Easter break

Very little sewing happened over Easter, as we went away for a few days to Berlin!  If you've never been there before, put it straight on your wish list, as it's an amazing city.  We are lucky to have friends there, so it was a double pleasure for us.  Here are a few of the highlights of our visit - to whet your appetite!  First of all the iconic Brandenburg Gate.  This famous monument was in East Berlin for many years, and it's lovely to be able to walk right through it now.  We didn't have a photo with the Berlin bear or any other people dressed in American, German or Russian uniforms.  (I think the Englishman must have nipped to the toilet!)

 

 

Next a sobering sight, the memorial crosses for the people who died trying to cross the wall into West Berlin at this point.  

 

Here is the Reichstag with its gorgeous glass dome designed by Norman Foster.  I think it looks ulta-modern and perfectly in keeping with an old building, both at the same time!  The circles on the dome are actually walkways, and you can spiral your way to the top for a fabulous view.

 

Here is the River Spree, with a pleasure boat sailing by.  It was very cold, and any passengers on the boats were all safely inside in the warm! 

 

 

Berlin is a real cultural centre, and here is DH at the Pergammon Museum, which holds amazing Roman, Greek, Assyrian and other artifacts.  This is a Roman market gateway and it's huge!  The commentary was excellent, striking a balance between informative and 'too much information' perfectly. 

 

Here is the view from a rooftop cafe on the Humbolt Box.  We didn't sit here - it was far too cold - but we enjoyed the panorama. 

 

The famous Checkpoint Charlie, where it was possible to pass from west to east has gone, but there was no shortage of entrepreneurs who could recreate it for a photo opportunity!  There's a wonderful museum here to show all the ways people escaped, and life with the wall.

 

Here is a view of Berlin during the 80s.  We didn't go in a time machine, but went to see an amazing art work by Asisi, where he recreates the scene inside a curved arena.  The perspective is fabulous, and looks so real!  Here you can see how the wall was very close to buildings in the west at times, whereas the land on the east side was devoid of life - except for border guards and guard dogs.  We were lucky enough to visit Berlin in the 80s, so it looked very realistic to us.

 

And to end on a jolly note, here are DH and I in a Bavarian Restaurant.  The decor was suitably rustic, the food was delicious and the portions were huge! 

 

 

 Suffice it to say that DH did not manage to finish his ham hock, but my pork chops and noodles were easily polished off!