Europe 2016, Day 6: Berlin

While walking past the Brandenburg Gate on the morning of May 23rd, I snapped this picture of a girl chasing soap bubbles.

For much of the day I took in the sights along Unter den Linden, the street that runs from the Brandenburg Gate eastward to Alexanderplatz.  One of my stops was here at the Neue Wache (New Guardhouse) which holds the nation's main memorial to all "victims of war and tyranny."

At the center of the memorial is this statue called, "Mother with Her Dead Son."  It marks the tombs of Germany's unknown soldier and an unknown concentration camp survivor.

Further along Unter den Linden is the Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom).

Another view of the Berlin Cathedral, with the River Spree in the foreground.

Near the Alexanderplatz is the very tall TV tower (Fernsehturm).  It was built in East Berlin in 1969 for the 20th anniversary of the communist government.

Alexanderplatz: This square was the commercial pride and joy of East Berlin and included the once-futuristic, now-retro "World Time Clock", installed in 1969.

One of the first things I did upon arriving in Berlin was secure a ticket for a tour of the Reichstag (German Parliament Building) for my final evening in Berlin. By the time I arrived for my evening tour, the sky was beginning to look menacing.

The highlight of the Reichstag Tour was ascending the spiral staircase within the glass dome that sits atop the building.  I took this photo from the roof of the Reichstag after I had walked to the top of the dome and back down. Note the people inside the dome.

Another photo from the Reichstag's roof. The glass dome is to the right.

Photo taken from within the glass dome, looking inward at the mirrored cone that reflects natural light form the dome into the chamber below.  If you look closely, you can see the purple chairs in the chamber below. That chamber houses the Bundestag, the German equivalent of the U.S. House of Representatives.

View of the Bundestag chamber from the ground floor.

One final photo from the roof of the Reichstag.  This is looking south towards the lush green Tiergarten to the right and the Brandenburg Gate (brightly lit structure at center). By the time I finished my tour of the Reichstag, lightning was flashing in the distance.
This was another long day of walking: 13 miles.