Tuesday, September 28. Around 2:00 h we check-in near the Old Anhalter Station. Fill out 3 forms for corona, vaccination and show the corona-app. Discover you can read it without scanning, would have been handy in Romania. We walk to the Portico of the destroyed Anhalter Station and up North to the Potsdamer Platz. Modern buildings around it, some quite interesting. A bit further the Brandenburger Tor. In the past, it was a free object on a square. Now on both sides buildings are closing in the gate. Just before, we already walked along the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. A field of concrete blocks, where people can walkthrough. The Reichstag, the German Parliament, the old majestic building with the modern glassed dome. Walk into the Tiergarten park to the Soviet War Memorial. Tanks and cannons in front and a bronze soldier on a socket looking down. Back to the Brandenburger Tor and walk underneath to the front side. On top a mythical lady on a chariot. We have a beer at some terrace on Unter den Linden. Beautiful old buildings to both sides, like the Prussian State Library and the Humboldt University of Berlin. At the Bebelplatz the Berlin State Opera and the St. Hedwig’s Cathedral. Beauties as well. Back to the main road the Zeughaus, Deutsches Historisches Museum, and the bridge to Museumsinsel. The green Lustgarten with the Berlin Cathedral is popular. The outside is quite impressive, but inside the church it’s also well decorated. We climb the 297 stairs to the panorama view on the roof. Much of a climb, especially with the mandatory mask for Covid-19. The views over the city make it worth the climb. Down again we cross the river Spree again and enter the East part of Berlin. Through the Marx Engels Forum park and along the fountain Neptunbrunnen. See the Saint Mary’s Church and the Rotes Rathaus. But the biggest is the 368 m high Fernsehturm. A nice spot for dinner.
Wednesday, disinfection spray for the hands, plastic gloves, and mask. We’re ready for breakfast. We take the S-bahn into town. We try the Pergamon Museum, but there’s no time slot available this morning. Too bad. The Alte Nationalgalerie is good alternative. Beautiful statues of the 19th century. The two sisters and the angel are magnificent. On the first floor many paintings by Menzel and other painters. Nice collection. In the meantime, it started pouring outside. We run to the U-bahn, but we’re still soaked. The stairs of the U-bahn entrance are a cascade of water. Not enough time, but it was nice to have a glimpse of Berlin.
