Berlin is really cool. While not as overtly beautiful as Prague, it is so historically rich that it is impossible not to walk in wonder. So many events that shaped the 20th century, and therefore our lives, occured here that only a stone could not appreciate its significance. The Brandenberg Gate, above, has seen French, German, and Soviet armies march through it. While battered in the second world war, it did survive, and is today restored to an impressive state. Obviously, Berlin was all but razed during WWII, so many new buildings grace the streets. Most of them are quite interesting works, as the Wuertemberger building on the right illustrates. |
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Our first night in Berlin ended at the Gaffel Haus Berlin. They serve a specialty from Koeln: Koelschbier. It is a light-colored, subtle ale; the Pump Station's Quackenbush Blonde is a decent example of one made closer to home.
The beer was good, the atmosphere much like a Koeln pub, and the bartender was smokin' and drinkin', like most we've met. |
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We toured the Schutheiss Braurei, the makers of Berlin's best Berliner Weisse. To the left is a stained glass panel from their canteen.
Kai Ullrich, a brewmaster with the company, gave us a great tour, which included plenty of samples and even more information. |
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Kai pouring us samples of unfiltered Pilsner; the flavor difference between the clarified beer and this sample was remarkable! Both were good, though. | |||||||||||||
This is an elevator lock from the Deutsches Historiches Museum. this picture almost got me thrown out of the museum! While I was waiting for Jenn, I got bored and noticed this lock with the pink light around it. "Cool pic" I thought, and proceeded to snap a few shots. A woman then came over and asked me, in German, what I was doing. My German is good enough to explain that I was just taking a picture of a key hole, and also good enough to understand her anger, but not the details. In the end, her supervisor came down and told her there was no problem, but it was a tense 5 minutes. |
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