....for a day, anyway. Apologies to the German language for paraphrasing Kennedy's famous heart-felt, but linguistically incorrect, remark.Thanks to our generous hosts, we were able to experience the city's highlights via its multitudinous public transport options—train, bus, S-bahn, U-bahn. We were treated to delightful sights small, like this charming lamppost outside the Reichstag (I mean, why just have a lamp on a pole?) and imposing sights large, like the iconic structure below, complete with seasonal decorations:
In spite of these ubiquitous reminders of the season, like the tree above and the cheery market at the left, history, and a rather sombre history at that, is all around you in Berlin. One of our stops was at the famous Checkpoint Charlie, the old boundary between East and West Berlin. It doesn't look like this now, but this is from one of the informational panels along the street leading to the old checkpoint house. Historical museum along the sidewalk—a great idea for reminding people of how things used to be where they are now walking.
Past and future are in evidence everywhere, as the city (and, by extension, the whole country) are still being stitched back together after the nightmare years when Checkpoint Charlie was more than a museum. Here's an interesting tableau showing a DDR-era building in the last stages of demolition (all that's left is just to the right of the ferris wheel), making way for a new structure near the museum district:
And, representing the future, here is part of the the new Parliament complex, of which our hosts, and the country, are justifiably proud. It was built in record time as Berlin became the capital of the whole country once again. However, history's not forgotten here, either, as you can see some memorial crosses along the edge of the river:
The most famous memorial, though, is the Gedächtniskirche, which we didn't get a good view of in daylight due to fog. However, this night-time panorama more than made up for it, especially since we just happened to get a great look at some fireworks there as we waited for our train on a nearby platform. The church, left as it was after the war as a reminder of what the whole city looked like, is in the background. The memorial floodlights are streaming up into the fireworks, which were celebrating we know not what—perhaps the beginning of Advent?
At any rate, it was a fitting close to our history-packed day in this fascinating city. I hope we can come back some time in better weather to be able to enjoy its parks and sights more fully. But we enjoyed our quick trip this time, all the same.
