Berlin: Day 2

The so-called "East Side Gallery" is the largest continuous section of the Berlin Wall still standing. You can tell this was taken from the bus, but the quality of the artwork on the wall is still clear. 

One of the famous images of the wall, the Trabant painting is captioned, "Test the Rest."

I wish I had had time to see this closer. Possibly a relic of the concert that Pink Floyd did here  (wish I could have seen that!), this was a pleasant surprise that my deft hands allowed me to capture for you.

The most famous mural on the wall, depicting Leonid Brezhnev kissing Erich Honecker. It's a reproduction of the 1990 original that was destroyed in 2009 in preparation for a complete restoration of the East Side Gallery. The caption reads, "Gott hilf mir, diese tödliche Liebe zu überleben" ("God help me survive this deadly love").

Deutscher Dom. You'll see more later...unfortunately for my feet.

It's a silly looking Beetle! Hooray!

Reichstag. We had time for a photo, but that's it. You'll see more later.

This building was a gift from the United States in the 1950's. Formerly known as the Kongresshalle, it is now known as Haus der Kulturen der Welt.

A model of the building, designed in 1954 by an American.

View of the Kanzleramt and Fernsehturm. The Kanzleramt is the official office of the German equivalent of the Executive Branch.

This was once a summer palace built for the Kaiser. It's now the residence of the Bundespräsident.

Schloss Charlottenburg. It was originally built as a palace for the wife of Friedrich III.

The largest department store in Germany. It has six huge floors, plus several satellites in the area.

The Holocaust memorial.

There is a physical depression in the ground as the stones become gradually higher. As you walk in further, it becomes darker and harder to see other people. It emphasizes the way the Nazis' crimes escalated in small steps up to genocide. From a distance, each ring of blocks seems just a little larger than the previous, but they grow large very quickly. The symbolism and solemn feel of the memorial makes it an amazing experience. 

Some buildings that were partially demolished during the war were later taken down completely to create  small courtyards. The connections to adjacent buildings remain, though.

This centaur is holding a bazooka. Your argument is invalid.

The whole group at dinner.

German Word of the Day / Deutsches Wort des Tages
Konzentrationslager :: concentration camp
Der erste Konzentrationslager, Dachau, war in 1933 für Politiksverbrecher gegründet.
The first concentration camp, Dachau, was established in 1933 for political prisoners.