22 hours to fly from Phuket to Berlin via Singapore & Zurich on Silk & Swiss Air.
After the hottest & most humid weather in Thailand, the snow capped Alps in Zurich provided quite a drop in temperature, though still pleasant.
Staying at the Pulman Schweizerhof Hotel, which has a wonderful indoor pool & gym. This photo was taken just outside, next to the statue of Alexander von Humbolt, German philosopher & geographer.
Wednesday
We went on a walking tour booked on Viator. The English guide was good fun & brought the history of Berlin to life. Highlights of the tour included the Brandenburg Gate & the remains of the Wall. It is amazing how 90% of the buildings have had to be rebuilt since the war, yet the old character has been retained, with a positive attempt to acknowledge what happened at the same time. For example, the colonnades & facade of one of the churches have been reconstructed with bulletmarked relics from the original. Hitler's bunker is now a car park, & there is deliberately not even a gravestone to mark his existence, yet there are memorials for all those he killed.
The tour started in West Berlin & caught the S bahn train to the East.
Berlin means swamp land & all buildings have to be less than 150 m in height.
Brandenburg Gate
Some of the remains of Berlin Wall that meanders through the city & not in a straight line, as most people think.
Thursday
Explored Berlin City on a Hop-on Hop-off Bus & boat ride. Started off at Potsdamer Plaza & up the Panoramapunkt which was 27 floors in 7 seconds. Then walked to Topography of Terror. It was sobering to stand in the museum that has been built where the Gestapo & SS Headquarters once stood & see the atrocities they committed chronicled there.
Checkpoint Charlie is surprisingly small & seems so insignificant now. Ironically, there's a McDonalds right next to it!
Then went on an hour boat trip on the River Spree.
Finished off at Gedachtniskirche/Memorial Church which is around the corner from our Hotel by the Europa Centre. It has been left a ruin after the bombing as an acknowledgment of what happened.
Final night in Germany, I had an eisbein, sauerkraut & 2 half litres of German draft beer. Was I full?!
Friday
Fly to Venice
Whew! Hope you are getting a bit of exercise in with all the lovely food!
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