smallhobbit: (Edel Lion)
smallhobbit ([personal profile] smallhobbit) wrote2017-10-28 05:34 pm
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Berlin - Day One - History and Music

We arrived home yesterday from a short break in Berlin.  It's a wonderful city, we only got to see a few of the many possible sights, and there's plenty more to see another time.  So for the next few days, I shall be posting pics.

We began at the Brandenburg Gate, which had been top of my list.  Not only is the gate impressive itself, but its historical significance is immense.



From there we walked on, past the Reichstag, and past the memorial to the Soviet soldiers who were killed in the battle for Berlin in 1945, and then later we visited the church of St Matthias, which is were Dietrich Bonhoeffer (a prominent member of the Confessing Church) was ordained.



At lunchtime we left history behind, because we were going to a free lunchtime concert at the Berlin Philharmonie, home to the famous Berlin Philharmonic orchestra.  When you enter you are given a token, because the concert is held in the foyer and they have to restrict numbers to 1,500.  On the day we went we heard the Prazak Quartett with Vaclav Vonasek (a bassoonist with the Berlin Phil) playing a Mozart Oboe Quartet and Smetana's 1st String Quartet.  And since it was a lunchtime concert, we had lunch there beforehand.

margaret_r: (Default)

[personal profile] margaret_r 2017-10-30 08:43 am (UTC)(link)
A great start to your holiday:) The lunch looks delicious. Berlin is a fascinating city and it's amazing how much it has progressed since the days of the wall.