We just got back from a 3-night last-minute trip to Berlin. We'd never been there before and we both had a vacation day or two still to kill for this year so we booked a hotel and train tickets and set off.
On our first morning in Berlin, we woke up to a bit of a snowstorm. We decided to attempt to see some outdoor sites anyway and set out for the Holocaust Memorial and Brandenburg Gate. It turned out there were 40+ mph winds on top of heavy snow and cold temperatures so we didn't make it very long outdoors. Below are some pictures of the Holocaust memorial and the gate.
Martin trying to lose me in the memorial:
Martin freezing and taking cover under the Gate:
A large Menorah and Christmas tree in front of the gate:
The Brandenburg Gate itself:
Sheltering in a cafe from the storm:
The Berliner Dom. We didn't go inside because it cost 7 euros per person.
To stay warm, we decided to visit the DDR Museum (along with every other tourist in Berlin!). There we saw a Trabant, the car of East Germany. You can go on a "Trabi safari" in Berlin and drive one around for an hour or two along with a bunch of other people also driving Trabis. We saw several of them driving around. It looked fun.
The DDR museum was very interesting and informative. I'd highly recommend a visit there if you're ever in Berlin.
And here is western Europe's tallest TV tower (who knew?):
Some pictures of some dirty buildings in East Berlin:
This one is actually our hotel, the Cosmo. It was really nice inside, but blocky on the outside. Everything in Berlin is blocky.
In the evening we went to the Gendarmenmarkt, which was a Christmas market near our hotel. It was gorgeous! It was on a square surrounded by beautiful old buildings - two churches and a theater. Great location for a festive evening of shopping, sausage eating, and Glühwein drinking.
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