B is for Berlin

When talking about Berlin, I do not even know where to begin.  For much of my youth, Berlin was divided into East and West.  The stories of escapes from the East would always be of interest.  And then one day, the wall that surrounded all of West Berlin came down and Germany was united.  Now, visiting the city, it is hard to distinguish what was East and what was West.

There are remnants of the wall to be seen.

With interesting artwork:

There are markers in the street:

But it is certainly the buildings that make one stand in awe.  The steeple of the Kaiser Wilhelm Church, left, has been left as it was after the end of World War II.  But we also see the steeple of the Marienkirche in the Alexanderplatz., below.

And the French Cathedral in the Gendarmenmarkt Square in the Mitte section of Berlin is quite incredible.

This is in the square along with the German Cathedral and the Konzerthaus (pictured below).  And it was right across the street from the hotel where I stayed.

Mind you that the Mitte section was in EAST Berlin.  I never would have guessed from all the propaganda I heard in the 60's and 70's.

There are the iconic images we have all seen, such as the Brandenburg Gate

And the Reichstag Building

They have their own White House for their chancellor, too.

I spent days 13 and 14 here, not nearly enough time.  There is so much to see here that Berlin is definitely on my list to revisit.  Perhaps next year.

A and B are also for the Aare River and Berne, Switzerland, which I previously blogged about.  http://msdeniseh553.blogspot.com/2013/10/bern-on-aare-river.html

On my Bucket List:  Brazil