In Berlin's Sony Center

This is a video we took while we were sitting at the fountain in Sony Center. It was dark, so it's a little difficult to see some things. It was really just to test the video capabilities of my camera, but we thought you might enjoy it anyway.

Schloß Charlottenburg, etc.

Today we got a late start, as I mentioned, but it turned out to be a really nice day. We started at the Gedenkstätte Plötzensee (Plötzensee Memorial), which is a former prison that was mainly used to execute prisoners that Hitler's regime thought were traitorous. Something like 2800 people were executed here between 1933 and 1945. The site itself still has the feeling of a prison about it in places, but overall I was surprised by the juxtaposition of the evil that went on here sixty years ago and how beautiful the site is today. The memorial is simply a single small two-room building; the first room houses information about the site and a few of the murdered prisoners, as well as a small computer that allowed you to look up the names and information of all those who were executed here. The second room was almost empty and had a bunch of flowers arranged in it, but the most surprising thing was that the hooks on which the prisoners were hung were still in place, with nothing separating us from them except a small rope. It was a bit chilling.

From there we took the S-Bahn to the Schloß Charlottenburg, which turned out to be an excellent way to spend the afternoon, especially after the rather somber earlier visit to Plötzensee. The Schloß (palace) was the home of some of Prussia's most illustrious leaders, including Frederick the Great. We toured the central part of the palace, which was an awesome experience. Much of the house is still standing from when it was constructed, including some gorgeous paintings (including some on ceilings!) and amazing architecture. Although the first floor of the palace included many things that dated back to the 18th century (including an entire room dedicated to a huge china collection), the second floor was almost entirely destroyed during World War II, so most of it was reconstructed with blank walls replacing the detailed paintings and decorations like those seen on the first floor, and the furniture was brought from other places. It's such a shame that the war caused so much damage to the building.

The palace also includes the most amazing gardens that stretch out for what seems like forever from the palace itself. We spent several hours touring the park grounds, and we still only saw a small part of it. It was amazing. The pictures just can't do it justice.

After the Schloß Charlottenburg, we decided to eat at a restaurant across the street, Brauhaus Lemke. This is a fairly well-known brewery, so we decided that this was an excellent time to try some real German beer. I had the Lemke Original, and Erica ordered a four-beer sampler. Although I won't say it was the best thing I've ever had to drink, I will proudly say that I finished the entire thing! But I don't imagine I'll be having another any time soon.

After eating, it was getting dark so we decided to see a few of the things that are lit up at night. We visited the Sony Center again, which was cool but not as cool as people seem to think it is. Then we went up to the Brandenburg Gate and tried to take pictures of it all lit up, but our cameras were being difficult in the low light. We also tried to visit the Holocaust Memorial to see what it looked like at night, but for some reason the lights weren't on. So instead, we walked over to the Reichstag, the German Federal Parliament building). I had seen this building dozens of times in pictures, but the pictures never did the building justice. It is absolutely gigantic and very imposing, much more so than the more-famous Brandenburg Gate. There is a glass dome on the top which you can climb to the top of during the day, so we'll definitely be visiting this spot again.

Also, as we were making our way to the Sony Center, we just happened upon a small remainder of the Berlin Wall in Potsdamer Platz that was being used as part of the "20 years since the Wall fell" celebrations in Germany that are taking place all this year. I tried to break off a small piece, but that is one sturdy wall, and you would have to use a hammer and pick ax to take a piece home with you. It was interesting that it was just sitting out, without any barricades or anything, and you could touch it as much as you wanted. I noticed a lot of people decided the edges of the Wall were good places to deposit their used chewing gum, which I decided to take as a political statement against everything the Wall stood for rather than simple carelessness.

At this point we began to see lightning in the distance, so we got home as quick as we could and managed to beat the rain. It's supposed to rain tomorrow, so we're planning to spend the day inside at the Berlin Aquarium. Check back tomorrow to see how that went!

Gedenkstätte Plötzensee:

Schloß Charlottenburg:

In the gardens of the palace:

Drinking German beer!

The Berlin Wall:

The Sony Center fountain:

The roof of the Sony Center (it changes colors!)

The Reichstag: