Berlin in February

We went to Berlin in February during a school break. The drive there was almost 6 hours, but then closer to 7 on the way back because of a closed stretch of the autobahn (yes, there really are long stretches of the freeway where there is no speed limit - Germany is the last European country to still have this). Before we went into the city we spent one day and night at Tropical Islands, an domed indoor water park. In the middle of a frigid Feb day it was great to walk on a sandy beach and have the sun (through the windows of the dome) on your face. It wasn't a crazy water park with tons of slides and water guns and water falling on you everywhere, which I really enjoyed! There were a few water slides, but it was more about the sand beach and lagoon-like swimming areas which I found much more relaxing than kids running and screaming everywhere. The boys really liked it, especially as it got dark outside because it got dark inside as well and the pools were lit up in all different colors. We didn't take pictures here because I just didn't want to worry about keeping track of the camera or keeping it dry. Here's the website like in case you're curious about what it was like:

http://www.tropical-islands.de/en/visitors.html

After a night nearby we headed into the city for two days & two nights. Berlin, especially this time of year, is not one of the most beautiful cities we've been to, but it's a place where you could really feel history - not just the "old city" "great museum" kind of history we experience in a lot of German places, but the history of WWII and the era of the Berlin Wall. I have pictures below of most of the places we visited except for the Checkpoint Charlie museum which showed many of the crazy ways people tried to get over, under, through and past the Wall

It was hard for us to follow because there was a lot of snow on the ground, but throughout the city you'll see a cobblestone path like this that traces the location of the former Berlin Wall.

Pergamon Museum

One of the most impressive museums I've ever been! Impressive due to sheer scale of what's presented. Ancient structures were dismantled at their site and re-built here (of course, that has caused some controversy, especially with the Turkish government).

The Pergamon Altar, from 160 BC, taken from a Greek town which lies in today's Turkish border.

A cool detail photographed by Ethan

I love floor mosaics, I find them so impressive

The Market Gate of Miletus, 120 AD - see the people at the bottom - these structures were massive!

The Ishtar Gate from Babylon, 6th century BC - it was hard to get good pictures because of it's scale, but at the far right you can see the size and how it was made of individual tiles.

Interior of an Assyrian Palace, 12th century BC

Detail of battle armor - this was only about 12 inches tall.

A figure in mourning

Berlin Cathedral

We didn't get inside of the Cathedral because of limited time, but I thought it's exterior was beautiful.

Exterior of a museum across from the Cathedral

Outdoor statues across from the Cathedral - picture taken by Ethan. I love the interesting angles he can get in photos!

Reichstag

This is the German parliament's official building. It's free to tour the interior and it's supposed to be very cool up in the glass dome, unfortunately the day we were there it was shut down because of worries about heavy snow sitting on the dome.

"The German People"

Brandenburg Gate area

The Gate is so big it's hard to get good pictures.

Detail of the top

The American Embassy, steps away from the Gate

The Hotel Adlon, just down from the Gate, was the hotel where Michael Jackson dangled his baby off the balcony!

The Gate was obscured on this side by a temporary stage that was set up, but you can see the statue on top. Lots of strange photo-ops in this square.

Griffin still isn't convinced that the guy standing up straight was someone in costume (which he was) he insists he's a statue.

Other Sights

Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church - notice the broken, jagged top of this church that was bombed out during WWII. It was decided that it should remain standing as a memorial to the war's destruction, with a new, modern church built beside it in the 1960's.

Jewish Museum - there are actually two buildings, this new construction, and a traditional structure to the left which are connected by an underground tunnel. The lines you see in the building are evident inside, and they are supposed to represent the voids left in Jewish culture lost during the Holocaust. It's a full history of the Jewish people, not just Holocaust era. There were two distinct sections, one colorful, interactive section of exhibits and another that was more about evoking feelings in the viewer. This second section was very interesting in that some parts of the architecture made you feel, for instance, disorientation or overwhelming silence to help you understand how Jews felt during certain points in history.

The Neue Wache, a tomb for German unknown soldiers and unknown concentration camp victims. The statue is covered by three walls and a roof, but the roof above the statue is open to allow in the elements - snow on this day. A very peaceful and moving spot on a busy street in the city.