I spent some time last night planning my sightseeing in Berlin, mapping my route and making sure I hit as many historical sights as possible.
I wanted to do it all by foot. No sightseeing tour buses or taxi cabs for me. After a big breakfast, I hit the pavement at exactly 9am, armed only with my Canon PowerShot. Here are some of the highlights.
Brandenburger Tor / Brandenburg Gate
This is the only remaining gate of a series through which Berlin was once entered. Regan made his "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" speech here.
Sowjetisches Ehrenmal / Soviet War Memorial (Tiergarten)
This memorial commemorates the 80,000 Soviet soldiers who fell in the Battle of Berlin in 1945.
Reichstag / Parliament Building
The German Empire stopped using this building in 1933 when it was severely damaged in a fire.
Siegessaule / Victory Column
This commemorated the Prussian victory in the Danish-Prussian War.
Ehmalige Kongresshalle / Former Congress Hall
This is now known as the Haus der Kulturen der Welt where they have concerts and other cultural stuff.
Bundeskanzleramt / Chancellor's Office
This new Chancellery building is eight times the size of the White House. That's a fact, you can look it up.
Gedenkstatte Berliner Mauer / Berlin Wall Memorial
I walked the farthest to see what's left of the Berlin Wall. You can't visit Berlin without checking out the wall.
Topographie Des Terrors / Topography of Terror
This was pretty chilling. it's the site of buildings which during the Nazi regime from 1933 to 1945 were the headquarters of the Gestapo and the SS, the principal instruments of repression during the Nazi era.
Checkpoint Charlie
This was the best-known Berlin Wall crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War.
If you want more, I documented the entire walk here:
