Berlin: Day 1

Berlin Wall

German Parliament

Today was our first full day in Berlin.  We drove around the city and saw some of its attractions.  We saw a German government building called the Bundestag (parliament building) and the  Berlin Wall (which separated East and West Berlin during the DDR period).  The part of the wall which we saw (a part which was obviously not torn down) is called the East Side Gallery because it was facing East Berlin.  People have painted murals all over it, and added graffiti on top of that.  After our tour of the city, we got together with my mother's other cousins and talked for a few hours, then we ate a traditional German meal of Kassler (ham steaks), sour kraut, and boiled potatoes.