I'm going to post these pictures of my overseas trips in series of 4-6 images, more or less in chronological order. The other day I posted some pictures taken while Ben and I were waiting in the Berlin airport for the rest of our group to arrive. When they did, we got on the bus and headed for the center of town, where we would walk around awhile waiting to hook up with yet another group joining the tour from California. So the shot above is of the highway, once we got on the bus.
Next is a shot from within the bus of the famous angel that watches over the city from its perch high above the Strasse des 17 Juni (just a short way down from the Brandenburg Gate)
Here's a closer shot of the statue, which will reappear in my narrative in a few days.
This is a memorial built to honor the Soviet soldiers who died "liberating" Berlin from the Nazis during World War II, a remnant of the years when the city was divided between East and West. I suspect most inhabitants today view it as a monument to all the soldiers who fought for their country, but you can tell, it's not exactly swamped with tourists.
The Reichstag (now referred to as the Bundestag) was the site of a famous fire back in 1933 that became a pretext for Hitler's seizure of power. You can still see some evidence of bullet holes in the building's facade from the end of the second World War. The glass dome is a recent addition-- supposedly, climbing to its apex provides one with a spectacular view of the city in all directions, but we didn't have the patience to wait in line (which you can see snaking out the front and down the steps. I guess that just gives me a reason to go back some day.
Near the Reichstag is a small park, decorated with these memorials to individuals who dies trying to break out of East Berlin prior to the fall of the Wall. There are several such displays scattered around the city, striking reminders of a very tragic, recent past. Unlike other cities I've visited in Europe, almost all of Berlin's immediately evident history goes back less than a hundred years. That'll be more apparent from some of the other pictures I have to share in coming days.
I'm going to post these pictures of my overseas trips in series of 4-6 images, more or less in chronological order. The other day I posted some pictures taken while Ben and I were waiting in the Berlin airport for the rest of our group to arrive. When they did, we got on the bus and headed for the center of town, where we would walk around awhile waiting to hook up with yet another group joining the tour from California. So the shot above is of the highway, once we got on the bus.
Next is a shot from within the bus of the famous angel that watches over the city from its perch high above the Strasse des 17 Juni (just a short way down from the Brandenburg Gate)
Here's a closer shot of the statue, which will reappear in my narrative in a few days.
This is a memorial built to honor the Soviet soldiers who died "liberating" Berlin from the Nazis during World War II, a remnant of the years when the city was divided between East and West. I suspect most inhabitants today view it as a monument to all the soldiers who fought for their country, but you can tell, it's not exactly swamped with tourists.
The Reichstag (now referred to as the Bundestag) was the site of a famous fire back in 1933 that became a pretext for Hitler's seizure of power. You can still see some evidence of bullet holes in the building's facade from the end of the second World War. The glass dome is a recent addition-- supposedly, climbing to its apex provides one with a spectacular view of the city in all directions, but we didn't have the patience to wait in line (which you can see snaking out the front and down the steps. I guess that just gives me a reason to go back some day.
Near the Reichstag is a small park, decorated with these memorials to individuals who dies trying to break out of East Berlin prior to the fall of the Wall. There are several such displays scattered around the city, striking reminders of a very tragic, recent past. Unlike other cities I've visited in Europe, almost all of Berlin's immediately evident history goes back less than a hundred years. That'll be more apparent from some of the other pictures I have to share in coming days.
No comments:
Post a Comment