Ich bin ein Berliner

"I am a jelly doughnut" , but that's a whole different story that I really don't want to talk about at the moment. (too much swiss chocolate)  And yes, even though the story goes that this is what JFK said in his speech in Berlin, others say the translation does not make reference to a pastry at all.

Keith and I left Friday, without the kids, and spent five fabulously interesting days in Berlin.  The weather was cold and dreary but the city was amazing.  We stayed in Alexanderplatz which was a perfect spot to head out every morning.  We went to some incredible museums, saw the most diverse architecture of any city I have ever been in, shopped at the KaDeWe which is the most beautiful mall I have ever seen, and enjoyed some wonderful restaurants.  

A lot of the city is new and modern.

Bundeskanzleramt

Bellevue (Chancellor's official residence)

Victory Tower

Charlottenburg Castle

Remnant of the Wall... chipped away by souvenir seekers

Gendarmemarkt Schauspielhaus Konzerthaus, Friedrich Schiller Denkmal

Französischer Dom - a Church built for French Huguenot refugees in 1701

Marienkirche, 13th century

A section of the wall is the "Eastside Gallery" where artists have painted murals on the wall.

The Holocaust Memorial

The idea for a Holocaust Memorial was first proposed in 1988 but the design for the monument wasn't approved until 1999. At that time, U.S. architect Peter Eisenman's controversial design was chosen as a fitting tribute to the Jews that died before and during World War II as part of Hitler's plan to exterminate them.

The Brandenburg Gate

Reichstag (3 working days for reservations to go inside)

Humboldt U. 

Planck's U. of Berlin classroom

Euler's home for 25 years, now Bavarian State Offices

Neue Wache memorial to victims of war

Schlossbrücke and Berliner Dom

TV Tower, 368 m high - tallest structure in Europe

Rathaus

Sony Center

Buildings on Potsdamerplatz

A Modern Apartment Complex

Checkpoint Charlie

This was a bombed out church that they did not rebuild.
 Unforunately is was covered in scaffolding and all I got was a picture of a picture. 

Symbolic sculpture of German reunification

The most beautiful mall I have ever been to.  One floor was just gourmet food.

Market Gate of Miletus, 120 AD

The Gates of Babylon in the Pergamon Museum

So much culture, history, art, commerce, tragedy in one phenomenal place.