Berlin, Day 2

This is the city of Berlin, as seen from the Dome of the Bundestag

We started day two with a walking tour of Berlin. We learned about some interesting buildings, and some cool architecture, including the Brandenburger Tor and some chocolate reconstructions of other famous buildings.

Next, we came to the Bundestag. This is the German parliament building. Not only did we get to look at it from the outside and then go in and see the dome at the top, but we also got to watch the members of the different parties of parliament debate the minimum wage. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed then. Later, an intern of one of the members of parliament came and talked to us about how the system works. Very interesting.

After the Bundestag, we had some time to relax and eat lunch, and then we went to the Holocaust memorial that is located in the old East Berlin. As somber as it was supposed to be, and as artistic and meaningful as it was designed to be, the only comment anyone with us could make was that a Holocaust Memorial should NOT make you want to play laser tag or hide-and-go-seek.

Next, we went to the Bundeskanzleramt. This is the office of Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor. We took a tour, and at the end, someone saw her!!! But I didn't. I did, however, get a photo in front of the official Bundeskanzler backdrop and podium where Mrs. Merkel makes her press release announcements.

This is what it looks like on the outside

Once we were free from the group, we went to a Techno club that one of Tim's students recommended to us, and then we walked for an hour looking for this “Blind Restaurant” where they serve the food in the dark and you get a blind eating experience. It seemed cool when I read about it, but when we arrived, we got a really snobby feeling from it, so we left. Then we waited in line for 5 minutes at what is apparently the best kebap stand in Berlin, but they ran out before we got to the front.The positive of this story is that we found this great Indian food restaurant, and the owner was very friendly. More about that later.