Berlin - day 1

I arrived Friday night after a short flight (on Air Berlin, naturally) from Munich. The Germans were a little more pushy exiting the plane than I'm used to. But that's pretty typical. When entering or exiting trains, for example, it's not typical for them to defer to those around them, but just to move and exit first. Just another cultural difference. And another difference - one of the snacks offered was lebkuchen! It's everywhere (more on that on day 2).

In any case, I successfully found the bus (TXL) heading to Alexanderplatz, paid and got on. My first impression is that is is more stark and industrial than Munich, and also dirtier. That was confirmed when I got out and about - see photos in the next few posts. Also, it turns out that Berlin has two airports (who knew?), and I landed at Tegel, which is a bit closer to the center of town, also known as "Mitte."

My airbnb home is in an apartment building in Mitte, smack in the East Berlin section of town. I don't know how many of the buildings remain from that period, but this area definitely has a Soviet feel to it.

So here are a few photos from my first day

The famous Brandenburger Tor.

The only gate of the old city left standing, and it attracts all visitors, even Napoleon.

The Reichstag.

It's been rebuilt several times, and only the facade and four towers (one on each corner) are left from the original. The four towers represent the four kingdoms Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony, and Würtemburg, that the unified Germany, well, unified, in 1871. Of course, this is the building that burned down in 1933, which propelled Hitler and the Nazis toward absolute power.

A statue of an Amazon on a horse in the Tiergarten, a large park adjacent to the Brandenburger Tor that was originally a royal hunting ground. It is now the largest public park in Berlin. I walked a bit in the park. It is very nice, but not as nice as the Englischer Garten in München. You'll notice a theme among my comments on Berlin - nice, but not as nice as Munich.

Next post: guess the famous composer! (12 noon PST)