A Long Weekend In Berlin

October 12^th through the 14^th we made a return trip to Berlin. On Saturday evening before enjoying the Festival of Lights we spent a couple of hours at the Deutsche Technikmuseum or German Museum of Technology. The museum was founded in 1982 and exhibits a large collection of historical technical artifacts. The museums main emphasis is on rail transport, but it recently opened maritime and aviation exhibition halls.

Exploring the Deutsche Technikmuseum

Cargo boat from 1840 at the Deutsches Technikmuseum

Train on display at the Deutsche Technikmuseum

Standing in East and West Berlin

On Sunday we spent the day exploring the city using the Hop-on-Hop-off bus. We spent time at Checkpoint Charlie, the Berlin Wall, Berliner Dom, Holocaust Memorial, Brandenburg Gate, Postsdamer Platz, and the Sony Center. Ryan and I enjoyed seeing new sights from the Hop-on-Hop-off bus. From the bus we saw the Schloss Bellevue, which has been the offical residence of the President of Germany since 1994. Bellevue Palace was built in 1786 as a summer residence for Prince Augustus Ferdinand of Prussia. Charlottenburg Palace was another new sight for both Ryan and I. Charlottenburg Palace was built at the end of the 17^th century and was greatly expanded during the 18^thcentury.

Charlottenburg Palace

 Remaining section of the Berlin Wall

Fun on the Hop-on-Hop-off bus

Sunday evening we spent time pondering and exploring the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. The architect Peter Eisenman designed the Holocaust Memorial. The memorial spans and area of 4.7 acres and is covered with 2,711 concrete slabs or stelae. The memorial was inaugurated in 2005. 

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

Exploring the Holocaust Memorial

AquaDom aquarium at the Radisson Blu

After our visit to the memorial we had to take in the impressive AquaDom fish tank at the Radisson Blu hotel. The AquaDom is the world’s largest cylindrical aquarium containing one million liters of seawater and standing at a height of 25 meters.  The aquarium is home to more than 1,500 tropical fish and over 50 different species. The AquaDom is made of acrylic, with a thickness of 16 centimeters on the top and 22 centimeters at the bottom.

Berliner Dom Cathedral

 Before leaving Berlin on Monday afternoon we spent the morning exploring the Berliner Dom and the DDR Museum. The Berliner Dom Cathedral is an Evangelical Church inaugurated in 1905. The building was badly damaged during WWII and reconstruction and renovation occurred from 1975 to 1884.   

The alter and stained glass windows in the Berliner Dom

 The Berlin Cathedral is one of Berlin’s main attractions. Sandstone pillars fitted with pilasters frame the octagonal space inside the cathedral. Crowning the pillars are figures of the four great reformers Luther, Melanchthon, Zwingli, and Calvin. Seven steps lead up to the magnificently decorated chancel. The stained glass of the three main windows depicts the Birth, Crucifixion, and Resurrection. At the time of its dedication in 1905, the organ was the largest in Germany, with its 7269 pipes and 113 registers, distributed across four manuals and pedals. 

The dome of the Berliner Dom Cathedral

The 70 meter high dome is flooded with light and represents the presence of the Holy Spirit. The dome mosaics portray the beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount. Each of the famous dome mosaics is 39 square meters large and comprised of over 500,000 tiles in approximately 2000 different shades of color.

"Red City Hall"

 

We climbed the 270 steps and were rewarded with beautiful views of the city. From the top of the Dom we could see Museum Island, the golden dome of the synagogue, Gendarmenmarkt, the Reichstag, the Rotes Rathaus or “red city hall”, and the green dome of St. Hedwig’s Cathedral.

View of Berlin from the top of the Berliner Dom Cathedral

Exploring the DDR Museum

A visit to the entertaining DDR Museum was our last activity before leaving the city. The interactive museum is one of the most-visited attractions in the city.  Exhibits give an in-depth insight into the realities of everyday life in Socialist Germany.  Coming of age, going to school, full employment, queuing for food, Stasi surveillance, a Robotron computer, and a landmine from the German-German border are some of the exhibits and artifacts displayed within the museum. 

Posing by one of Berlin's Famous Bears

Photo Op with one of Berlin's famous crosswalk symbols

  

Berlin's Festival of Lights 2013

Brandenburg Gate during the Festival of Lights

During the Festival of Lights in October, Berlin transforms itself into a city of lights. The Brandenburg Gate, the TV Tower, the Berliner Dom Cathedral, and many other buildings and squares are dazzling with the colorful light projections every night for two weeks. Numerous artists from home and abroad present building façades as canvases for light installations and projections to create an extraordinary cityscape during the Festival of Lights. 

The Berliner Dom Cathedral during the Festival of Lights.

We took Mom and Dad to Berlin and we all were delighted to enjoy the 2013 Festival of Lights. During the first night of our stay in Berlin we were happy to enjoy the festival of lights by bus, as it was pouring rain. On our second night in Berlin we took the opportunity to spend more time enjoying the lights of the Brandenburg Gate and the Berliner Dom Cathedral. 

Potsdamer Platz

Brandenburg Gate

Berlin's Television Tower

Radisson Blu Hotel

Potsdamer Platz

The Berliner Dom Cathedral during the Festival of Lights.

Castles, Castles, and More Castles....

While Mom and Dad were here we saw many castles and toured two of them. The first castle we toured was Burg Eltz. This medieval castle is over 850 years old and is nestled in the hills above the Moselle River. Burg Eltz is still owned by a branch of the same family who lived in the castle in the 12^th century (33 generations ago).  This large complex is actually made up of three castles owned by three different families. We were able to tour two of the three castles. Burg Eltz is situated on a 70-meter rock spur and near an important Roman trade route. The oldest part of the castle was built in 1472. Between 1490 and 1540 the second home was constructed. The third house was finished in 1530. Uniquely, every room in the newest part of the castle could be heated. 

At The Entrance to Burg Eltz

Burg Eltz

Center Courtyard of Burg Eltz. The Three Castles Can Be Seen Here.

Mom And Dad Exploring Burg Eltz

Exploring The Castle Grounds

The second castle we visited was Marksburg. Thanks to its formidable defenses this castle is the best-preserved castle on the Rhine. The castle has been lived in for over 700 years and represents an ever changing and developing building complex that has been growing into its present shape for centuries. Construction of the keep began in the 12^th century. The fortress was used for protection rather than as a residence for royal families. Marksburg was built to protect the town of Braubach. On our tour we saw a cannon from 1500, a gothic garden containing 160 plants from the middle Ages, and the bedroom (which was the only heated room in the castle).  The castle’s chapel is still painted in Gothic style with the castle’s namesake, St. Mark, and his lion.

Marksburg Castle

Inside One of the Rooms of Marksburg

Marksburg Castle

Paint on The Ceiling of The Chapel

Following our visit to Marksburg we decided to drive along the Rhine River and enjoy the castles around every turn. The upper half of the Middle Rhine has more than 40 castles and fortresses from the Middle Ages along its banks. Since it was cold and raining we mostly drove and admired the many castles. We stopped at Rüdesheim to get better views of the two castles, the nearly 2,000-year-old vineyards, and to explore a fun park we found along the way.

One of The Many Castles Along The Rhine

Castle Ruins of Ehrenfels With Vineyards in Background

Mäuseturm Toll Tower

Grapes On A Vine in a 2,000 Year-Old Vineyard

Having Fun Exploring The Park

Keeping Dry in The Rain

Wiesbaden & Cannstatter Volksfest

Exploring Wiesbaden

When Mom and Dad arrived on October 3^rd we spent the day exploring Wiesbaden (the city where we live). The four of us took a walk through the park toward downtown Wiesbaden. We enjoyed wandering the streets and explaining all of the local sites. It was great being able to share some of the beautiful sites we see everyday. In one of my first blogs after we arrived in Germany I shared pictures from a walking tour around Wiesbaden.

Beautiful Market Church

Fountain in front of Kurhaus

Enjoying a Beautiful Day in Wiesbaden

 Since Oktoberfest was over for 2013 we decided to check out the second largest beer festival in Germany. On October 9^th we explored the Stuttgart Beer Festival. This festival takes place every year for about 14 to 16 days at the Cannstatter Wasen. The festival started around 1818 when King Wilhelm I sponsored the festival after years of famine. Live bands play in the beer tents; there are carnival rides, all kinds of food, and a huge Ferris wheel.  

Exploring the Stuttgart Beer Festival

 

One of the Huge Beer Tents

The Ferris Wheel

The Lights of the Carnival