Each year we've been in Holland we've tried to take advantage of Easter weekend. It's a 4-day weekend for Andy. We debated going to Berlin back in February, but decided it was too frigid to be able to enjoy it. So, we postponed it to Easter weekend. We couldn't have asked for better weather and we were also able to travel with some friends. We did have one hiccup though, and that was that 2 days prior to our trip I broke my pinky toe. I was worried about how the trip would go, but it turned out well. Most everything was very close to our hotel and the public transportation was easy to use. So, everything worked out.
It's quite a drive to Berlin, about 8 hours with stops and traffic. So, we decided to break the drive up on the way there. We left Thursday afternoon and drove a little over halfway to Hannover. After a good night's sleep we then drove the remainder of the way to Berlin on Friday. We arrived in Berlin around noon and on our way to the hotel drove right through Tiergarten - Berlin's version of Central Park. While Andy was checking the lunch options out for us Rachel was having fun using her backpack as a helmet. It's so nice how the girls do a pretty good job of entertaining themselves in the car. Well, Rachel usually does a good job of entertaining us all, especially Audrey. We love hearing their laughter coming from the backseat.
There were lots of statues and monuments to see in Tiergarten...
The Victory Column (celebrating victory of the Danish-Prussian War) in the middle of Tiergarten:
Playing peek-a-boo while Daddy goes looking for someplace to eat lunch:
Rachel insisting on helping:
Enjoying our lunch - bratwursts for everyone... I think I had bratwurst for lunch 3 days in a row.
Another picture in Tiergarten:
After lunch we found a park that the girls enjoyed:
This is how we have to swing with Audrey in Europe - toddler swings are few and far between...
Rachel climbing across the ropes with her daddy:
After some much needed wiggle time we then made our way to our hotel. I have to say that Berlin has been the easiest big European city for us to drive through. I guess that's what happens when you pretty much rebuild your city in the 1950s. We dropped off our luggage, left the car at the hotel, and went exploring.
Our first stop was the Berliner Mauer (Berlin Wall). To make our way there we went on the subway. Our final stop was actually one of the subway stops that was closed off to keep East and West Berlin separated. Down in the subway there was a display and information to read. We were pleasantly surprised at how many things could be seen free of charge in Berlin. One of the freebies was the Berlin Wall Memorial along Bernauer Straase (street). We made our way to the Documentation Center, which has a lookout point, information, and a short films to watch. We were able to have a look from up above of the Wall and no-man's land:
It was interesting to be reminded of the stories of the Wall that we all read in our history books back in our school days. It was quite something to be able to see it as well. The Bernauer Straase section of the Wall, despite several gaps, is the longest remaining piece of the outer wall. Where there were gaps, you would see things like this to mark where the Wall had been:
A surviving watchtower:
Pictures along the Wall:
This picture cracks me up! Andy's being so serious and Audrey's just smiling away... :)
We could have spent quite a bit of time at the Berlin Wall Memorial, but after we got our fill we headed to Checkpoint Charlie. We hopped back on the subway and then walked a bit. On the way we saw more sections of the Berlin Wall. We also passed several bears. I guess Berlin is known for bears - something I didn't know. So, we took a picture of the girls in front of one of the bears we saw:
Checkpoint Charlie, which is the best known Berlin Wall crossing point between East and West Germany:
Yes, this is a picture of random people we do not know. We didn't pay to get pictures with the dressed-up soldiers... While we were at Checkpoint Charlie we heard from our friends who had arrived in Berlin. So, we meet them for dinner back near our hotel. After a good dinner (we just picked good while we were in Berlin) we got a picture of Brandenburg Gate, which was completed in 1795, at night:
Just some random information about the Brandenburg Gate. It obviously has been around for many historical events. Just to name a few; it was the site of the celebrations marking the birth of the Third Reich in 1871 and it was where the Soviet flag was raised in 1945. It was restored in the 1950s and for 30 years the gate stood watch over the divided city.`
After dinner we headed back to our hotel. The plan was to enjoy the indoor swimming pool at our hotel. Let's just say, it was frigid. I dipped my toes in and Andy was a good enough sport to get in with the girls. Despite it being so cold Audrey was loving it through her chattering. We're very excited to let the girls experience a warm outdoor pool this summer! :)
Our first day in Berlin went well. Thanks to public transport I didn't have to limp around too much with my broken toe. The next two days were just as enjoyable, so more to come...
Knut, at least we think it's Knut their famous polar bear, they had quite a few polar bears. I'm kind of thinking it's Knut's mother. The bear's looking a bit old and Knut was born in 2006. Anyhow, here's a polar bear:
We set a deadline of 2 PM at the zoo. We probably could have spent a lot more time there, but there were other things to see in Berlin. The girls did have fun playing at a big playground there at the zoo. We also missed quite a few animals and we didn't go to the aquarium. We were definitely glad we took a visit to the Berlin Zoo. 
Cute Rachel:
From there we walked through a little outdoor market and then happened upon Bebelplatz:
Andy reminded me, he always does his homework so well for our trips, that Bebelplatz is best known for the Nazi book burning held on May 10, 1933. I remember reading about it in history books and of course the date was easy to remember being my birthday...
And then Rachel taking a picture of us (I kind of like the slanted look!):
I'm surprised this picture even turned out. The lady that we asked to take our picture walked away a bit tipsy!
