An Afternoon in Berlin- Humboldt, the Dom and Fernsehturm.

After all that memorial visiting in the gloom, we went in search of food! Consulting the guidebooks- yes, I am an old school guide book user- it seemed the best chance was a highly rated upscale food court in a mall. I was willing to have a look, but my experiences with mall food courts- the "chinese" food,  soft pretzels and heat-lamp pizza is not only uninspiring, it's- for me- inedible.

I definitely liked what I saw at the bottom of a huge escalator!

I think this is the model of things to come in the US too. Since stand alone businesses are more expensive, groups of restaurants that can share tables and customers, but offer different cuisines will be the new Food Court of the 21st century.
I went to the French restaurateur, and asked about my food limitations. He thought maybe the best chance for accommodation would be at the fish place on the other side of the circle of offerings.
We sat at the counter, and a short discussion with the server had me ordering a specifically prepared fish. And a lovely glass of wine. We could see the chef working the grill, and he chose our fishes, both mine and Huz', and then dredged them both in flour and onto the grill. Uh oh. That will put me in the krankenzimmer! So, I tried to get the server or the chef to pay attention to my distress. To no avail. Darn! Why did I not learn German? A gentleman down the counter was listening. And understood. He spoke up and they paid attention to him. He explained, in German, the problem, and why I couldn't eat what was being prepared. I was so grateful. Thank you, kind sir.

And, in a bit we were delivered beautifully prepared and (safe) delicious fish! Huz thought maybe the best fish he'd tasted. We then visited the counter with all the lovely pastries for him to select a bonus prize. I hunted in the grocery section for a piece of German chocolate, not wanting to be left out.

When we came out from the bottom of the mall, the sun had arrived, clearly marking our move from the morning of sad memorials and our afternoon march farther back in time.

My patient travel partner is tolerant of my guide book habit, and it takes us in places we would've otherwise missed ( and he'd likely be happy to skip). Like the U-Bahn (Untergrundbahn = undergroundtrain) station at Unter den Linden. Which had great enlarged photos of the last century and also this remaining relic of wonderful aqua tile and distinct German font . The U-Bahn opened in 1902. The charm of this little building on a subway platform!

We emerged from the underground to hunt down my next objective- Humboldt University.

 Here, on the Bebelplatz, is the revered German higher learning institution that has graduated so many historic figures.
Opened in 1811 as the University of Berlin, it eventually changed it's name to the founder, Wilhelm von Humboldt in 1949.  From this institution of thought has come Otto von Bismarck- the first German Chancellor, Albert Einstein, Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Max Planck- physicist and the Grimm Brothers - of the fairy tale fame.

 During the Nazi regime, in 1933, there was a great book burning here in the Bebelplatz. 20,000 books written by "degenerates" were made ash. There is a glass square in the platz with empty shelves, enough to hold 20,000 books in an underground room. Humboldt didn't fare well under Soviet rule either, as each student was vetted for their unity of thought- that communism was the bomb. And Universities thrive with diversity in thinking. Disagreeing with the communist government got you "disappeared", or sentenced to decades of hard labor in prison. Lovely.
Now, it is back to being a thinking institution with over 36,000 students.

Crossing the River Spree in the sunshine, under frozen battles with naked men, you can see the Fernsehturm, or TV tower up ahead. But first we cross over onto Museum Island, with the imposing Berliner Dom drawing you for a look.

I grew up in New England. We had Protestant Churches there. They looked like this:

This stock photo from depositphotos.com is what I think of when I think of a Protestant Church. Evidently Kaiser Wilhelm II had grander ideas and fortunes than the New England Protestants. Because Wilhelm wanted this church to be noticed. This church is a statement of opulence.

 We didn't want to pay the large fee to enter the church, but rather enjoyed walking around the exterior. I enjoyed the back of the Dom that goes right down into the water of the River Spree, with stairs. I think this is how I would like to go to church on Sunday, in a little boat. Although I may have to reconsider high heels.
Back over the Spree, we walked a block or so, and then jaywalked across several lanes of traffic to go see these two troublemakers. They are Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, writers of the 1848 The Communist Manifesto.  They sit here together in this large open space that is practically empty of people, trees and even grass. The only area given attention is in my photo. There is a large area of construction that is apparently an extension of the U-Bahn, but again, seemed strange to have so much unused space in the Mitte. It isn't even a proper park, more like a wasteland.

Turns out the area used to be a densely populated neighborhood. 1944/1945 took care of that, and the Old Town Quarter became the old pile of rubble.  Then the Soviets took over, and had too much to do to get around to rebuilding, eventually deciding to make it a monument to these fellows here.
Now it's been close to thirty years of continued emptiness. Check back in thirty more. You. I'll be too old.

 Just past the Marx-Engels Forum we were close to the Fernsehturm, or TV tower. Rising above this church, the Marionkirche, or St. Mary's Church, the silver dome of the TV tower, meant to be a testament to communism in the 20th year of the DDR, reflects the cross of St. Mary when the sun hits just right. Take that communists! Of course, the tower was designed by Swedes, so they might've been in on it.
The church, itself, was a Roman Catholic church, dating back to the 13th century, but after the Protestant Reformation became a Lutheran Protestant Church. It's either the oldest, or second oldest church in Berlin. It was the church that served the huge local population, until the local population got bombed to smithereens. Now it has a communist tower and a cool fountain as neighbors.

Just beside the Marionkirche is Neptunbrunnen- the Fountain of Neptune.

 Neptunbrunnen is an extravagant, intricate fountain with a four leaf clover form.

Water, water everywhere (especially with a light breeze) and sea creatures and nets and mermaids and Huz found his German Gator! 

The Fernsehturm has a restaurant and a viewing floor up there in the ball. Not interested. I don't like heights enough to pay for the torture. 

 Our last destination of the afternoon was the Alexanderplatz. It has been a hub of life here since the middle ages when it was a wool market. Then when Russion Emperor Alexander I stopped by in 1805 he left behind his name. It's now a transportation hub (with a tram that will take us back to Honigmond Garden and a freshening up) and a large populated square surrounded by boring communist era buildings.
This cool Jetson's-cartoon-come-to-life item is also there:

 The World Clock. It's an astronomical clock that displays the time for cities around the globe.
So, I don't know how it works. It is more George Jetson or Leonardo da Vinci? My feet are tired. I'm thirsty. I just took a picture.

After washing up and changing clothes, we ventured forth once more in search of supper.  Our destination was this charming place, Sophie'n eck.

It used to be a tailor shop, or laundry? Now it serves delicious, hardy food and I had a nice glass of wine too. Not sure what I ate, but it was delicious, vegetarian, gluten free and smothered in cheese. Perfect.  Huz ordered a "meatball" for an appetizer, and was surprised to find that it was what we would call a hamburger patty. Must be in Germany.
 We had a tiny table, an open casement window and a candle to light our appetites. Win!

A walk around the neighborhood, and eventually there is a tram station, ready to trundle you back to a good night's sleep.
For tomorrow we visit Emperors.