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East Berlin Places
Thursday, July 19, 2001; posted by Paris
Following a long stay at the Reichstag dome, we went to the former East Berlin, through the Brandenburg Gate. We had a quick lunch, and local beer at a cafe on Unter Den Linden, right next to the Russian Embassy. The smell of the flowering Linden trees was very strong and pleasant. After lunch, we walked around the former East Berlin for the rest of the afternoon.
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We walked past the university and over to the Berlin Cathedral which was completed in 1905. This massive cathedral sat in disrepair for many years after the war. It is now nearly fully restored and looks glorious. In the distance you can see the television tower for East Berlin.
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The altar of the cathedral. In the tombs below lay the remains of 90 royals from the Hohenzollern dynasty.
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This is the pipe organ (which was being played) inside the cathedral.
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This was one of our first stops, the former Checkpoint Charlie site. (st)
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These columns show the damage most buildings have if they survived the bombing in the war. Repair patches and chip marks from bullets and shrapnel can be seen from the intense fighting. Similar marks are all over the Reichstag.
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Across the street from the Berlin Cathedral is the former GDR government offices. It is being torn down - a slow process because of the care required to remove the asbestos in the construction materials. It looks terrible, with its copper colored windows - much like city hall in Jamestown, New York.
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The German Cathedral borders one side of the Gendarmenmarkt, and has a duplicate French Cathedral across the plaza.
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We walked passed the Gendarmenmarkt and listened to an orchestra rehearse for an evening performance. Here you can see the former Schauspielhaus Theatre (conceived by Friedrich Schinkel) and French Cathedral.
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This is the Berlin Art Gallery which we walked by, but did not go in. From here we walked back to the car, but first we stopped for a coffee and apple cake with vanilla sauce at the Einstein Cafe.
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