From our hostel right across the street from Bahnhof Zoo, we start the next day with a bus ride through the government district, through the large city park "Tiergarten" with its column of victory, past a number of foreign embassies, the President's office at Bellevue Palace, the House of Cultures and the Chancellor's office.
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| We get off the bus at the German Parliament building, the Reichstag. |
After the reunification, the Reichstag was remodeled extensively. Its most spectacular feature now is the huge glass dome on top. |
A perfect spot for Young-A to take a "Where I took my Griz Card" picture! :-) |
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| Inside the glass dome is a tall column of mirrors that reflects sunlight into the parliament hall below. |
We can't resist playing with the mirrors to take a self portrait - it's not easy to find the right angle though :-) |
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| From the top of the dome and the roof terrace, we have a great panoramic view of Berlin, such as... |
...the Chancellor's office in the west... |
...Potsdamer Platz in the south... |
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| ...and Alexanderplatz in the east. |
Next, we take a boat trip on the river Spree that runs through Berlin, past many sights such as the Lutheran Cathedral... |
...and houses in the architectural styles of various eras. |
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| Along the way, we have to go through a sluice to negotiate a 1-meter difference between the levels of the upper and lower section of the river. |
The further east we go, the more the scenery changes from residential to industrial areas. |
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| In this part of the city, the border between East and West Berlin ran parallel to the Spree. Some graffiti-covered sections of the Berlin Wall are still standing along the river banks. |
The "Molecule Man" sculpture next to the Allianz insurance building marks the turning point of our boat trip. |
A good time to take another picture of the two tourists! |
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| The Oberbaum Bridge cites architectural styles found in various surrounding cities. |
On the way back to the western parts of the city, we pass more houses with pretty facades... |
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| ...as well as an ever-growing number of "beach bars" on the river banks. |
Meanwhile, Young-A is trying a bavarian-style wheat beer. |
We also pass close by the Reichstag... |
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| ...and the Chancellor's office building again. |
Moving on into the Charlottenburg district, the river banks become greener and more like parks, while the houses start to look more like villas. |
After the boat trip, we visit Charlottenburg palace. |
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| Inside, we take a tour of some of the elegantly decorated summer and winter rooms, but unfortunately aren't allowed to take pictures. |
Instead, we take a number of pictures in the palace's large park with its intricate floral arrangements. |
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| Tired after a long day of sightseeing, we finally take the bus back to Bahnhof Zoo, where we get on the train to Leipzig. |
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