(#3) Berlin
I suppose I should mention that our virtual Superwalk for PD actually started about a week ago and we have been doing about 8,000 steps on average per day since landing in Europe.
So on with Berlin.
The next day we set our route for sightseeing but the heat was so intense that we got about half of our list done and found ourselves in rush hour trying to get back to the hotel. First we saw Berlin from the Panorampunkt which is a building where you can get a 360 degree view even thought building is built like a triangle laid flat. Then we found the Memorial to Murdered Jews in Europe. It is still hard to comprehend the extent of what actually occurred during the period of the Nazi's and the locations their plans involved. There is a bit of a numbing effect as most of the exhibit was visual. We took a well deserved break from the heat but unfortunately not the best of food. Found the Brandenburg Gate after setting off in the wrong direction and by the time we got there we had had enough due tot the heat, it must have been around 40 C plus, even though it officially was less than that, but with the humidity it was definitely hotter. Got back ot the hotel and dropped into a cold shower and laid with cold wash clothes on our heads as we nodded off, dinner was at a spot very close and a bit more than our previous dinners but we felt we deserved something nice. We had the suprise 3 course meal and we were asked was if we like meat, in other words are you a vegetarian. The meal was gazpacho with a grilled scallop hanging over the soup on a toothpick type of affair, a beautifully prepared steak with beans wrapped in a cured meat & scalloped potatoes, an orange yogurt with pomegranate seeds on filo pastry and of course wine, a Sauvignon Blanc, which just happened to be from New Zealand, delightful. We were told it would be drier than the other whites available and it was. Craig, you would have loved the steak.
Brandenburg gate from the Panorampunkt
The Memorial to Murdered Jews In Europe, the exhibit was underground
The remains of Kiaser Wilhelm Memorial Church
The nex day we started at the Berlin Cathedral were I walked up to the outside of the dome while Pave remained on the upper floor. What were the steps like, well for those who have been there, think of Kathy & Barry's steps to the third level only 50X's more. We also got wise and used public transit between locations when possible so after the cathedral we bussed to the Reichstag but the line up was too long to wait in the sun again so we headed off through the Tiergarten, got turned around with the GPS when we tried to find a restaurant in the park. Upon finding it we sat for so long to be served and then our food came before our drinks, combined with the wasps, the heat, a veggie burger that was just Halloumi cheese for the patty and so called pizza that would make some frozen types seem good. Needless to say that our lunches have not been memorable our dinners have been well worth the effort to find the restaurants. Our dinner that evening was at an Indian restaurant voted the best in Berlin and the 2nd best in Europe for 2012 was delicious, but I think it would be a far second from Roy's in Ttown. Our last day in Berlin we went to the Charlottenburg Schloss (palace) and afterwards rather than going to more museums we found a quite side street and sat drinking wines and beer people watching. Our last dinner in Berlin was at a Vietnamese tapas style restaurant. Very interesting dishes.
Charlettenburg Schloss
C S
Is that Meringue on my beer?
CS
Parking in the Tiergarten
Just a few of the steps in the cathederal
The Reichstag from outside the cathedral dome
Inside the cathedral
So on with Berlin.
The next day we set our route for sightseeing but the heat was so intense that we got about half of our list done and found ourselves in rush hour trying to get back to the hotel. First we saw Berlin from the Panorampunkt which is a building where you can get a 360 degree view even thought building is built like a triangle laid flat. Then we found the Memorial to Murdered Jews in Europe. It is still hard to comprehend the extent of what actually occurred during the period of the Nazi's and the locations their plans involved. There is a bit of a numbing effect as most of the exhibit was visual. We took a well deserved break from the heat but unfortunately not the best of food. Found the Brandenburg Gate after setting off in the wrong direction and by the time we got there we had had enough due tot the heat, it must have been around 40 C plus, even though it officially was less than that, but with the humidity it was definitely hotter. Got back ot the hotel and dropped into a cold shower and laid with cold wash clothes on our heads as we nodded off, dinner was at a spot very close and a bit more than our previous dinners but we felt we deserved something nice. We had the suprise 3 course meal and we were asked was if we like meat, in other words are you a vegetarian. The meal was gazpacho with a grilled scallop hanging over the soup on a toothpick type of affair, a beautifully prepared steak with beans wrapped in a cured meat & scalloped potatoes, an orange yogurt with pomegranate seeds on filo pastry and of course wine, a Sauvignon Blanc, which just happened to be from New Zealand, delightful. We were told it would be drier than the other whites available and it was. Craig, you would have loved the steak.
The nex day we started at the Berlin Cathedral were I walked up to the outside of the dome while Pave remained on the upper floor. What were the steps like, well for those who have been there, think of Kathy & Barry's steps to the third level only 50X's more. We also got wise and used public transit between locations when possible so after the cathedral we bussed to the Reichstag but the line up was too long to wait in the sun again so we headed off through the Tiergarten, got turned around with the GPS when we tried to find a restaurant in the park. Upon finding it we sat for so long to be served and then our food came before our drinks, combined with the wasps, the heat, a veggie burger that was just Halloumi cheese for the patty and so called pizza that would make some frozen types seem good. Needless to say that our lunches have not been memorable our dinners have been well worth the effort to find the restaurants. Our dinner that evening was at an Indian restaurant voted the best in Berlin and the 2nd best in Europe for 2012 was delicious, but I think it would be a far second from Roy's in Ttown. Our last day in Berlin we went to the Charlottenburg Schloss (palace) and afterwards rather than going to more museums we found a quite side street and sat drinking wines and beer people watching. Our last dinner in Berlin was at a Vietnamese tapas style restaurant. Very interesting dishes.
Charlettenburg Schloss
C S
Is that Meringue on my beer?
Parking in the Tiergarten
Just a few of the steps in the cathederal
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