Today we started the day, by catching up on some washing at a nearby laundromat and eating some breakfast at a café, as well as walking around for a bit waiting for the washing to complete.
After doing the washing, we went to the Reichstag building (German parliament) to sign up to enter the dome later. After signing up, we ate some Berlin style sausages that were quite delicious. Close to the Reichstag is the Brandenburg gate, so we went and got some photos there.
The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
After walking to the Brandenburg gate, we noticed that this memorial was also nearby, so we walked over to it. The above-ground memorial is quite big, with many rows and columns of concrete blocks that are easy to get lost in. We visited the museum underneath that shares horrific stories of what occurred during the Holocaust. It was a very depressing few hours as we followed audio guides through the museum. The museum’s key message was “It happened, therefore it can happen again”.Reichstag building
After finishing the museum, it was time for our visit to the German parliament building. We went in through the front and took a crowded elevator up to the top where we collected audio guides before walking around the top section of the building. It was quite a pretty view, as it was getting dark around the time we were there. We used the audio guide and walked up the spiraling walkway that goes to the top of the dome. The audio guide here was quite good as it pointed out lots of the nearby monuments including embassies, buildings that were once crossing points of the Berlin wall, and other cultural landmarks.
Dinner and Pub
After completing the day’s site-seeing, we went back to the hotel to get more rugged up as it was freezing outside, before going to get some kebabs. I had a beef kebab that was delicious. After that we to a pub where you get to pour your own beers and pay by the litre.