Berlin (3)

There are many churches with domes in Berlin. Along with the Reichstag Dome, which of course is not a church, there is the Berliner Dom, Deutscher Dom, and Französischer Dom, among others. Just like Alter Peter, I climbed the Französischer Dom, and got a great view of Berlin. This was the same day that I visited the Reichstag, but the pictures through that dome did not turn out as well as those that were unimpeded.

Looking east toward Alexanderplatz from the Französicher Dom. The gold-ball topped tower is the radio tower of the city and is in Alexanderplatz, the center of East Berlin. The large, low green dome in the foreground is Saint Hedwig (see next post). Note all the cranes. There was quite a bit of construction going on, which contributed to the industrial feeling.

While the sky was beautiful, the city is not as pretty as Munich. My airbnb apartment was on Alexanderstrasse, just a couple of blocks from Alexanderplatz. The area was mostly block apartment buildings, which gave the area a definite (presumably authentic) cold-war feeling. It is still worthwhile to visit, though, because of all the history that it's been through. It just doesn't feel like a small town, the way Munich does.

Bells inside Französischer Dom. Luckily, they did not ring while I was nearby. However, as I was descending the tower, they did ring. And it was quite loud. I'm glad I was not right next to them. Interestingly, there is an organ consolse visible inside the glass, and you can see the stairs to access the organ on the left. I assume that the organ player wears earplugs, especially if they also ring the bells!

Outside view of the Französischer Dom.