Bus 2

A few more sights and sites, and we pulled into the Kurfürstendamm, pretty well central Berlin.

One object caught my interest... a strange combination of modern and gothic.

When the tour bus finally came to a halt on the Kurfürstendamm for one of its driver rest breaks, I had a chat to the driver, who suggested that I visit this structure, which he identified as the Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche (Kaiser William Memorial Church), where we had stopped. I had 20 minutes, and it was well worth my time.

I had seen the damaged tower as we approached and the dominance of the buildings over the entire area would make it very easy to locate even if you were not parked 50m away as our bus was.

The woman in charge of managing tourists was very affable and had no problems with my taking photographs.

Friezes inside the church foyer

Ceiling decorations

Views inside the foyer, all that remains of the original church 

after the 1943 destruction during bombing of Berlin.

People in Breitscheidplatz

The modern church building adjoining the ancient tower

I could gladly have stayed much longer. It was sad to see the minutes of the church leaders' meeting from the morning after the bombing, recording their shock at their loss and their determination to go on. Of course, it was in the old German handwriting, which I find difficult to read, but there is a partial translation.

I was reminded of a family story. My great uncle, Martin Bach, was (of course) German, though I have an idea that he served in the Australian Army. After World War I, Uncle Martin's mother sent a card to my grandfather, written in the old German handwriting, apologising that Germans had been shooting at him during the war. My father said he liked looking at it, but no one could read it, and eventually it disappeared.

After the visit at the memorial church, we continued our bus journey.

"Fighting spaghetti": street art symbolising the union of the 

East and West sectors of Berlin

Bahnhof Wittenbergplatz, named for the town of reformer, Martin Luther

Urania is the oldest adult education organisation in Berlin

"Japanese Bridge" -- a gift of the Japanese Government to Berlin 

in honour of the city's 450th anniversary celebrations.

Remaining part of the Wall. In other places, the line of the wall 

is marked by bricks set into the pavements.

Replica of the guardhouse at Checkpoint Charlie

At this point, being about two blocks from my hotel, I bailed out of the bus and walked back. It was time to expect a call from my friend, M...