We had gone to sleep at 8pm the night before, as it had been very close to two days for us without sleep. Our hotel was basically on a train track, so the noise was almost constant. We slept on and off until 11:00am. I woke up so thirsty!

We set out not long after waking up, into the pouring rain for our one full day in Berlin. 

We walked to Alexanderplatz first, stopping to buy water (the bubbly kind accidentally, as I forgot Germany loves fizzy water) and an umbrella. We stopped once more at a cafe to get an americano and a cheese pretzel (Jives got a cheese sandwich). 

We stood in the super rainy Alexanderplatz and admired the Neptune fountain before making the rainy walk to the Eastside gallery (the large remaining chuck of the Berlin Wall).

Along the walk we went through a lovely old looking neighbourhood. It took about an hour to walk to the Eastside gallery from Alexanderplatz (but we did have to take a few breaks to hide from the torrential rain). 

The Eastside gallery stretches on for quite some distance. Parts of it seemed very organised, like artists were specifically asked to paint some portions, whilst other sections were very uncontrolled with lots of small drawings and contributions in a more graffiti like way. We walked around admiring the artwork, from killer snails to Palestine protest pieces to memorials to very industrial looking art. The variety was vast. 

The section of the wall followed the waterway and it was a nice walk despite the rain. After spending an hour at the Eastside Gallery, we took the S Bahn to the Zoo station where the Kaiser Wilhelm Church remains are. I had stayed in this area on a previous trip to Berlin in 2009 with a view of the ruins of this church from my room. We walked the five minute walk from the station to the church and went inside. 

Last time I went to Berlin the Kaiser Wilhelm church did not have any windows or doors. The church was now set up a lot like a tourist attraction. It was still an eerie sight, with its vast ceiling full of holes from the bomb markings. Kaiser Wilhelm stands as a remnant of war, and I feel it is a very moving one. Much like the A bomb dome in Hiroshima, this remnant serves as a reminder to all those who visit it of the destructive power of war. 

We then walked a short distance to Tiergarten where we found a beer garden to order a beer at. Along the way we saw a pen full of goats (the zoo is in Tiergarten as well). You order beers at the indoor counter and then you can carry them outside to drink (it’s probably different in summer). We sat under an orange tent at long wooden tables and enjoyed our .5L pints (11 euro for two). It was a lovely setting next to a canal, so lovely that we ordered a second round. 

After this we walked through the lovely Tiergarten all the way back to our hotel (along a willow lined waterway). The sunset along the river on our walk, the sky was orange and purple and gorgeous!

We made plans for dinner back at the room, and went to a lovely restaurant nearby. We had dinner at a place called “Berliner Republik” where we sat along the water under a tent with heat lamps. We each ordered a .5L beer and a vegan currywurst. It was delicious and much better than the one we had had the night before. It was a lovely place. We then walked back to our hotel via a little shop where we bought a drink to have as we packed (and coffee for the next morning).