The next thing that you do as a recently-arrived immigrant is the Spree Boat Tour. The way the rivers (Spree and Havel) course through the city make for easy boat rides that can hit almost all of the big sites. Also affords a different view angle than the street. For that reason boats run up and down the rivers every half hour, their roofs packed with squinting sight-seers. Today it was 95 F and we had to get out of the apartment so this seemed like a cool thing to go do. We'd stay in the enclosed section of the boat to avoid the sunburn.
First things, first, take the U-Bahn to the Berlin Hauptbahnhof. Built in 2006 just in time for the World Cup they hosted (potentially there were other reasons too), the main Hbf is a monument of glass, steel, and curry wurst. It services 350,000 passengers a day. Here, we saw our first bullet trains and the kids were super excited to catch a glimpse.
Then we find a boat (easy). Next, find some churches and stuff for pics (easier).
Reichstag - the big bad government building. Free to tour but you have to sign up in advance. This was the final battleground of WWII in Europe as the Russians and Germans went at it room by room in the Battle of Berlin. Apparently they kept lots of the damage from the battle "on display" as a reminder to legislators who have to walk by the bullet holes every day on their way to the main chamber. The reminder being, "don't f*ck it up like this again."
We sat on top for a short bit, but were soon driven back underneath. 95 degrees and all.
Just barely keeping it together in the heat.
Kaiser Wilhelm Kirche: This is the one that was gutted during a bombing raid in 1943 and was never rebuilt but left as a reminder of the catastrophe of war. Lots of pockmarks on this building, plus the top of the main steeple spire has been shorn in half.
Daddy got some crusty bread salami and cheese bagette sandwiches so we sat on the stairs of the kirche in the shade and chomped our lunch.
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