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ByLeonardStohler Sincetheunderground is such an easy way to travel in Berlin due to its coverage and price, stu- dents make full use of it. I talked to a young woman who told me in response to a question I asked that they paid only for the area they travelled, paying a yearly fee. That is prob- ably true of commuters as well. I think the sys- tem is based on honesty as I did not witness anyone who checked either those passes or my two day Ber- lin City Pass. The one mis- take a tourist can make is to validate the pass more than once. That makes the pass invalid if it is checked on a bus or tram. If you are in reasonable health you can get to most places in Berlin with lit- tle effort riding the combi- nation of surface and sub- surface transit. It would be considerable more dif- ficult in the winter time, I am sure. I downloaded the Berlin Underground app on the free wifi in the hotel or at a coffee shop. Other maps of the cities can be downloaded in the same way without using the data streams within the countries. The warn- ing for tourists is not to use 'data' in Europe or you will pay dearly. The one building you must see is the Reichstag. The original Reichstag be- came the large parliamen- tary building after the founding of the German Empire in 1871. In spite of the large building, the chancellor of the empire had most of the legislative power until 1918 and the legislatures who met there had little power. It was built from 1884- 1894 mainly with wartime reparations from France when Prussia defeated France in 1871. It had a magnificent iron dome when it was built. In 1916 the words 'Der Deutschen Volke' (To the German People) were added to the pediment. The Reichstag played a significant part in Hit- ler's ascent to power when he blamed the Commu- nists on the fire that al- most completely destroyed it in 1933. With the Nazis receiving 44% of the votes during the following elec- tion, Hitler was able to pass an amendment that would give him and the National Socialist German Workers' Party absolute powers. The parliament was powerless. The Na- zis then began to orches- trate its plans that led to the most destructive era in world history. The Reichstag suffered extensive damage dur- ing World War II at the end of that war when So- viet troops entered Ber- lin. The Soviets raising their flag there was to the world a great symbol of Germany's defeat. It was located in what was to be West Berlin and the Bonn government met there once a year until 1991 when Germany was uni- fied. From 1995-1999 the interior was completely modernized with the ex- terior kept as it was as a reminder of the past. The German parliament or Bundestag was moved from Bonn back to Berlin in 1999. Today, it is a large building with a huge glass dome designed by Norman Foster. I found out to my regret that I should have made res- ervations at least two weeks in advance to be able to walk to the top on the helical ramp. I could see people traversing that ramp. I had to be satis- fied with seeing it from several view points as I walked in the near vicin- ity both days I was there. From the vacinity is seen some unbelievable ar- chitecture again with mas- sive areas of glass. The Spree River is nearby and functions like a lake with tour boats. I wonder how the river is contained be- cause the level of the river is to the top of its artificial banks in this part of Ber- lin. The reflections of the rain clouds off the win- dows of those large build- ings is amazing to see. It is a sensation I don't think I have experienced be- fore. There are large ar- eas of walkways making it a most unusual and enjoy- able spot to walk. I walk to the area of the Brandenburg Gate. I had been there the day before entering through the Brandenburg Gate, heading east, but today I would enter a Starbucks on Unter den Linden fa- mous for its linden trees. I sat facing the Branden- burg Gate enjoying a deli- cious lunch observing the many people in the large square. A couple was feed- ing the pigeons outside as they were eating. Little did they know that when they left, the pigeons were active on the chairs and tables. I wonder why peo- ple feed pigeons in pub- lic places except in large parks where no one eats from nearby tables? I am glad I am inside eating my lunch! The United States' Em- bassy is to the left and the French to the right, clos- est to the monument. All buildings next to that spe- cial place in German his- tory are to be modest buildings so they are very plain, at least on the out- side. Across the street is the legendary Hotel ADLON Kempinski Berlin, com- pletely rebuilt and operat- ing since 1997. It is mod- eled after hotels like the Waldorf Astoria. When the original opened in 1907 it was the social meeting place in Ber- lin and continued so dur- ing the war without suf- fering any damage. It be- came a field hospital as the Russians approached the city. In May, 1945 drunken Red Army sol- diers were responsible for a fire started in the wine cellar that left it in ruins. It was the scene of sev- eral movies and the 'blan- ket' incident of Michael Jackson with his child in 2002. The rooms range from $225-$300 a night. It is not your only choice as there are about 150 ho- tels nearby. The day before when I was on the Insider Tour I was busy taking photos of the Reichstag on the west- ern side of the Gate. When I returned to the struc- ture I saw Barnaby, our tour guide, and most of my group about 50 yards away on the east square side of the Gate. Simul- taneously, Berlin police were occupying the area along the Gate because of a protest group gathering nearby. I saw an opening by the first column and at- tempted to walk between the policeman and the col- umn. A strong arm pre- vented me from going that direction and I was gen- tly shoved in the opposite direction. I realized I was to go around. I would not have tried to go around the column and between the policeman if there had been a police ribbon there, but it had not been put up yet. I guess I should have reacted quicker. Nevertheless, this was the second time on the trip I had felt the arm of a po- liceman due to not speak- ing the language. I did not intend either time to go against a policeman. In this incident, I just did not realize what was happen- ing. This was one of three protests I had witnessed in Berlin. Another protest I witnessed occurred the next day when a few hun- dred citizens were march- ing down a major street protesting abortion. Barn- aby, our guide, had told us that a large number of police are needed in Ber- lin because of the num- ber of protests every day and not due to crime. He said there was very lit- tle violent crime in Berlin, but that when we were in large crowds to take pre- cautions against pickpock- ets. I always keep my pass- port hidden and hanging under my shirt and car- ried a minimum amount of money in my billfold in my front pocket. Credit cards are the same as cur- rency anywhere. Since returning and doing some research, I re- alize fully why the large police presence there! The Brandenburg Gate is the only remaining city gate in Berlin, the sym- bol of both the division of Germany and the coun- try's reunification. Since 2002 there has been no vehicle traffic through its portals. During Prussian rule only the emperor could pass through the center passageway which is wider than the other four. It was built in 1788-1791 by Carl G. Langhans like the Propylaea in Athens with twelve Doric columns and the exploits of Hercu- les on top. From 1961 to 1989 the Brandenburg Gate symbolized divided Ger- many as the Berlin Wall shut off access to the gate for both East and West Germans. With the wall as a backdrop in 1987, Presi- dent Reagan spoke his un- forgettable command: "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." TRAVELOGUE Berlin, part II: Dynamic, rebuilt, youthful PHOTOSBYLEONARDSTOHLER Brandenburg Gate Spree R architecture Huguenot Church BERLIN » PAGE 7 Follow the Dickens Girls to IUZ`Q^I[ZPQ^XMZP 4[a`U]aQ Nov. 13 ~ 10am - 8pm Nov. 14 ~ 8am - 4pm WestsideGrange 20794 Walnut St. (Just past Baker Road) Catch the Gridiron Madness on our big screens! 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