Berlin - Architecture in 2011

These photographs were taken from a bus window during a tour in the spring of 2011. The buildings generally looked very modern and construction was ongoing throughout the city for not only buildings but infrastructure. Some buildings, such as the Reichstag, were refurbished in the late 1990s after World War II and a long time of disrepair. These buildings were restored to their early glory and architectural style, with some modern additions.

The photo of the Berlin Cathedral shows the Berliner Schloss (Berlin Castle).  It in in a reconstruction phase. The Stadtschloss (German: Berliner Stadtschloss, in English the Berlin City Palace), was a royal palace in the centre of Berlin, capital of Germany.  It is a very interesting process to watch as the country strives to reunite.  See the reconstruction section in this wikipedia wrting.

Descriptive references are from Wikipedia.



The Altes Museum (German for Old Museum)
is one of several internationally renowned museums on Museum Island in Berlin, Germany.

Berlin Cathedral (German: Berliner Dom)
 is the colloquial name for the Evangelical (i.e. Protestant) Oberpfarr- und Domkirche (English analogously: Supreme Parish and Collegiate Church, literally Supreme Parish and Cathedral Church) in Berlin, Germany.
The Stadtschloss (German: Berliner Stadtschloss, in English the Berlin City Palace),
was a royal palace in the centre of Berlin, capital of Germany.
 (NOTE: I looked up this view on Google Maps and the old building on the left, the Berliner Schloss, is in the process of a teardown.  Sad but it was probably too costly to refurbish. View is from Rathoausstrasse. 



Reichstagsgebäude
the specific German word for Parliamentary buildings, often simply shortened to Reichstag.

New Berlin Central Station - working and under construction.

Paul-Löbe-Haus, Berlin

Paul-Löbe-Haus and Marie-Elisabeth-Lüders-Haus connected by bridge. 



USA Embassy is very close to the Brandenburg Gate.
The (new) embassy building on Pariser Platz opened on July 4, 2008.

In the Embassy section.  The street barriers pop-up from the pavement as needed.

Europe - Easter Scenes

I was browsing through my photos looking for a picture to post to send greetings for the weekend, and decided to show all of the ones that I had relating to Easter in Europe. I was fortunate to visit in Spring of 2011 to get some photos.

Church altar in Magdeburg, Germany

Store window in Berlin, Germany

Display in the Meissen China showroom, Meissen, Germany

Painting above the church entrance and the altar in Wittenburg, Germany

Center of a large plaza in Olomouc, Czech Republic

Church altar in Olomouc

Sculpture in the museum in Olomouc

Notre Dame altar, Paris, France

Large painted egg in Prague, Czech Republic

Large number of booths selling Easter eggs in Prague.

Michealangelo's La Pieta in Rome, Italy

Chocolate shop window in Vienna, Austria

Altar of a church in Vienna.

Many decorated eggs for sale in Vienna.

Berlin - Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, Nolle's Restaurant

Today was a long touring day, but it was fun and actually went quickly.  For scheduling reasons, the boat had to dock near Potsdam.  Two buses departed the dock at 8AM and drove about an hour to Berlin.  We rode on the Auto-Bahn (wheee) and quickly arrived in Berlin to begin the city tour.  It was nice to have someone else giving directions, information about the city (instead of referencing my tour book) and to have a familiarity with the area.  

Reichstag from the front.
You can see the glass dome in the center.

Berlin - Ritz Carlton and MS Swiss Ruby

Today was an easy day.  Rose late and walked to the dining room in the Ritz Carlton for an inclusive breakfast.  Enjoyed the usual cheeses, fruits, a crepe, and some meats.  Finished blogging from yesterday’s adventures.  Packed the suitcase and said goodbye to the wonderful amenities at the hotel, and went downstairs to check out.  We were able to split the bill on two different credit cards (according to what we had each billed to the room) without a problem  We asked about the next two hours of wifi, and the front desk clerk gave us each a card and code for one hour (she could see on the bill that we had paid for 24 hours which wouldn’t expire until later in the day).  We dropped off our luggage, with the special ID tags from the AHI cruise group, with the tour guides.  These ladies were very helpful throughout our stay and I just need to put a good word in about them.  We then walked into the charming bar area with the large stuffed chairs and the wooden walls for an internet session, drinks, and a light lunch.  The bartender/waiter helped us to find an area with plug access and we set up shop for the following two hours.  Ordered a hot coffee with a spot of kahlua and rum, and it came with an nice portion of whipped cream on top.  Ordered club sandwiches and fries for lunch and finished the wait.  When it was time to gather all of the laptop articles, we packed and gave the bags to the AHI cruise directors. 

MS Swiss Ruby
(Looks little on the outside)

Berlin - Unter den Linden - Fun street entertainment

This group entertained the outside diners at Einstein's.  They were really good and I was mesmerized watching them work together. At first I thought, oh great, someone else wants change.  Well, after watching, I dug out a handful of my coins and contributed to their entrepreneurial team.

Rick Steves - Berlin information in book and digital format. (affiliate link)

Berlin - Mexican Food at Cancun Restaurant

Ok, yes, I was just a little bit curious.  And tired from touring all day. Cancun is located across the street from the Ritz Carlton and Mexican food sounded so good.

Fajitas with flour tortillas, guacamole, salsa. 14 euros

Berlin - Berliner Dom (Berlin Cathedral) on Museum Island

Museum Island is in the center of the river and holds quite a collection of museums.  The Berlin Cathedral was the only building explored as the time was limited.  The ticket is 5 euros, plus 3 euros for an audio guide.  It sits on the perimeter of the Lustgarten, the island's big central square.  Until the last half-century it was verboten (forbidden) is relax or walk on the grass. This changed in 1999 when the area was made in to a park. People certainly take advantage of this area. (Steves Germany 2011)

Berlin Dom with the beautiful Lustgarten park and fountain.

Berlin - Bebelplatz and Ampelmannchen

There is a lot of building construction and I needed to get creative to photograph statues without cranes.  Then I thought...Why not include the cranes? Isn't rebuilding part of what makes Berlin special? You bet!

Frederick the Great
Constuction in the back ground with
huge billboards taking advantage of the
space.

Berlin - Unter den Linden - Cafe and Shopping

Unter den Linden is a broad street with a broad history. The street used to have 250 year old lime trees lining the broad pedestrian walkway. Hitler had the trees removed and flags put in their place.  Loud protests and years later...the lime trees were replaced and are growing again.

Interesting architecture caught my eye.

Berlin - Reichstag and Brandenburg Gate

A video is included at the end of this post. If you are viewing in an email, you will need to click on the link at the bottom of the email and view the video on the web page.

The walking tour follows Unter den Linden (street name which means 'under the lime trees').  It is a wide boulevard with large pedestrian sidewalks, bike lanes, and a walkway in the middle of the street shaded with trees. There are a lot of park benches.  There are subway stations all along the route, marked as U-Bahn/S-Bahn, and bus stops all along the route. This walk can be as long or as short as you like.

Reichstag - Houses Germany's General Assembly

Berlin - Scenes from the 8th Floor window

There was a lot of smooth and organized driving today.  It was like watching a movie as the "officials" exited the hotel after the NATO conference meeting.  (Tina, I put my earbuds in while in the hotel lobby so that I would "blend in" with the others.)