Baltic Cruise 2002:
Day 9 - Warnemunde/Berlin, Germany

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Baltic Cruise: [Day 1 - Copenhagen] [Day 2 - At Sea] [Day 3 - Tallinn] [Day 4 - Moscow] [Day 5 - St. Petersburg] [Day 6 - Helsinki] [Day 7 - Stockholm] [Day 8 - Kalmar] [Day 9 - Berlin] [Day 10 - Århus]

	Sunday, July 7, 2002: Our ship docked in Warnemunde, Germany at 6:30 AM, and we were on a train and heading to Berlin by 7:30 AM. Our train ride took us through the beautiful forests and farms of the German countryside, where we saw livestock, deer, windmills and teepees?! When we arrived in Berlin, we boarded tour buses and began our tour. The site that everyone wants to see first is what remains of the Berlin Wall. We started first at a section of wall near the East Side Gallery.
	Here are portions of the Wall in the East Side Gallery, where sections have been decorated by different artists.
	Another section of the East Side Gallery.
	Here is the Television Tower on Alexanderplatz in former East Berlin.
	A lovely scene in East Berlin.
	Much of the architecture in Berlin is brand new. The marble façade on this building facing the Gendarmenmarkt was very striking.
	This is what remains of Checkpoint Charlie. On the front of the sign is a photo of an American soldier as you face the West.
	On the back is a Soviet soldier, as you face the East.
	Tom patiently awaited his turn to be photographed at the historic-point-turned-mini-museum.
	Here is one of the only other remaining sections of wall. The wall in this portion of town is very run down, riddled with holes and falling apart.
	This is the famous Brandenburg Gate. Partially covered by the Berlin Wall until 1989, it is currently -- and temporarily -- covered by this curtain while renovations are completed. Our guide told us that "Bild" is the name of a newspaper which is sponsoring the reconstruction.
	Near the Brandenburg Gate is a large, grassy area which will be the site of the future American Embassy. There is a display of dozens of decorated bears, representing different countries. Additional bears can also be found throughout the city.
	Check out the fine Statue of Liberty bear. While we admired the bears, we snacked on a bratwurst.
	A short walk through the Tiergarten took us to the Reichstag, which is now the home of the German Parliament.
	At the top of the Reichstag is a large glass dome. If you look closely, you can see people inside, strolling the spiral walkway to the top.
	In front of the Brandenburg Gate is a busy street, with a narrow strip of cobblestone running through it.
	Upon closer examination, we realized that this strip of cobblestone represents the former location of the Berlin Wall, and is commemorized in small plaques embedded in the street.
	We had to get this photo for the Mercedes fans in our family.
	We had a delicious lunch with our tour group at the Kempinski Hotel, then we had some free time to explore on our own.
	In the middle of a shopping area, we encountered this unusual aviary, filled with parrots, parakeets and other exotic birds.
	Here is the Kaiser-Wilhelm Church, damaged in World War II and left in its damaged state as a monument. (Click here to see the Lego version in Denmark!)
	This is the Kurfurstendamm, the famous boulevard in Berlin. We were fascinated by the sculpture in the center of the boulevard, but didn't get a very close photo of it.
	At a shopping and dining area near the Kaiser-Wilhelm Church, we found this terrific fountain ...
	... with this cool little water sculpture next to it.
	Love those tiny cars!
	We decided that Cheese Bear was our favorite of the bear sculptures.
	Giving equal time to the BMW fans among our friends and family, we got this fabulous shot. (J.K., look closely through the doors to see your 745!)
	At the Bebelplatz, Tom poses above the Empty Library Memorial. Below the glass is an empty room, with dozens of empty shelves, commemorating the book burning of 1933.
	On our way back to the train station, we passed Schillingstrasse, which pleased Debbie very much. We took a picture of the street sign, and this is not it. Ours was a distant blur; we found this much better shot on the Internet.
	We returned to the train station for the three hour trip back to the ship.
	The ship is a beautiful sight after a 15-hour tour. Day 10 >