| 1. Another fancy meeting room at the Rathaus |  |
21. The completely rebuilt Reichstag. The parliament building of the German Empire and Weimar Republic has housed the federal parliament since the government returned to Berlin in 1999, a decade after the reunification of East and West Germany. |  |
| 2. Two statues back at the top of the main stairwell at the Rathaus |  |
22. A close-up view of a portion of the exterior of the Reichstag. Note the glass dome above, of which many pictures are presented below. |  |
| 3. Top of the main stairwell at the Rathaus |  |
23. Exterior inlaid sculpting work on the Reichstag |  |
| 4. Important conference meetingsh have been held in this hall at the Rathaus |  |
24. A view of the glass dome atop the Reichstag |  |
| 5. Dark and ornate side entrance to the same hall |  |
25. Interior view of the dome of the Reichstag. Note the spiral ramp winding around the glass walls, allowing tourists to ascend to the top level of the domed enclosure. |  |
| 6. A portion of the ceiling in the same hall |  |
26. A southwest-bearing view out of the dome onto the central park (Tiergarten) of Berlin, which anchors the western half of Berlin. Note also the corner sculpture on the roof of the Reichstag. |  |
| 7. Another view of the same hall at the Rathaus |  |
27. A western view from inside the dome atop the Reichstag. The curved v-shape pavilion is the Kongresshalle (House of World Cultures). Due to the shape, it has been nicknamed the "pregnant oyster." To the right of that is the Bundeskanzleramt (again). At the far western end of the park is the impressive Berlin Zoo and the mega-shopping boulevard of the Kurfurstendamm ("Ku'damm") |  |
| 8. Lion status back downstairs in the entrance hall (rathausdiele) |  |
28. A view from the dome into eastern Berlin and the Spree River |  |
| 9. Rathausdiele |  |
29. I tried to get a picture of these zany characters who had been driving around in bizarre automobile. |  |
| 10. I am told European shoppers "must" go to the Europa Passage mall during any visit to Hamburg. As a male, I found it simply a good spot for a few beers. |  |
30. Entertainers attempt to surprise guests with a marionette at the tourist information center (and restaurant) in the eastern end of Tiergarten. |  |
| 11. Entertainers of various sorts would hop from table to table at the weeks-long wine festival in front of the Rathaus. I was not impressed by the one unnamed red wine I sampled but the spirit was great. |  |
31. Brandenburger Tor is the famous gate that divides eastern and western portions of Berlin and serves as the most common emblem of Berlin on mugs and other tourist items. |  |
| 12. Day 4: The 6:40 a.m. train from Hamburg to Berlin, arriving two hours later |  |
32. Opposing westward view of the Brandenburger gate taken while standing in Pariser Platz, which is surrounded by prestigious buildings. |  |
| 13. Berlin Hauptbahnhof (train stration) |  |
33. A band enters Pariser Platz. |  |
| 14. The Spree River (pronounced like "shpree") winds its way through the eastern and then northern portions of Berlin westbound until it reaches the larger Elbe River. |  |
34. In parade style, the band is followed next by a variety of Germans in traditional dress |  |
| 15. A sandcastle city was spotted close to the Berlin train station. It was not open when I was in town, but I could take zoom-in pictures through or above fences. |  |
35. The next segment of the parade turned out to be a group of people carrying signs saying "Familie ist die Schule der Liebe" (Family is the School of Love) |  |
| 16. Two imaginative sand creations |  |
36. The streets of Berlin, in particular Franzosischestrasse |  |
| 17. A mouse on top of a hill of cheese |  |
37. Ornate, restored architecture is very common in Berlin |  |
| 18. Another imaginative sand sculpture |  |
38. The "Berliner Baer" is a symbol for Berlin, so in many locations throughout the city you will see a uniquely decorated bear sculpture. Back in Hamburg, there was a similar use of a mascot, only for Hamburg it was a man carrying two buckets. |  |
| 19. A wing of the Bundeskanzleramt (Federal Chancellery) |  |
39. Another "Berliner Baer" |  |
| 20. More of the backside view of the Bundeskanzleramt |  |
40. Another "Berliner Baer" |  |
