We took a "P" Day and saw some of the sights of Berlin. We had the perfect tour guide to help us! We met Susan Olsen in our ward and she has lived in Germany most of her life. She is a professor of linguistics at Humboldt University. Susan knows this city well and she helped us to learn how the bus system works as we traveled together. The weather was perfect for our day of sightseeing - not too hot and not too cold. We took a boat tour of Berlin on the river Spree which in places was the past boundary between East and West Berlin.
A view from the boat of the Berliner Dom- a baroque cathedral built in the late 1800's on an island in the river Spree.
"Palace of Tears" - former border crossing station where East Germans (who were not permitted to leave East Germany) said goodbye to their families and friends who were returning to West Germany.
The Reichstag serves as Germany's seat of Parliament
The House of World Cultures - contributed by the US in 1957. This building is nicknamed "the pregnant oyster" and also nicknamed the "Jimmy Carter Smile".
The Spree River in this area is lined by museums, theatres, government buildings, apartments and restaurants.
Hal and Susan with the Berliner Dom Cathedral in the background.
The Fernesehtum (TV Tower) is the tallest structure This photo shows the old with
in Berlin. It was built by the East German Government the new. Berlin's oldest church - Saint
1965-69 as a show of strength and power. Nicholas Church was built 1220 - 1230
and repaired after the bombing of WWII
Humbolt University Administration and classroom Building
This is one of Germany's oldest and most prestigious universities ( founded in 1810).
This is where our friend Susan teaches Linguistics.
Across from the Humboldt University Law School is Bebelplatz. This was one of the locations of the book burnings which took place on April 10, 1933. The German Student Association of Nazi, Germany burned all books deemed "un German". The monument to this infamous event shows empty bookshelves below ground level.
This photo shows a view of the US Embassy in Berlin. The north entrance to the embassy faces Pariser Platz which is famous for the beautiful and historic Brandenburg Gate. Since the fall of the wall that divided the city after WWII, the gate has become a symbol of the reunification of East and West Berlin.
The Quadriga atop Brandenburg Gate
We also visited the Holocaust Memorial to the 6 million Jews murdered by the Nazi regime. Made of some 2,700 concrete slabs, it has a haunting resemblance to a cemetery.
After our busy day of sightseeing, Susan took us to a wonderful gelato restaurant for a delicious treat ( it truly tasted like the gelato in Italy!).
This is Susan with her cute, little dog "Susi" in her lovely apartment at Potsdamer Platz. Thank you Susan for being a wonderful tour guide!
