Berlin and Prague

We left for Berlin on Saturday and stayed until Monday, then spent Tuesday and Wednesday in Prague. Berlin was absolutely amazing! There is so much history in the city. It was the center of the Prussian empire mid-century, and of course there is so much history surrounding the World Wars. We took the free city tour our first day there, and got to see most of East Berlin. The Brandenberg Gate used to be the entrance to the center of the city, and we walked to it at night since they light it up; it was beautiful! The Reichstag, or capital building, is also an impressive sight. It is a beautiful building, but there is a huge glass dome on the roof in the middle of the building. This is so that people can go to the top and look out over the city, but they can also look down and see the politicians working. Likewise, the politicians can look up and be reminded of the people they are serving. We wanted to go up to the dome, but unfortunately it has been closed due to a terrorist alert.
The second day we took the 'alternative tour', which was actually really interesting. We went to a building called Tacheles (which means something close to 'straight to the point' in English), which used to be a squat, or home for homeless people, during the 90's. People make all sorts of things, ranging from sculptures to jewelry, and sell them in the building. Unfortunately, the company that used to own the building and let the people live there has been liquidated, and the bank that now owns it has decided to demolish it. I saw it just in time since next week it won't exist any more. We became acquainted with all the style of street art and the "undercover" culture of Berlin.
Prague is a completely unique city. My favorite part of the city was the architecture; it was so unique and there were so many different styles. However, it was raining the whole time that we were in Prague, so we didn't get to see as much as we would have liked to see. The castle that inspired Walt Disney is in the center of Prague, and interestingly, Prague is the city that Adolf Hitler was planning on retiring to. We visited the Jewish quarter, which was not destroyed during the second World War for this very reason. The picture is of the clock tower; there are multiple different clocks, telling the time in 12 and 24 hours, the different moon phases, and which zodiac it is.
Right now I'm in Munich, and it looks like it's going to be a busy couple of days! We are planning on seeing Dachau concentration camp, the BMW factory, and the olympic park. Can't wait! :)