Apologies for the delay, but here finally are pictures from Berlin! Katie and I called our trip the "alternative" Berlin, as we had no desire for either beer or sausage. Instead, our main goal was to see as much art as we could, and the city offers plenty to choose from.
We first made our way along Unter den Linden, a major street that runs from Museum Island to the Brandenburg Gate.
Bradenburg Gate. Ok, I'm going to sound like a huge snob here, but when you see real examples of Triumphal gateways/archways every day in Rome, modern reinterpretations just aren't that impressive.
Tourist central in front of the Gate. The people standing on the left on the blue podium are dressed like WWII soldiers for you to take a photo with. Also, Darth Vader?
After walking around a bit, we met up with a group and took a tour of Third Reich Berlin. My knowledge of modern history (anything outside of Italy after 1700) is shameful, so the tour was extremely informative. The tour was 3 hours in total, and we began at the Bradenburg gate, making our way through several parts of the city. In this picture we are crossing the street into Tiergarten, the Central Park of Berlin. The bricks seen here mark the location of the Berlin Wall.
Monument to the Soviet soldiers during WWII. The inscriptions glorify the soldiers who "liberated" Germany from the war. It's very controversial today.
Our fantastic guide Barry. His red cheeks give a good indication of the weather while we were there. It was freezing!
Parliament. We spent a lot of time here learning about Hitler's slow and methodical rise to power.
Walking through Tiergarten. The area was once the hunting grounds to the royal family.
One of the newer Holocaust memorials, built in 2008 (I think).
On the side, as you look in, a video loop plays continuously of two men kissing. The memorial is dedicated to the gays murdered during the Holocaust.
Holocaust memorial to the murdered Jews, completed in 2005. It consists of 2,711 unmarked stone rectangles. The number is random, and does not refer to the over 6 million who were killed.
The anonymity of the monument really provokes thought and contemplation.
They were surely designed to evoke tombstones, but more subtly.
After a short break for a snack, our group made its way over to the Jewish Ghetto. This is one of the older Temples in the city that miraculously survived pillaging in the war. The architecture is strangely Moorish in style, and our guide was unable to explain why.
Pausing at brass markers at the end of our tour. Scattered throughout the city, they are an ongoing project to commemorate those who perished in the Holocaust.
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