Berlin 25th July

 Up at a reasonable time again and had to wait for the boys to get up before we got to have breakfast, so went for a walk around the sketchy park opposite the apartment. Although there were groups of people hanging around we didn't feel unsafe and it turned out to be quite a nice walk and a great way of getting an appetite up. They have a central track that runs through the middle of it and there were lots of people out for a jog.

Continental breakfast done we walked across to a local market (markthalle neun), which turned out to be a food one, and being full of breakfast it wasn't that expensive but it did look like it would be a good place to visit for fresh cheap food if you are in the area.

From there a short s bahn ride to go and see the Reichstag. If you book in advance, you can go inside and go up onto the roof. They have a big glass dome where you can look down onto the parliament. We unfortunately did not book so just got to see the outside but it is a nice area to sit on the side of the river. There were lots of tour groups coming thorough so we just eavesdropped on them.

After this we wandered to the Brandenburg Gate which was very busy so hard to get a good photo. There is another park around this area with a monument to the roma and sinti persecuted during the war. We also went to one for the Jewish which consisted of lots of tall blocks that turned into a labyrinth that you can get lost in. Both exhibitions were very striking and had lots of stories that really made you think. There are another couple that we did not go to but it is definitely worth visiting one or two to get a sense of the scale.

Then after a spot of lunch onto Checkpoint Charlie, which is really just a small shed but again, there were exhibition boards with stories to really help you understand what it was like to live through this time. There is also a small part of the wall in this area.

Another short walk to the Topography of Terror, which was the site of the former Gestapo headquarters but now has a museum about the horrors that took place, along with a large section of the Berlin wall. Just down the road is one of the lookout towers but at the moment it is covered up because there are building works in the area.

A supermarket run and back to the apartment via the S bahn for some food and a well deserved rest.