Priscilla Ahn - A Good Day
Haydn - Klaviersonate in C Dur, Hob XVI:50
Mozart - Adagio in h-Moll KV 540
Schumann - Klaviersonate Nr 1 in fis-Moll, Op 11
A good day...
Buffet breakfast at which I failed miserably to limit myself - more discipline is needed - and out for our first full day...
A walk along the Ku'damm...
..to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church...
...and inside to the presentation on its history...
...including models of before...
...and after WWII...
Abandoning rebuild plans, the church was left as was after the war as a permanent reminder of the horrors and a new modern chapel was built next to it, this its splendid interior...
Our visit was accompanied by a practising organist...
Back out into the sun, noting further monuments and fountains...
...and, leaving the church behind...
...to nearby Bahnhof Zoo...
...and a short journey to Bellevue and into the Tiergarten...
We walked along the river bank...
...noting that Anne may have been here already...
...passing too a couple of landmarks in the distance...
...to the Bellevue Palace, home of the German President...
...and on to the Siegessäule, which was moved to its current central position and given an extra section to its column, by the Nazis...
It's surrounded by statues of German military heroes...
...and, despite its history (which of course stretches back to long before Hitler was born), it is an impressive monument indeed...
, 
...from which there are views along five conjoining avenues - here are three, the first to the Brandenburg Gate...
Back on through the gardens...
...we found this quiet enclave...
...where we enjoyed the company of some feathered friends...
Ever onwards...
...emerging close to Potsdamer Platz and the Sony Center...
Some very impressive architecture, most of which has only been built in the last ten years or so, surrounds the route of the former Berlin Wall, which split the city from 1961 to 1989...
This line runs all the way through the city, along the wall's former route, to remind us of former, darker times...
...for lunch - currywurst and pommes frites, a Berlin speciality...
...and some beer - mine mixed with cola, in what is called a diesel - a staple drink for me when I lived in Germany in 1980/81..
A quick visit to Saturn resulted in the purchase of the latest album by German faves 2raumwohnung...
Back to Potsdamerplatz and a short walk...
...to the Kulturforum...
...where we enjoyed a piano recital from young Israeli pianist Michael Cohen-Weissert, playing pieces by Haydn, Mozart and Schumann...
This was taken just after entering a small and what became packed auditorium at the musical instrument museum...
Wonderful music...
Back to the Sony Center for a quick coffee...
..before jumping on the S-Bahn...
...to Friedrichstrasse and Checkpoint Charlie, which, to be fair, we weren't actually looking for, rather we stumbled upon it...
Fascinating to think of all the utterly pointless stupidity and ensuing loss of life that took place on this street over the years...
More S-Bahn...
..and back to the hotel for a rest...
What's this?
A very small lift...
We noted the last time in Berlin visited Funkturm in the distance from our window...
...before heading back to Alexanderplatz and the Fernsehturm, once the tallest, now fourth tallest, free standing structure in Europe...
We were going up it tonight...
...in a very fast indeed elevator...
...to enjoy great views of the city at night from the top...
...and, of course, the, these days, oh so predictable, selfie...
Back down...
..and more S-Bahning...
...back to Savignyplatz, where more beer was enjoyed at local, less pricey than Hefner bar, Zwiebelfisch - which I've only just discovered was named by Spectator in November last year as being the best bar in the world...
Its extremely tasty onion soup went down a treat...
...before we caught a bus back to Wilmersdorf...
A good day...
Highlight of the Day : Just about everything really...
