Berlin!

The TV greeted us when we checked into our hotel in Berlin. It was, hands down, the most amazing hotel I have ever stayed in!! Jake took pictures of everything in the room...I will spare you that boring album, but the TV was pretty cool.
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We started our first day with a tour of the Holocaust Memorial. It is supposed to represent a field of wheat, swaying in the wind, but you have to admit, the cold gray stones make it feel like a cemetery.

The Brandenburg Gate - Napoleon stole the Quadriga (chariot at the top), but was returned 8 years later after Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo.

Fashion faux-pas: Jake is not wearing his trendy scarf purchased by a dear friend.

Patty is professional about picture taking - everyone looks better from an angle above! Tip: this is really the way pictures should be taken.

This is a building off the main square designed by Frank Gehry. The design is really awesome!!

This plaque commemorates the place where in May 1933 the infamous book burning act organized by the Nazi's took place. The upper left corner on the left panel bears the tragically prophetic words of the poet Heinrich Heine, written in 1820, "Where books are burned, in the end people will burn."

This is the dome on top of the Reichstag. The original dome was destroyed in WWII. However, the new dome still houses the parliament, which was in session while we were there. Our driver was waiting out with all of the other limos to pick up parliament members... Did I mention that the German equivalent to the US President (the German Chancellor) is a woman?

Gunter, Patty, and I on top of the Reichstag.

This is the Siegessaule - Triumphal Column, built in the 19th century to commemorate victory in the Prusso-Danish and Austro-Prussion Wars. Before Germany was unified, Berlin was capital of an independent state called Prussia.

Jake, Patty, and I enjoying Champagne and Sushi at the second largest department store in the world - KaDeWe.

This brick path runs where the Berlin Wall used to divide the city from 1961-1989. It is visible all over the city, a startling reminder of the not so distant cold war past.

This photo shows a section of the wall and "Death Strip" that has been preserved. There were two walls, with a No Man's Land in between that was patrolled by dogs and jeeps manned by armed soldiers.

Another portion of the original wall

Like headstones, they are preserved so we can remember what happened.

On a lighter note, Jake got a little out of control with the camera our last night...we felt like we were being stalked by the paparazzi!! Britney Spears...I feel for you...

Patty Cakes, peaking from behind a chunk of the wall

Me too!

Oh, would this be an inappropriate Christmas Card??

All in all, it was the trip of a lifetime. I would love to go back to either place and spend more time because I am sure there is so much more we missed. However, there is so much world left to explore yet - so we are getting ready to plan our next trip!!