To Beer, Or Not To Beer...Actually, Make That Two Beers

Time to fly home.  We had such a good time.  We ticked several things off of our bucket list, and revisited some of our favorite sights.  We dressed up like locals and drank in, not only good beer, but loads of Bavarian culture.  We found new restaurants and beer joints, and we made new friends.  We toured fabulous museums and wept at silent memorials.  There's a quote somewhere about travel being the only thing people buy and never regret.  Our memories will last far beyond today, and there'll be another pin in the map. So long and thanks for traveling with us!

Our last day in Berlin found us trying to tick off the last couple of must-dos on our list.  We visited the Reichstag (where Germany holds its political functions) and the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. We had to register online for the Reichstag , ASK for a time slot for entrance, wait for permission, go through a serious security check, and then be herded in very small groups through the complex. The Reichstag has been in use since the late 1800s.  It's been bombed, set fire to, reconstructed, renovated, and reimagined as the seat of Germany's government.  But it's the dome that draws in millions of tourists.  A simple beehive-looking dome springing from the center of the building affords a 360 degree view of the city.  Fabulous! And once you're at the top, it's open to the sky, much like the oculus at the Parthenon. For the German People Up on the rooftop of the building - a stunning facade. Lovely fall trees across the w...

Berlin is home to more than 170 museums and galleries.  Read that again.  170+  Paris has about 130.  New York has 83 or so. We went to two today; the Pergamon and the Neues.  These museums are among seven located on Museum Island, on the east side of the city.  Here's a cool relief: Every building, save for the domed one on the left at the far end, houses a museum.  The domed building is the Berlin Cathedral. Anyway, the Pergamon and the Neues Museums house some of the most astounding pieces from the ancient world (Egypt, Mesopotamia, Syria, Greece, and Turkey) as well as an entire collection from Islamic societies from the 7th to the 19th centuries. Pieces like the painstakingly reassembled Ishtar Gate from Babylon and the impossibly delicately carved limestone of the Market Gate of Miletus (an ancient Greek city).  Not to mention the bust of Nefertiti from 1345 BC.  Here you go...you're welcome. Giant guar...