350,000 Happy Germans

We drove to Berlin Saturday morning, hoping that going further north would get us cooler temps. Not so! It was warmer in Berlin than southern Germany.

At our hotel we asked for directions to the Brandenburg Gate, and they said the area was closed because of the 350,000 soccer fans would would be watching the Germany-Argentina World Cup game. That was exactly why we wanted to go... to get into the crowd. The girls at hotel reception seemed to panic and said, "Oh no! Don't go! Too dangerous." LOL. We asked for a map when they wouldn't tell us where it was, and proceeded to find it on our own.

First stop along the way was the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial. This massive church that was almost destroyed by bombs.


The new sanctuary next to it is really cool inside with all of the little blue stain glass bricks.


Along the way, we crossed the river and it was pretty and peaceful.


We got to the Brandenburg Gate, and heard the roar of the crowd as Germany scored. Sharayah texted us her sadness, as she was rooting for Argentina. We called and let her hear the noise of the Germans in the background. Before we made our way into the crowd, we walked by the Reichstag, the German Parliament building.



Then we headed into the heart of the party as the game was coming to a victorious end with a score of 4-0. It was entertaining to see all of the people celebrating in their country colors: black, red, and gold.




Here you can get an idea of the crowd as they made their way back to the Brandenburg Gate in the distance.


There were impromptu parades all over town for several hours. Flag waving, singing, dancing, and general merrymaking. Lots of national pride!


We continued along the main street of the city. I thought my mom would like the name of this University.


We came to the largest church building in Berlin, and you can see the TV tower in the background which is in the city center (Mitte).


I thought the crosses on top of the church and dome were cool.


We took a bicycle rickshaw back to our hotel, and on the way through the tiergarten saw this nice statue. Our driver was a bit of a tour guide and told us who it was, and I recognized the name at the time, but now I can't remember. Nonetheless, I thought it was a nice statue with it's different colors and especially the angel.


More on the next day... tomorrow.