Berlin, day 2

Today was a super busy day and all were happy at the end of the day. Our first stop was the take the U-Bahn (subway) to the Nordbahnhof (North Train Station) to see the last section of the Berlin Wall that is still standing . . .

. . . I was surprised at what I saw. You climb to the top of this tower so you get a view from above. I never realized how much space was between the sections of wall . . . that was a long way to get if you tried to escape. Also standing up and looking from what used to be the East and West, you still notice a difference in the buildings . . . I guess after all it has only been 20 years since the wall came down. Colin enjoyed seeing all the photos of tanks and soldiers and I could not help but think about how difficult life must have been for families that were on opposite sides of the wall! It was a quick stop and free to visit . . . hardly anyone was there as it is off the beaten path but worth every second!

We had a tour reservation (more below) at 1pm so we had some time to waste and tourist moments to capture. We stopped at Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts in front of the Brandenburg Gate . . .


I always read reviews on Trip Advisor. You can get some good tips and information. One place we really wanted to visit was the Reichstag (German Parliament) because the views from the dome were suppose to be amazing. The only downside was you had to just get there and stand in line . . . not so appealing with a child. I read on Trip Advisor that they offer free tours that you scheduled in advance . . . no waiting and when the 90 minute tour was over they put you on an elevator to the top. Hmmm, sounded too good to be true. I found the website and sent an email. Less than 48 hours later, I had a confirmed tour. I knew Colin could be tough for 90 minutes . . . and he was much better than the British teens in our group. The tour was really good and as promised we were sent right to the top! It is something that is not to be missed!

Photos of the Reichstag Building and visit to dome . . . notice the spiraling ramps that people are walking on to the top of the dome.


. . . the dome above is on top of the building we are standing in front of . . . the photo doesn't show it and someone was getting a little ready for his activity! It was cold up there but really great views . . . and they even had free audio devices if you cared to see what you were seeing. Thanks to my German friends who pay so much in taxes so we tourist can enjoy these great places.

It was almost time for the kid activity . . . when we exited from the tour it had started snowing so we decided to walk to our next location so we could see a couple of the places on our way. We walked by the Holocaust Memorial as the snow started to come down!

And then we arrived at Colin's place for some fun . . . Legoland Discovery Center

The boy was SO excited and it was just a small, inside place but he knew no difference. OMG, I had forgotten how wild and crazy European kids can be . . . okay so mine can be that way too but when we are at these types of places I do supervise him and don't allow him to jump in line . . . man oh man some of those kids were out of control . . . so we played and built and then went to a workshop where they taught you to build something out of Legos. The guy was really nice and spoke English so he could understand . . . we built a turtle . . .

It was getting late so we again ate dinner near our hotel . . . good Bavarian German food . . . and then to the hotel for a quick swim before bed . . . I say quick because the water was really cold! Just one more full day in Berlin and still so much to see and do!