berlin, germany

Yesterday was a day with ALOT of walking.. and I learned that although, wearing flip flops means you don't have to dirty a clean pair of socks, it might not be the best idea in the long run..

So yesterday we started by going to the grocery store and getting breakfast and some food for later. I bought sandwich supplies, but it was SO hot yesterday that by the afternoon the cheese was melted into one big glob and even the sandwich meat was melting.. yicK! We then took the S-bahn to the Reichstag (Parliament) and climbed the dome up to the top. The Reichstag burned down in 1933, and the Nazis blamed a Communist plot, but some believe Hitler himself started the fire, using it as an excuse to frame the communists and seize power. Then we walked to Brandenburg gate, one of the last of 14 remaining gates into the city, it was actaully part of a no mands land and went unused while the Berlin wall was still up. It's so weird to think that the Berlin Wall was still up just like 16 years ago.. even parts of their subway systems went unused. The east rented the use of some stations out to the West, but only as a loop around, so one could get out, and the stations were armed with guards. Even the tiles and signs at these stations remain old fashioned from that time. It's crazy to think that so much has happened here so recently. Berlin is a really interesting city.

All of the museums were free after 6:oo last night, so we went to three of them. First was the Egyptian museum (where the bust of Queen Nefertiti is), then the Pergamon Museum (recreation of a 2nd century Greek temple, all with actual excavated pieces) then we went on a 45 min walk over to Potsdamer Platz which is where the Gemaldegalerie (13th-18th century European paintings) is. The last one closed at 10, and we were kind of rushed because we got there at 9.. oh well it was still cool.. We probably should have saved that one for today, but hey, it was free yesterday!

Today we plan to go to the Topography of Terror open air museum, Checkpoint Charlie and the East Side Gallery. Tonight we might also go the the Paul Van Dyk pre party for the Love Parade, which is tomorrow night..

<3 shanon