Jun 23 Berlin

Our first full day in Berlin, so Monogram provides the half day city tour.  We were fortunate as this was a Sunday and the streets were empty.  We were able to see a number of things not normally covered in the half day adventure.

As in Munich, the pretzel is an important part of every breakfast.  I usually took one and had it midafternoon.

 Sunday morning and there was no traffic. 

 Berlin has several major canals running through it in addition to the River Spree.  This canal ran right behind our hotel.

 Technology Museum, with a C47 from the Berlin Airlift on top.

 Checkpoint Charlie before the crowds.

 The Macs was not there while the wall was standing.

 You find these markers -- and the line of brick -- in the pavement signifying the wall location all around Berlin.

 An example of Soviet socialist art.

 On a still standing large section of the Berlin wall is this image from a famous artist depicting a very real socialist kiss between USSR leader Brezhnev and East German leader Honecker.

 Another artistic image on the wall, here is a Trabant (affectionately "Trabi") breaking through the wall. In reality the East German produced car would have crumpled into a quivering pile of parts if it hit the concrete wall.

 The East German TV Tower.  If you look closely you can see that the sun reflection on the ball forms a cross -- something that really disturbed the East German authorities.

 Berlin Cathedral

 Brandenburg Gate and friend

 Berlin's Pregnant Oyster, aka "Jimmy Carter's grin",  or House of World Culture

 Top of the Victory Column, built in 1873 to commemorate victory over France.  No new columns have appeared since.

 After the organized tour, we used the easily understood and navigated Berlin UBahn system to go to Mauerpark in northern Berlin.  On Sundays it hosted a very large flea market.

 In a corner of the park there was a history of the Berlin Wall, with graphics on the pavement.

 Memorials to those who died while trying to cross the wall.