OUT OF FRAME: Berlin, Germany

Our European adventure is drawing to a close, and we're trying to see as much as we can before we leave. Last weekend we flew up to Berlin for a long weekend. We were also there to celebrate my birthday, which was fun. Our first day there was also my birthday, so to celebrate Jenny signed us all up for a "bike tour." Normally we explore these cities by walking and taking subways and taxis. This time we did something completely different and spent our day biking around with a tour group. Our guide was "Murphy" from Dublin, and he gave us an incredible tour. Overall we rode 12 km and we were gone for about 6 hours, but it was so worth it. We learned so much. Berlin is simply fascinating. As a history buff I was amazed at how many historical sites lie around the city. Evidence from WWII and the Cold War is everywhere. Normally I don't use a lot of captions for my photos, but I feel in this case I have to so you can understand the pictures.

At the start of our ride. (Megan is on a "tandem seat" hitched to the back of my bike.)

This is one of the universities in Berlin, and it's where one of the famous "book burnings" took place. It's now a memorial where people come to read and check out books from the university.

The "Konzerthaus" in Gendarmenmarkt Square.

At "Checkpoint Charlie." Otherwise known as "Checkpoint C." The name given by the Western Allies to the main crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War.

Most of the wall was destroyed during unification in 1989 and the early 90's. However, many sections of the wall still remain around town. Some are memorials and monuments, but some are just part of the landscape. Ironically, today the wall is protected because of its historical significance.

The former headquarters of the "Nazi Luftwaffe," or German Air Force, built in the early 30's. This was the only Nazi building to last through the Allied bombings. It's now the Ministry of Finance.

An old East German watchtower from the days of the wall. It now sits on a sidewalk in the middle of a neighborhood surrounded by apartments.

Under this parking lot lies the remains of Hitler's bunker, where he spent his final days at the end of WWII.

The Holocaust Memorial. It's designed to look like a field of coffins, but when you walk into it you discover the ground slopes downward, and the coffins start to tower over you. It's a monument that's truly touching without being morbid.

Biking through the "Tiergarten." This is Berlin's equivalent of Central Park in New York City. It means "the garden of animals."

The "Victory Column." Originally commissioned in 1864 to commemorate the Prussian victory in the Danish - Prussian war. Allied soldiers took pot shots at the monument after they captured Berlin.

Surrounding the Victory Column are guard stations with bullet holes still embedded in the walls.

The "Reichstag." Germany's parliament building. Back in the 1930's the Nazis set fire to it and then blamed the communists. Later during the war it was bombed heavily, and then later captured by Stalin. Today the dome on top has been replaced with a glass one. You can go to the top and look out over the city, as well as look down on parliament and see what they're doing. The symbolism here is that the people are higher than the government, and that government is transparent.