Berlin (and Legoland)

Well, first of all, before we officially start this post I have to apologize in advance for large number of pictures from Legoland.  What can I say?  I am a bit of a Lego geek.  Okay fine, maybe I'm a huge Lego geek.

So from Prague we hopped on another train to take us to Berlin where we had planned three full days to enjoy the city.  While in New Zealand, we had met a very nice German lady who ran a hostel in Berlin, and we had planned to stay there when we visited.  She had written down the name for us and everything.  So we booked a room at the place and were all excited to see her. When we get there we ask for her and they tell us she isn't working today.  So the next day when we heading out for the day, we stop by the front desk again and ask for her again.  The front desk person goes around to the back to get her, and this girl walks out who is about 30 years younger that the woman we met in NZ.  First off, I guess the name was a fairly common German name, and second, I must have somehow booked us at the wrong hostel.  Awesome.  Not sure what went young there.  The place wasn't half bad, but it was still a bit disappointing.

Anyways, we got into our room in the late afternoon and relaxed for short bit while Sharon did some research into where we were going get dinner that night.  She ended up finding this Chinese-Korean place that was only a few blocks from our hostel.  Another solid find from Sharon.  So much so that we went there again a few nights later.  Surprisingly though, there is only one picture we took from the restaurant and it's not even of the food.

I would love to get a tally on the number of beer pictures in our blog versus the number of food pictures.  I think food would be the clear winner, but beer has definitely made a solid comeback in this final stretch of the blog.

The next day I'm sure you can guess where the first place we had to go was.  Correct.  Legoland Discovery Center.  We got a little lost on our way there and had to ask someone where it was.  He kind of gave us a funny look, and said something about us not having any kids, but did point us in the right direction.  When we finally got there, we had to wait in line for a bit.  We definitely noticed we were the only adults in line without kids.  And then we get to the front of the line, and the employee at the register says something like "You know this place is designed for kids 13 and under?"  And I'm like, "Hell yes I do!  Now give me my ticket."  I was not disappointed.  For your (and my) enjoyment, here are many pictures from our time there.

Is my very excited inner child showing?

One of these things is not like the others,
one of these things just doesn't belong.

Lego shark.

Lego R2D2.

Lego old Korean dude.

Lego Indiana Jones.

Lego Batman.

Sharon monkeying around with some Lego monkeys.

Lego ninja assassin.

Me and my Legoland souvenir.  Mini Lego Chewbacca.

After some serious fun times at Legoland, Sharon insisted that I do something manly, so we hit up the closest bar to drink some beer.  It was actually a micro-brewery and we ordered a sampler of all their beers.  We were expecting maybe at most six ounces of each beer, and then lo and behold eight pint glasses come out.  Awesome!

Sharon before...

...and Sharon after.

Surprisingly enough, that didn't spell the end of our day, and we managed to stir up the energy to explore some of the city.  We visited Brandenburg gate and the Berlin Holocaust Memorial, and tried some of Berlin's famous currywurst.  Here are some pics...

Sharon checking out sections of the Berlin wall taken from all over the city.

The Holocaust Memorial: Can you spot Sharon?

Sharon in front of Brandenburg Gate.

Berlin currywurst: We were not blown away.

The next day I remember walking around the city a ton, but we ended up taking very few photos, one of which was from a Mercedes-Benz dealership which I'll share with you.  I think we might have gone to see a movie that night, but I can't remember for sure.  Hopefully Sharon can fill in the blanks.

I must admit, it does suit her very well.

Our final day in Berlin was a lot more cultural.  We visited Checkpoint Charlie, and went to the Topography of Terror museum that spoke to the holocaust and first and second world wars and how they came about.  I could have spent all day in the museum.  It was so interesting to learn more about the economic and political landscape prior to the second world war that led to the election of Hitler and the resulting horrors.  So scary how much impact a single man could have on history.  I don't want to get too deep here in the blog, but it was very surreal to be in Berlin which was first at the center of the holocaust, and then really at the center of the cold war as well.  Anyways, we also hit up the Pergamon museum which was a bit of a disappointment.  Here are some pics from our third day in Berlin...

Checkpoint Charlie.

The Topography of Terror Museam.  One of the longest stretches of
the Berlin Wall still left standing can be seen behind the exhibits.

Bricked line running through the city marking where the wall use to stand.

The underwhelming Pergamon museum.

And that was pretty much our trip to Berlin.  After nearly a year (like 3 days short of a year actually),
I'm sure I've missed an ton of interesting stuff, but like I said before, better late than never.  Before I end this post I'll leave you with one of the highlights from our trip to Legoland (you thought you didn't have to see anything more about Legoland didn't you?!?!? Muhahahaha!)  I present to you, a Lego recreation of the fall of the Berlin wall, and the resulting makeshift concert.  Enjoy!