Berlin

Cathy and I went to Berlin in early July.  It was the consolation prize for a busted business trip.  I was going to meet with Siemens and she was tagging along.  As these things tend to go - the trip got canceled.  This time we had airline tickets and hotel reservations already in hand.  She was on her way home for the summer anyway, so we decided what the heck, let's go anyway.

Not knowing what we would find, all I wanted to do was see the Brandenburg Gate and Check Point Charlie.

So....

We we went to the Gate

and Checkpoint Charlie

Having completed my list we settled in and...

Drank some local beer.

Walked around town and saw the ....

Berlin DOM (Cathedral)

Almost looks like a postcard. 

Bundestag

Bierbike
work for your drink, unfortunately we didn't get a ride

but it looked like a lot of fun
maybe the boss will let us do some team building...

Yes, I made her ride the local transit system.

U Bahn

Didn't ride it, but caught a glimpse of the ICE train
 Germany's High Speed Train

Took a ride to the top of theTV Tower - 
the view from the top was phenomenal

Yes, of course - the taxis are Mercedes

A few cool fountains were found

Such a unique cross walk signal, it had a personality and website all its own - ampelmann.de.

Street performers were out in force

The historic Berlin Wall Remnants were everywhere - hard to believe this things history happened in my lifetime - and what it meant to a generation of people.  As an aside, only the "old" Berliners remember what life was like with the wall.  Berliners under 30 have no recollection of life when the wall existed.

There is a brick line around the city showing where the wall once stood

Artists were commissioned to decorate some of the remaining wall

Some pieces have current day messages
"The Next Wall to Fall Wall Street"

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
 there are many monuments in the city to the atrocities committed by Nazi Germany

We had a blast at Madame Tussuad's Wax Museum

Gave Marilyn a kiss

Hung out with friends like George Clooney

Leonardo

Chilled with Will

Yes... The Beatles

We both got a few licks in

Spidy too

In the end we ate lots of the forbidden meat - pork

drank (more than) a meter of beer...

had a pretzel appetizer

some Weiner Schnitzel

accompanied by a Pork Knuckle and sauerkraut

...this pig did not die in vain

We had a great time.

All in all it was a short and fun visit to the capitol of Germany.  

For us, the City was much more than the Wall and Check Point Charlie.