Berlin 4

Berlin 

We got started early with the intention of going to Dresden. When we got to the Hauptbhanhof and found the ticket information we found that it was going to cost 79 euros each to get there and back for perhaps a couple of hours on the ground. We decided that Dresden could wait for us and so we walked over the Spree from the Hbf towards the Reichstag.

In Bundesrepublik Platz , Modern government building sort
of opposite the Reichstag

We had not visited this.... well when we found our way to the ticket line we discovered that there were very limited tickets available and the earliest we could expect to get in was after 2pm and even that was doubtful given the number of people ahead of us in the queue.(This was at 11am) so we wandered off down towards the Brandenburg gate.

We walked down a lane called Yitzak-Rabin Strasse which ran through part of the Tiergarten alongside the Russian war cemetery and joined Strasse des 17 Juni,the extension of Unter den Linden Strasse, the street that has the Brandenburg Gate the start. We found that there were were a lot of food and trinket stalls being set up in both the Yitzak-Rabin and Strasse des 17 Juni. Then we came across a big ferris wheel.

The 3rd of October was the celebration of the Reunification of Germany and today, Saturday, there was going to be a huge street party. A large sound stage had been set up in front of the Brandenburg Gate, and all the way from there to the ferris wheel was lined with food stalls, beer tents etc etc.

We decided this scene was not for us so we crossed over and continued to walk in the Tiergarten. Well we actually sat down on a park bench and contemplated the gardens and the long pond in front of us.

We walked on a bit and came across this monument to Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven.

Haydn on the left, Mozart on the right and Beethoven,
well more of him next 

I had a few words of advice for Beethoven but he seemed to be very deaf

Recording the fact that I am here

A path in the Tiergarten

This is a city park!

An unamed tragedy

Because of the festivities we had to walk around a City block to get
to the front of the Brandenburg Tor.

We had decided to make this a quiet day so we looked for a restaurant and after walking a kilometre down Unter den Linden we found a busy German cafe, had a good lunch. As we finished a lady at the next table spoke to Marguerita asking if we were english. We got into a conversation with this couple from Dortmund. He was a retired Professor of ecology and they were in Berlin for a couple of days. Her best friend had married an Australian and moved there. We talked about the changes in Berlin since the reunification, and about the history and relations with Russia. He had worked with Russian colleagues in his subject.

This afternoon we are back in the studio apartment, Marguerita is taking a nap. The last few days have been very tiring. Lots of walking.