We took the bullet train to Berlin from Mannheim. For those 5 hours, i knew that this was going to SUCK.
We got off the train, and i took an opportunity to make an exclusive photo for Ben and Rahul. There were also 2 thai boys with us. thai people are probably the most friendliest in the world.
i laugh every time i see this.
so we got to our Youth Hostel, and i had to sleep in the same room with 7 other guys. 2 mexicans... omg. they gave me a bad impression about mexicans, let me tell you.
early the next morning we started our tour. It began in Alexander Square. it used to be the parade area for Prussian Armies, but then it was rebuilt by the Russians because it was in east germany. now its just dirty and scary. but this still turned out cool.
This is my friend Winzenty from Poland.
he was about the only person with us i could tolerate.
so we get on a bus. and the bus drives around, and we stop sometimes and all the kids run out and take pictures in front of things they have no idea about because the tour was awful.
like this:
it is the Berlin Dome. it was built for a king. Fredrick the 1st, maybe. and i went inside too.
then we went to my favorite part of berlin. Potsdam Square.
this is one piece of the Berlin wall that stands there. i dont know why it was covered up with tarp.
it was really cool because when the wall was up, this area was barren. no buildings stood there and it was just swampy and grass and some trees. but when the wall was taken down, there was all this land and new buildings went up everywhere. i think it is kind of romantic and symbolic.
this is hte sony center. it is this big open area with fountains and sony stuff. and a cool canopy over head. i dont know if it rains in there or not. probably but it was really nice and clean and lots of people.
all through the city run these bricks. the line shows where the wall was. i liked that too.
this is a church that was destroyed in the war and has not been rebuilt yet. i dont know if there isnt enough money or its standing like this on purpose. it was the best church ive seen so far.
and the famous check point charlie. when germans say check point charlie, its hillarious. it began the american sector. there was also a museum, but of course i wanted to read everything and ran out of our aloted time in the museum. stupid tour. stupid exchange students.
and this other american kid asked the guy who is holding the flag if he was a real american, but he told him that it was just his job, and he was german. and the american just went crazy and was very insulted that someone would say something about HIS flag. i was embarassed to be from america. later, when be proudly bought 3 old german communist flags, and made sure to point out his hypocritical behavoir, and was then asked tactfully whether or not i wanted to fight. hah. shit.
the wall. i took this picture through the fence that surrounds the wall now. tourists almost destroyed this piece, so now the mighty wall, has a wall around it. this is basically all thats left.
on july 17, 1953 there was a big riot in berlin, and the people from the east and west almost reunited the city again. the easterners pushed russian officers into the western side, and the city was just in chaos. russian tanks stopped everything, and 10 years later, a wall was built to separate the two sides.
this is a memorial i found for july 17. it was a big photo of people interlacing arms to make a barrier against the tanks or police or army. very touching
supposedly the last soviet flag ever. taken down from the kremlin in 92. something like that.
a picture for dr. seitz. this is where Fredrick the Great is buried. modest. he also had a modest castle. you can see people left him potatoes because he introduced potatoes to prussia. and in the back ground, are his dogs. he hated his wife.
it was such a nice fall.
here is the german parliment. the building was destroyed in the war, but they kept the facade, and inside everything is modern and new.
we watched a parlimentary meeting for a while, and then went to the dome.
it was all new and awesome. i give it 4 out of 5 dome points. it losing one dome point for being too new. domes have to have an old classical touch, i would argue.
ok my favorite picture from berlin. also my last one i took. the famous brandenburger gate. napolion marched through it and so did hitler. napolion also had the godess of victory statue as a spoil of war for a long time, but relinquished it when he was beaten. I did my own victory celebration. because it was the last night and i just wanted to go home. a handstand, if you cant tell.
this was the most beautiful part of the city. of course, we couldnt explore. bahhh.
thank you for looking.
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