Lost in Germany: Beautiful Berlin

Well, we managed to see a fair amount of Berlin in what really amounted to a long day and a half in the city.

In no particular order, here's a quick rundown on things I think are 'must sees' in the city:

Reichstag
The Reichstag building is the home of the German Parliament and offers a beautiful view over the city and the government quarter. From here you can actually see the top of Gehry's building in the nearby Pariser Platz and well as take in the expansive green of the Tiergarten that extends through the city.


Checkpoint Charlie
For those who haven't been before, I definitely recommend seeing Checkpoint Charlie. There's nothing real left there now that the Wall has been taken down, but the collection of posters around the sight detailing the history of the wall is fascinating and I definitely would recommend stopping by Cafe Adler which actually is the only original piece left from the pre-Fall days.

Unter den Linden
A lovely boulevard to walk along on your way to the Brandenburger Tor. It was named for the Linden trees that line the pedestrian pathway.

Bebel Platz
Located along Unter den Linden, Bebel Platz is probably most well-known for being the site of the infamous Nazi book burning.

Humboldt Universität
Berlin's oldest university, located along Unter den Linden. It was from Humbolt University's library that the Nazi youth took some 20,000 books and burned them on the Bebel Platz.

Brandenburger Tor and Pariser Platz
Definitely one of the most recognizable symbols of Germany, the Brandenburger Tor was builtin 1791 and modelled on the entrance to the Acropolis in Athens. The Tor sustained heavy damage during World War II and was restored in the 1950s. After the Berlin Wall was erected in 1961, the Brandenburg Gate was inaccessible to the citizens of both Germanys and was ultimately regarded as the symbol of Cold War divisions.

Pariser Platz sits in front of the Tor and is home to an inordinate number of banks including the Deutsche Bank Frank Gehry Building.

Tiergarten
A fantastic garden spread through the center of the city, the Tiergarten reminds me a bit of Central Park, but it seems much bigger. In one of the meadows is a grouping of 7 large stones, part of an artistic installation called the Global Stone Project.

Schloss Charlottenburg
Schloss Charlottenburg was the summer home of the German ruling family. They have the most spectacular gardens there and even though it's a bit further out of the city, I highly recommend visiting. The palace itself is absolutely beautiful.

Nikolaikirche
Berlin's oldest church is located quite near to the Berliner Dom and also the Museumsinsel. Apparently, there's also quite a nice exhibit inside, but we didn't have time to see it.

Museumsinsel
A UNESCO World Heritage site, a host of museums are housed on this tiny island in the city as well as the Berliner Dom. We didn't bother heading inside of any of the museums, instead we camped out along the river and basked in the sun enjoying prosecco and apfelstrüdel. Very tasty.

Berliner Dom
A really gorgeous Gothic church. After climbing up a significant number of steps, you are rewarded with a wonderful view out over the city of Berlin. Definitely worth the hike to the top. That and there is a great exhibit with the scale models they used for reconstruction purposes while they repaired the damage caused by a firebomb during WWII.

Gendarmenmarkt
Considered one of Europe's most beautiful city squares, you can enjoy the view the Deutscher Dom, the Fransösicher Dom and the Konzerthaus.

Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church
Just a very cool looking church in the middle of Breitscheidplatz, also where I had enjoyed a tasty plate of Berlin's contribution to fastfood, Currywurst. Now keep in mind that currywurst is basically, hot dogs covered in warm ketchup and doused with curry powder. Strange but still tasty, check out this "authentic" recipe here.