karl Marx both attended. From there we went to Checkpoint Charlie and saw the gestapo headquarters. Then we went to Brandenburg Gate and saw where Regan and JFK gave their famous speeches. Finally, we saw where Hitler's bunker used to be (where he killed himself) and the memorial to the murdered Jews in Europe.

Geocaching in Germany.

We found a geocache here!

In front of a church where the royal families lived in east Berlin.

River Spree in Berlin.

Parking lot over where Hitler's bunker was and where he shot himself. They refuse to put more information here so no one glorifies what Hitler did.

Memorial to the jewish people killed in the Holocaust.
Us in front of the Brandenburg Gate.
The German white house.

The two rows of bricks are where the Berlin wall once was.

Bridge in east germany where the royals lived.

Checkpoint Charlie...original place but not the original building....mostly touristy now!

In front of Checkpoint Charlie.
Part of the Berlin Wall that is still standing. It is above the outdoor exhibition called "Topography of Terror".