Reichstag building in Berlin - home of the German parliament
We started our day with a highly recommended tour of the Reichstag, where all laws are adopted. First and foremost, it is free. Reservations are required and at a minimum you must make them 2-3 days in advance. Summer visitors will want to make them 6 weeks in advance. Remember to bring your passport/identification. The tour starts on the roof of Germany's parliament building and winds up into the glass dome - accompanied by an audio guide briefly explaining each important site within your surrounding view.
The dome symbolizes that the people are above the government
The transparency of the glass represents the now transparent democratic state
The mirrored cone in the center reflects sunlight
Next we went out to Preussenpark - nicknamed "Thai Park" because Berlin's Thai population congregates there to picnic in its open, green space. Now they sell their yummy Thai food to the Berliners, so we went to enjoy their food. It was delicious, better than most food I tasted in Thailand, and cheap - meat skewers, dumplings and spring rolls for a euro and noodle dishes 4 euro.
From a distance, confused Chris asked, "So it's not a bunch of hobo tents?" Then seconds later, walking behind us dad echoed, "Is that food or a homeless camp?"
Thai Park is an outdoor market for Thai delicacies - open daily (weather permitting) but most popular on Sundays
Sampling an array of homemade traditional Thai dishes
After lunch Chris and I went to check out the Berlin Cathedral, or "Dom." Originally opened in 1905, the church was built to show off the power of the new German Empire. After a WW II incendiary bomb destroyed the dome in 1944, it had a temporary roof and was under construction until the Lutheran church raised enough money and completed the restoration in 1993. We climbed up the dome for a 360 degree view of Berlin.
The Berlin Cathedral is located on Museum Island
The impressive basilica is known as the "Protestant St. Peter's"
Enjoying the 360° view from the top of the dome
We met back up with the family and together went to the Topography of Terror, another free museum. Located on the site of the Gestapo and SS headquarters, it's a large space designed to explain the timeline of Hitler's forces coming to power - depicted through a lot of words and pictures. I got lost in all the words, which were mostly about Heinrich Himmler, one of the people most directly responsible for the Holocaust and Hitler's right-hand man.
Topography of Terror and the biggest surviving piece of the outer wall
For our last meal in Berlin, we didn't want to miss out on the "best" doner kebab - a family favorite - so Jeremy and I were charged with waiting in line to try Mustafa's Gemuse Kebab. It was tasty but whether the line is worth your wait depends on how busy you are and what else you could be doing with your time. Jeremy and I didn't mind waiting together, enjoying a beer and each other's company, for 1 hour and 24 minutes.
Made with chicken and roasted vegetables, Mustafa's kebab is a twist on the traditional kebab
