Berlin; Friday, 20 February, 2004

After a gorgeous breakfast in the hotels breakfast room, which is on the top floor of the building overlooking the local area, it was time to head out for a full day. With a clear blue sky and freezing temperatures I stated by visiting the Jewish museum.

Located in a specially built building that is designed to look like a twisted and damaged Star of David this museum attempts to tell the history of Jews in Germany. Their history, culture, fight for equality and the attempt by the Nazi's to wipe them out. The museum pulls no punches and does not make pleasant reading for anyone when you see the numbers of people persecuted, not just during WWII. It is a very sobering museum, not least of all because of the images and stories of people who died purely because of their religion and one groups hatred of it.

After visiting the museum I went back into the centre of the city and visited the Gendarmenmark. Here are the Opera House and the German and French Cathedrals that latter two exactly matching each other. The French Cathedral itself is being repaired but I could still go inside and climb the tower to get views over the whole of the area.

After that I walked the short distance over the river and onto museum island where a large number of the cities main museums are as well as the Berlin Cathedral. The building looks like a smaller version of St Pauls in London, only with slightly more adornments. Inside it is actually quite small, compared to other Cathedrals. The entry to the Cathedral also includes the ability to climb to the base of the dome and go out onto the roof, and as you might have guessed from reading past entries I did! After being gently flash freezed by the wind I came back down into the base of the Cathedral into the crypt where the bodies of the Prussian and German royal families are kept dating back several hundred years. All their coffins laid out in rows along the floor of the crypt is a little creepy.

After the Cathedral I came back towards the western side of the city and visited the Memorial Church. Almost totally destroyed in bombing towards the end of WWII all that remains are the base of the tower and a half broken spire. It is a sudden reminder of exactly what happened not that long ago.

After that I went over to the Potsdamer Platz. Up until the fall of the Wall this was one of the places where it was at its widest and an empty wasteland. Since the fall the area has been completely rebuilt and now looks like a mini Manhattan rather than the former site of such suffering. One of the new buildings in the headquarters of Daimler Chrysler and you can take "The fastest lift in Europe" to the top of their building to get views out over the area.

Then I went slightly further along the course of the wall to one of the other famous sights of the Cold War, Checkpoint Charlie. The original was removed shortly after the fall of the wall but in the best interests of international tourism a replica along with the original sign telling you that you are "Leaving the American sector" have been put back in.

After dinner I came back to Checkpoint Charlie to visit the Haus am Checkpoint Charlie. A museum dedicated to all the attempts to try and escape East Berlin and make it to the west.