Tuesday September 17 – Disaster strikes, the shower overflows while I’m having a shower. This floods the entire bathroom. I had my suspicions about the small size of the designer shower outlet. This is confirmed in a whirlwind of mopping up excess water in various states of undress. The hotel relocates us to another room; one that happily drains water. However we never see faceclothes again.
East Berlin
Our hotel is near Museum Island, and borders the old East Berlin. Needing to hunt down a laundromat, so we ‘cross the border’.
Fernsehturm / Television Tower – built in 1965-69 in East Germany. Rosa Luxemburg Strasse in East Berlin – she was a Marxist (but not a fan of Lenin) and was killed during the 1919 Spartacist Uprising.Uplifting East Berlin architecture.St.Marienkirke – the oldest church in Berlin dates back to 1243. Sits in a weirdly in a large soviet styled square by the tower.The crucifix is a discoball. It had amazing paintings.
Museum Island
We’re staying at Hotel Telegraphenamt, which is on Monbijioustrasse that leads to Museum Island. I really like the architecture of David Chipperfield who has several buildings nearby.
The Museum down the road. This is our first visceral reminder of the War, a nearby building that is still pockmarked from bullet holes The Pergamonmuseum and the new Simon James Gallery by David Chipperfield on the Spree. Nearby art gallery also designed by David Chipperfield. Us in front of the Berliner Dom cathedral in Lustgarden Square.
Hop on Hop off
With Marnie still fighting off her low level cold, whose origins remain mysterious and inexplicable. We decided to catch a Hop on Hop off Bus.
Us at the Brandenburg Gate. We weren’t able to rustle up David Husselhoff, but we got this guy. He was totally normal.The Reichstag. The dome was burnt down prior to the start of WWII. The 1999 replacement dome is a fully glazed dome & is designed by Norman Foster.Flag. Up close the Reichstag is a patchwork of old & repaired stonework from the damage caused by the War.The Victory Column Part of the old Berlin Wall. The Berlin Palace might look old but it was only completed in 2020. The original was damaged in the War, and was demolished by the East German government. The East German Parliament ‘the Palace of the People’ was built in its place, this was in turn demolished after reunification.
Heading home
After being dropped off by our nearest stop. We head back to the hotel and pick up some dinner on the way.
Collegium Hungaricum by Schweger Architects.Ampelmännchen. Berlin’s famous traffic-light man. He has a dapper hat.Another David Chipperfield building Forum Museuminsel. The New Synagogue, built 1866, was by our Hotel it survived by the Kristallnach & the War. There were armed police guarding outside, which felt pretty grim considering that it is still needed in 2024.
MM4.Travel 
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