Berlin

I recently took a trip to Germany's capitol.  It was very historical and a bit overwhelming.  I have become adept at navigating most subway/metro systems, but this one was very intense.  We also stopped to visit a concentration camp.  The weather was not cooperating but the atmosphere was also sobering.  Many political prisoners were kept here and executed.  Those who had talents for building or creating were exploited and their creations taken.  

 Here are the buildings (inside the stone wall topped with barbed wire) where prisoners lived.

 The rest of our trip was fun.  We tagged along with a friend and her family (2 sets of grandparents and 6 children).  Her baby is one month younger than mine so we spent a lot of time together changing diapers and feeding them.  Shown above is the Brandenburg Gate.

 Me with Nicole and my phone, which acted as our navigation system.  I found a great app that recommended places to go and even pointed in the right direction.  Nicole is crying because (as I discovered soon after this picture was taken) she just had a blowout and needed a whole new outfit.

 bikes for rent.  Many people in Berlin ride bikes instead of driving.  The sidewalks are very wide and you can rent them in many places.  Bike tours were also offered.

 Reichstag

 cultural center

 not sure what this statue is...

 Of course we spent some time at the zoo.  It was huge!  The animals seemed to have smaller enclosures so they were easy to find.

 This statue depicts something that is common here in Europe

 Ally with an elephant statue

 a car plugged in.  In North Dakota we used to see cars plugged in, but for a different reason.  This one is charging.

Our favorite stop was to the Ritter Sport store.  Ritter Sport is a fabulous german chocolate bar that is square, made of little squares.  It comes in a variety of flavors with different ingredients mixed in.  We could compose our own bar from the choices available.  It reminded me of Cold Stone.  The kids all enjoyed making their own chocolate bar.  

I did not get to see everything while we were there, so I will probably be making a trip back to Berlin.