lunch time in berlin, chinese meal in good friend restaurant. roasted meat platter (pork, chicken, duck, char siew), seafood tauhu, bak choy with mushroom and kuey teow. kuey teow was very thick, not nice at all but the gravy was ok. the owner gave us a plate of oranges after our meal. uncle kam talked with him and they are from the same area in hk.
we started exploring berlin with our group ticket which allowed us free use of the s-bahn (strasse bahn aka train), u-bahn (underground) and bus. i think above is kaiser wilhelm memorial church, it was destroyed in the war and left in ruins. it is just opposite zoologischer garden stop where the zoo is.
Schloss Charlottenburg is the largest existing palace in Berlin. this is a bit far from central berlin. somewhere near zone b already. photos suck. it was all misty and water droplets were everywhere.
at alexander platz, the tv tower, second highest building in european union.
the most iconic landmark in berlin, the brandenburg gate. impressive.
left: taken from a double-decker bus (choose #100 or #200 to go on tourist route). right: from the german parliament building...from the top to be exact.
the reichstag building aka german parliament. we managed to go up the glass dome but only after strict security check. it is free.
the glass dome lets one view the parliamentary proceedings underneath as it overlooks the session area.
on that first night in berlin, we searched every nook and cranny for checkpoint charlie but to no avail. the search continued on the second day in berlin after a good sleep. i added another heavier blanket on the existing one and managed to keep myself warm. aahh....checkpoint charlie, a check point between the west and the east. the west point was guarded by the western allies (USA, UK and France) while the east was by the soviet union.
u can get your passport stamped here with a special visa but of course u pay...i think it is 5 Euro. on the previous east side, there are walls with information and photos about the formation and the demolition of the wall.
left: former east berlin, right: west.
there is no more wall here at checkpoint charlie, but just walk about 500m there will be a small part with wall which was not taken down.
memorable photos taken at a museum at the junction. did not explore museum...12 euro please.
left: soviet, right: western allies
just take the u-bahn and get out at this station, u will see checkpoint charlie. dun bother walking around berlin to look for it. it is easier this way.
another not-to-be-missed landmark in berlin is the berlin wall. there are many different spots where u can still find the walls standing but this stretch that i went to is the longest and the most colourful. take the train to ostbahnhof (east station) and voila, the stretch of wall is in front of u.it is also known as the east side gallery, an open exhibition of art work.
opps....can't help it ;P
there was a door along the wall and the river is what u see. they are in the midst of building shakespeare theater in this area.
the last stop in berlin before we headed back to wedding (where we stayed): postdamer platz. the commercial centre.
the shopaholic in me just could not resist the temptation to visit b5 center, an outlet outside berlin, more than 30 mins drive to get birkenstock. it was just a small outlet and phew, was glad i could get something after the journey there...at least made it worth the petrol spent. from left: mine (WAHHAAHA), brother's and jiaen (???)...en's size is size 38...that is the only colour available in that size ah. i hope you can wear it ah...aunt also got something from nike...and i got a hoodie too. ;P
yawn...time to sleep. one more day to go in the trip...hamburg.
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