From Birmingham via Buckinghamshire to Berlin.

We left Birmingham for a couple of days to head off to Buckinghamshire and stay with Peter's brother and his wife. They live in a very big house with a huge garden. I enjoyed taking some photos of their flowers.

Flowers in the garden.

Flowers in the garden.

Flowers in the garden.

The village Richard and Viv live in is in the middle of nowhere. It has no shops and little transport. It used to have a pub, but now I think that's a private residence.

This used to be the local pub.

My sister-in-law is an excellent cook, so we did rather a lot of eating. I also went for a couple of country strolls, including one along the banks of the Grand Union Canal.

The Grand Union Canal.

The Grand Union Canal.

The Grand Union Canal.

Barge on the Grand Union Canal.

Barge on The Grand Union Canal.

Barges on the Grand Union Canal.

One evening we all went out for a drink in a country pub called The 3 Locks, which is also located on The Grand Union Canal.

The 3 Locks Pub.

Barges on the Grand Union Canal, England.

Viv, Richard and Peter in the 3 Locks.

Then Peter and I travelled back up to Birmingham where we spent one night in The Ibis. Next day we flew easyJet to Berlin from Birmingham Airport. The standard of care from mobility assistance at Birmingham Airport was absolutely excellent and easyJet, despite being a budget airline, was very efficient and professional. We arrived in Berlin on time, but unfortunately, this happened to be late at night. Mobility assistance took us all the way to our train at the airport station. This was where things began to go a bit wrong. There's engineering on the fast route towards Alexanderplaz where we are staying and this means having to change trains, so we took the slow direct train. It was absolutely packed. We were lucky to get a seat. The journey felt endless and it was pitch black out of the windows. I don't like to arrive at a destination at night.

When we finally got to our stop, I thought it would be easy to find our hotel - Greet Hotel Alexanderplatz, but it was so dark and I was so tired. I went the wrong way, then came back to where I had left Peter and the luggage. Peter then looked up the hotel, then sent me off in a different wrong way. As I was coming back from that, I noticed The Premier Inn lit up in the distance. I knew our hotel was near that, so I was able to finally find it. What a relief! I collected Peter and we headed to the hotel. We were checked in by the night security woman. She was very polite, but she didn't give us a free drink or late checkout as she said she didn't actually know what we were entitled to. We accepted this and decided to sort it all out in the morning. I headed out for a couple of beers from a 24 hour shop and then we went to bed. The bed was comfortable, but there was a lot of traffic noise.

Next day I went out and bought us breakfast from the Bake Factory. It was actually quite good and they did great coffee, too. Peter told me to go out and look around by myself, then come back and take him out for a short walk later on, so I headed out for a couple of hours. This is our third trip to Berlin, but it's been a long time since we were last here, so I was happy to do the major sights again.

I started by looking around the Alexanderplatz area. At one time this was the main square in East Berlin. It's a busy place with lots of shops and restaurants and it's also a major transport hub. If you want to be central, then this is a great place to stay

Alexanderplatz is called after the Russian Tsar Alexander I who visited Berlin in 1805. It was once a military parade ground and a market place. It's also been the location of several historic events such as some of the protests that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall.

There are lots of things to see in and around this area including the World Clock, the Red Town Hall, the Neptune Fountain, the 365m tall TV tower and St. Mary's Church. I came across two workers statues, too. I should have gone to the Nikolaiviertel district as well. It was on my to do list, but I forgot about it. Oops!

The World Clock.

The Red Town Hall.

The Neptune Fountain.

The Neptune Fountain.

The TV tower.

St. Mary's Church.

St. Mary's Church.

Farm worker statue.

Worker statue.

I then headed past the statue of Marx and Engels in the Marx and Engels Forum, a small park across the road from the Red Town Hall.

Marx and Engels.

Marx and Engels.

I continued onwards towards the Cathedral. This is located on the famous Unter den Linden Avenue. On our last visit this was almost the only building we saw here which wasn't covered in scaffolding, but ironically this time it was one of the few that were undergoing renovation. We went into the cathedral last time, I think, but this time I didn't.

Berlin Cathedral.

Berlin Cathedral.

Berlin Cathedral.

Cathedral viewed across the River Spree.

Just past the cathedral, there's a bridge across the River Spree. The bridge is quite ornate with statues and sculptures. Many boat trips pass by on the river here.

Bridge.

Bridge detail.

Bridge detail.

Bridge detail.

Cruise on the River Spree.

Cruise on the River Spree.

There's lots to see on Unter den Linden. I walked up one side and came back down the other. I'll describe some of the things I found.

Right next to the cathedral, there's a lovely building which houses The Altes Museum.

The Altes Museum.

On the other side of the road from the cathedral, in the former Berlin Palace, there's a human history museum called The Humboldt Forum. Outside it there's a replica of the East Gate of the Great Stupa of Sanchi in India.

Humboldt Forum.

Humboldt Forum.

TV Tower and sculpture outside Humboldt Forum.

Replica of the East Gate of the Great Stupa of Sanchi.

Replica of the East Gate of the Great Stupa of Sanchi.

On the other side of the river from the Humboldt Forum I saw an interesting looking ruined building. This turned out to be The Bauakademie, which was an iconic building where master builders were trained. It was completed in 1836, then destroyed in World War II. Reconstruction of the building began after the war, but in 1962 the East German government decided to demolish it again. Now there are plans to rebuild it once more.

Bauakademie.

Bauakademie.

Diagonally opposite the former Berlin Palace is the Neue Wache. This was once the palace guard house. Nowadays it is a memorial to the victims of war and tyranny. It contains a sculpture called 'Mother with Dead Son' by Käthe Kollwitz. Apparently there's an opening in the roof above the statue so it gets rained and snowed on. I think that's meant to be part of it's suffering.

The Neue Wache.

Inside The Neue Wache.

There are lots of museums on Unter den Linden, including: The German Historical Museum and The Museum of The Cold War. If I had had longer, I might have visited some.

German Historical Museum.

German Historical Museum.

Cold War Museum.

Cold War Museum.

Several buildings belonging to Humboldt University are also located on Unter den Linden. This university is named after Wilhelm Von Humboldt, the philosopher, and his younger brother, Alexander Von Humboldt, a naturalist. There's a statue of Wilhelm Von Humboldt outside one of the university buildings and in the gardens there's a statue of Max Planck, the famous physicist, who studied here. He's just one of many famous people who graduated from this university. Others include: Albert Einstein, Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Otto Von Bismarck, George Wilhelm Frederick Hegel, Max Weber, Heinrich Heine and the Brothers Grimm. Quite impressive!!!

Statue of Wilhelm von Humboldt outside Humboldt University.

Humboldt University of Berlin.

Max Planck.

Outside the university there were stalls selling old vinyl records. Many people were browsing.

Record stalls.

Record stalls.

Nearby, down a side street, I found a statue of Heinrich Heine, the German poet and writer, and The Maxim Gorky Theatre, called after the Russian socialist thinker and writer.

Heinrich Heine.

Maxim Gorki Theatre.

Other attractive buildings I passed included: The Berlin State Library, The State Opera, St. Hedwig's Cathedral and The Hotel Adlon.

The Berlin State Library was founded in 1661 and is one of the largest libraries in Europe. There was a statue of playwright Bertolt Brecht outside it.

Berlin State Library.

Bertolt Brecht outside the State Library.

The Berlin State Opera is a beautiful pink coloured building. It opened in 1742 with a performance of Carl Heinrich Graun's 'Cesare e Cleopatra'.

The State Opera.

Berlin State Opera.

St. Hedwig's Cathedral is a Catholic cathedral dedicated to Hedwig of Silesia. It was completed in 1887, but badly damaged in World War II. It's currently undergoing restoration, which should be finished this autumn.

Saint Hedwig.

The Hotel Adlon was the first modern luxury hotel in Berlin. It was the idea of a wine merchant and restauranteur called Louis Adlon, who wanted Berlin to have the same kind of fancy hotels that were being built in London and Paris. At one time this hotel was a well-known meeting place for the rich and famous, but it was burnt down by drunken Soviet troops after the war, and mainly left as a ruin under the East German Regime. Nowadays it is part of the Kempinski group and is a luxury hotel once more.

Hotel Adlon.

Hotel Adlon.

There was an equestrian statue of King Frederick II of Prussia in the middle of the road, outside more Humboldt University buildings. Frederick II was also known as Frederick the Great and as Old Fritz. He lived from 1712 to 1786 and was King of Prussia from 1740 until his death. He was a renowned military statesman.

Frederick II of Prussia.

Frederick II of Prussia.

The Unter den Linden isn't all history there were many souvenir shops. I went in lots as I wanted to add to my German wine glass collection. I have six all from different parts of Germany, but no-one sold these in Berlin.

Souvenir shop.

Souvenir mugs.

Lots of souvenirs with the famous Berlin kiss.

Souvenir hats and bags.

I love Berlin souvenir shop.

Just like in Birmingham, there were lots of bear statues. The bear has historically long been the symbol of Berlin. These are known as Buddy Bears and they have been around for over twenty years. Each one is unique.

Berlin Bear.

Berlin bear.

Berlin bear.

Berlin bear.

Buddy Bear, Berlin.

Berlin bear.

There were fun things to see like Madame Tussaud's, tours by Volkswagen Bulli, The Bud Spencer Museum. I had never heard of Bud Spencer, apparently he was an Italian actor, professional swimmer and water polo player, known for his action-comedy and spaghetti Western roles. He died in 2016.

Madame Tussaud's and ET.

Berlin by Volkswagen Bulli.

Bud Spencer.

Puma Dune Buddy, from the Bud Spencer movie 'Watch out, we're mad'.

Aeroflot.

My personal favourite though was the Ampelmann Shop. East Germany had its own distinct green and red men at pedestrian crossings. These ampelmannchen were designed by Karl Peglau and were retained in the former eastern parts of Berlin after reunification. They are really cute with their big hats and short chubby bodies, and I'm not the only person to think so, designer Markus Heckhausen, first visited Berlin when it was still a divided city. He became fascinated by the ampelmannchen he saw in Alexanderplatz and later, after reunification, began collecting broken discarded ampelmannchen and using them to make quality products. Eventually he opened this shop, specialising in Ampelmann products.

Green Ampelmann.

Green and red Ampelmannchen.

Inside the Ampelmann shop.

Inside the Ampelmann shop .

Finally, at the end of the Unter den Linden I reached Berlin's most famous structure - the Brandenburg Gate. The Brandenburg Gate was commissioned by King Frederick the Great. It was designed by Carl Gotthard Langhans the Elder and completed in 1791. The Quadriga, a chariot pulled by four horses was placed on top two years later. When the Berlin Wall was erected in 1961, the Brandenburg Gate was on no man's land and could not be accessed from either the east or the west of the city. For years the Brandenburg Gate was a symbol of division, but nowadays it's a symbol of reunification.

The Brandenburg Gate.

The Brandenburg Gate detail.

The Brandenburg Gate from the other side.

The Brandenburg Gate.

There's a lot to see on the other side of the gate, too. I started by heading off to the right to visit The Reichstag, which is the home of the German parliament. The Reichstag was originally designed by Paul Wallot who based it on The Memorial Hall in Philadelphia and was completed in 1894. In 1933, shortly after Hitler came to power, the Reichstag was destroyed in a fire. Hitler blamed Communists and dissenters for the fire and used this as an excuse to clamp down on dissent. After the war, the German capital was moved to Bonn and the Reichstag was left abandoned. In 1995, after German Reunification, architect, Norman Foster, began restoring the Reichstag. It was completed in 1999. I couldn't really get to a good place to photograph the Reichstag, as the green space in front of it was cordoned off due to a march.

The Reichstag.

All around this area and, in the area to the left of The Brandenburg Gate, there are memorials apologizing for all the people killed during the Nazi regime. I've visited them before, but took another look. The first one I found was the Memorial to the Sinti and Roma of Europe murdered under National Socialism. I could have looked at this more thoroughly and read the information about some of the people who were murdered, but I wasn't in the mood to feel depressed, so I didn't read anything and just had a quick look here. This memorial consists of a reflective pond. In the centre of it there's a single flat triangular stone. A fresh flower is placed on that stone every day. It's a quiet and peaceful place.

Memorial to the Sinti and Roma of Europe.

Memorial to the Sinti and Roma of Europe.

There were lots of white crosses all around this area for other victims of the war and, although I didn't see them, white crosses by the river for those killed trying to cross the Berlin Wall.

White crosses.

White crosses.

Next, I wandered off to the Holocaust Memorial, also known as The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, which dates from 2004. This memorial is huge. It occupies 1.9 hectares and consists of 2711 stone slabs: some horizontal, some vertical.

Last time I wandered this memorial with Peter and felt I didn't really understand it. This time I walked around alone and I came nearer to getting it. When I was wandering through the vertical stones, I became a bit disorientated. I couldn't tell if there were other people around or I was completely alone. When I did glimpse another human, it was only fleetingly, then they were gone. I started to feel a bit lonely, isolated, disorientated. I think that may be how you are meant to feel. Anyway, I'd soon had quite enough of it. It's most definitely depressing and I had no wish to feel depressed.

The maze like Holocaust Memorial.

The maze like Holocaust Memorial.

Someone in the distance in The Holocaust Memorial.

Catching a glimpse of others in The Holocaust Memorial.

Apparently this monument is located where The Berlin Wall once stood and is near where Josef Goebbels's grand villa used to be. It's also close to a carpark underneath which is the bunker where Hitler committed suicide along with his new wife.

The next memorial I saw was The Memorial to Homosexuals persecuted under Nazism. This is like a concrete box with a single opening. When I peered into the opening before, I saw a video of two men kissing. This time it was a video of two women kissing. Apparently it changes every two years.

The Memorial to Homosexuals persecuted under Nazism.

After all these rather depressing memorials, I needed a nice walk in the Tiergarten to recover. Tiergarten means Animal Garden. It used to be royal hunting grounds, but Friedrich III turned them into a public park in the late seventeenth century. The Tiergarten covers a huge area, part of it is a zoo, though I have never been to that part. We spent hours in here on our first visit, but this time I just had a quick wander around the part near the Brandenburg Gate.

I saw a statue of Goethe, a statue of the composers: Mozart, Beethoven and Haydn, a statue of a family of lions, a statue of an Amazonian warrior and a statue of Hercules

Goethe.

Mozart and Beethoven.

Beethoven.

Beethoven and Haydn.

Lion statue.

Lion statue.

Amazon.

Amazon.

Hercules.

There were also lots of animal statues, including deer, bears and buffalo.

Stag statue.

Stag.

Bear statue.

Moose statue.

Buffalo.

Bull.

There were also ponds and lots of wild flowers.

Lily pond.

Lilies.

Pond.

Pond.

Wild flowers.

Wild flowers.

Roses.

Forest.

I took a look at The Soviet War Memorial which is flanked by tanks and howitzer guns. Underneath the soldier statue on the colonnade it says: "Eternal glory to heroes who fell in battle with the German fascist invaders for the freedom and independence of the Soviet Union".

Soviet memorial.

Soviet memorial.

Tank.

A parade of soldiers passed by as I was visiting, apparently they were marching in memory of lost comrades.

Parade.

Parade.

Parade.

I passed this impressive church called Friedrichswerdersche Kirche on my way back to the hotel.

Church doors.

After a rest, I took Peter around The Alexanderplatz area. We went for drinks in a cafe. We had intended to go for a meal, but ended up having takeaway currywurst instead.

Peter in front of the World Clock.

Peter by the Neptune Fountain.

Peter in front of The Red Town Hall.

Peter in the park.

Alexanderplatz.

Drinks in Alexanderplatz.

Back at the hotel we had our free drinks. I had beer, but must say Peter's wine was very good value.

Drinks in the hotel.