From near our hotel two bus lines go through the main parts of Berlin. We took one in and the other back out. After driving through Tiergarten and past the Grosser-sturm (covered in scaffolding and plastic), our first stop was at the Reichestag. This is the impressive building that is the home of the German Parliament. Like many of the major buildings here, it was rebuilt after the war, and is now topped by an interesting glass dome.
One of the most important historical sites in Berlin was our next stop, a couple of blocks' walk from the Reichestag: the Brandenburg Gate (Brandenburger Tor). On the way we saw memorial plaques for some of the victims of the wall who tied to escape to West Berlin. The gate is an impressive site, complete with the chariot and horses on top. It is now a pedestrian zone and is at the west end of Unter den Linden, a very busy shopping street. It is the center of the eastern part of the city. We walked the entire length of the street with the Linden trees and stopped in a little café for lunch.
There was supposed to be an organ recital at one of the churches in town, but we couldn't find the church, even after asking for help. We did, however, find other churches and interesting buildings. One round church was St Hedwig's, a rather austere building, rebuilt by the Soviets to appease the people of East Berlin. A block away was a brick gothic church building, that is now a museum. We then walked to the French Dom and the German Dom, two identical (from the outside) church buildings, with the Berlin Symphony Concert Hall between them.
Around the corner is Europe's largest chocolate store, Fassbender & Rausch. More chocolate in one place than I could imagine, and we only bought a few broken pieces. We then walked back to Unter den Linden and caught the bus to the Berliner Dom (Berlin Cathedral). Built as the Catholic cathedral, it is now a Protestant/Lutheran church. It is truly an impressive building, even including statues of Luther and other reformers. There is a large organ, and stairs to the base of the dome. Dick climbed while Karen rested in a pew. The views from the top (at the base of the dome) were wonderful, even on a cloudy, drizzly day.
We understood that the #200 bus would loop back and head back to our hotel area. But it kept going further to the east. Eventually, we figured it out, got off, and caught the next one going the other way. This bus goes past the Philharmonie, where we made a stop to buy tickets to tomorrow night's Berlin Philharmonic concert. We then continued our bus ride back to our hotel.
On the advice of the hotel clerk, we found a good Italian restaurant a couple of blocks from the hotel. Another good meal in Berlin. After dinner we walked back to the bus stop, and took a night ride through central Berlin for a different view of the city. It was interesting to see it at night.
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