We had a lazy breakfast, then set off around 9:30 for our tour of the Reichstag Building. It was a bit of an experience catching the train, and to emerge from the subway to see the Brandenburg Gate was one of those times when you just muttered to yourself - "Only in Berlin."
Walked walked through the Brandenburg Gate (as you do) to the Reichstag (as you do), before passing security and setting off on our tour of the building.
One of the first things that I'd noticed in the building was how enormous the dimensions were, that this building was massive considering how little was actually housed here (a few meeting rooms, the Plenary Chamber and some media offices). The guide revealed to us that this was completely deliberate, and that when constructing it, the Prussians had intended the building to inspire awe within those who stepped inside, and with each storey of the building being about 10 metres high, it certainly achieves that. Over many walls of the interior is Russian graffiti (the obscene parts have been removed), and the graffiti serves as a reminder to the German people of "what happens when you start the war" - a saying that I've now heard many times repeated.
The Reichstag was the victim of a horrendous fire (probably started by the Nazi's - but historians aren't certain), which gutted the interior of the building, and destroyed the enormous glass cuppola which capped the building. When the building was redesigned by Norman Foster in 1995, he created a simple colour scheme of greys, beiges and whites, but the German Bundestag demanded that the Plenary Chamber be a different colour - something that would look good on TV, so he gave them this...
He also re-crowned the Reichstag with another glass dome, but this time, opened the dome up to visitors, and anyone can visit the dome free of charge (provided you have a prior booking), and it's a great way to see the ENORMOUS city centre (Berlin is 7 times larger than Paris - but has only half the population). Here's the glass dome.
After our tour of the Reichstag finished, Emily left us to go spend the day with James, while Mum, Annabelle and I continued on to the Topographic des Terrors. It was an interesting Museum, using mostly primary sources (photographs) to tell the story of how the Gestapo, SS and the SA first came into being, the crimes they committed, and the some semblance of justice that they each received.
It was then quite fitting, that we walked across town to the Jewish Museum. Arranged in the shape of an "exploded Jewish star", the Museum begins in the older section of the complex, and then you walk underground to the newer section. For me, the first part was the most moving, with the Axis of the Holocaust, and the and Garden of Exile. I haven't included too many photos for the same reason that I didn't include an enormous description of the Holocaust Memorial. I'd like you to experience it for yourself - not the way I describe it to you.
There is a particular installation at the museum, known as the "Memory Void", whcih represent those that are no longer with us, and I was able to experience this void alone, which was one of the experiences I'll take with me from this trip.
We then headed back through East Berlin (which freaked out Mum a bit - I'm not totally sure why - perhaps she's never seen drunk people on a train before) to get some groceries for dinner, then back to the apartment for another meal in our wonderful spot here in Berlin.
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