Off to Paris!

Monday, November 4:  The morning was a bit gray and wet as we prepared to leave Berlin - an interesting, beautiful city.

   

    Our host in Berlin (the owner of the apartment), Bernd, took us to the airport for our afternoon flight to Paris.  The flight was delayed, so we had time for lunch at The Red Baron restaurant in the airport - hash browns with mushrooms and salad and Coke light :)

   We arrived in Paris about an hour later than planned and after settling in at the apartment, we had a late dinner at a neighborhood Italian restaurant - very good but no pictures.  Now to rest up for our first full day in Paris!

Flohmarkt am Mauerpark and Zoologischer Garten

November 3, Sunday:  Today we set out for the Mauer Park Flea Market in the northeast part of Berlin held on land where the Berlin Wall once stood.  There is a 300m stretch of the wall still standing near the flea market. This is a popular and lively place!

  

    On the way back, we got off the u Bahn at Potsdamer Platz and there was a festival going on - a snow slide and an outdoor winter market -

   

   Lunch at an American style sports cafe - Play Off - the menu covered American, German, and I think there was some Mexican.  There are all kinds of food to choose from here in Berlin. Currywurst is very popular...and we like it!

   Then on to Berlin Zoological Garden just a few blocks from the apartment.  This a beautiful, well laid out zoo, one of the oldest in Germany.  We entered through the Elephant Gate -

    

       

        

         

         

    

        

   

 

   

    And one more Berlin Bear on the way home -

   

   

Saturday Market and Checkpoint Charlie

November 2, Saturday:  The rain has come - but it didn't stop us from going to an outdoor market near us - lots of fresh vegetables and fruits, honey, clothes, and jewelry, along with assorted stuff...

   

   

    Then on to Checkpoint Charlie - a replica of the original checkpoint booth stands today where the original was from 1961 to 1990 when it was formally closed.

 

           

    More Berlin bears -

         

        

    On the way to our Berlin home, we saw a touch of Georgia home -

   

    

East Side Gallery and Boat Ride

November 1, Friday:  We're off to see the East Side Gallery - a part of the Berlin Wall left standing next to the Spree River.  In 1990, 118 artists from around the world were invited to paint images forming a unique piece of art, many were restored in 2009.  Plus another adventure on the U Bahn...

   

   Followed by a boat ride on the Spree River (29 miles of it flows through Berlin.)

   

   

   There are so many major building construction sites in Berlin, it is hard to take a picture without getting a construction crane or other machinery in it.  There are big, colorful pipes above ground that are required for removing water because the water table is so high in the city center -

   The weather is turning colder and cloudy.  Most of Europe changed from Daylight Savings Time to Standard Time last week (on October 27) so this week the days seem shorter - it is dark by 4:35 pm!

   

   

Museum Day in Berlin

  October 31, Thursday:  Our plan for today is to start early and go to Museum Island in the center of the city.  There are actually five museums on this island in the Spree River.  We made our way there (love that #100 bus) and bought our passes at the Bode Museum and spent a while there before going to the Neues Museum to see the Egytian collection, specially the bust of Queen Nefertiti - wonderful collection.  Then on to the Pergamon Museum - a building specially designed for big architectural exhibits and opened in 1930.  Again so much to see - particularly the huge Pergamon Altar, the Ishtar Gate from Babylon, and a section of a facade from a Jordanian desert palace.

   

   

   

   

   After the museums and a look at Berlin Cathedral, we had lunch.  I tried currywurst and potato salad and it was delicious - in fact, all the food is good...

   Berlin's  mascot and symbol is the bear and there are bears all around the city -

    Another full day - and a surprise when we were crossing Wittenberg Platz on our way home - at one of the fast food stands, the fellows were dressed for Halloween - neat!

    

   This is the back and side of the food stand in the plaza - very colorful.  

Exploring Berlin!

  October 30, Wednesday:  We went to Alexanderplatz, the center of East Berlin during the time of the divided city.

   

    Today it is a vast open plaza with shops and department stores around it.  There was a Scottish military music performance group advertising the Berlin Tattoo performances and a sidewalk artist working on a drawing - Halloween maybe?

   

    The TV tower built in 1969, is also at Alexanderplatz, and can be seen from all over Berlin.

  After lunch at the Galeria Kaufhof department store - wonderful restaurant on the top floor - we looked around a bit more before we went to the Brandenburg Gate with the quadriga sculpture - symbol of Berlin.  So much history here - hard to take it all in.

   

  

  Later we came back to our neighborhood - and found that, even though the transportation system is excellent, we need to allow time to get places!  This is the Wittenbergplatz station for the underground train, about a block from the apartment, and bus stops are nearby.

   Nice shops and big stores, too -

   

  Party bicycles - and more!