More Berlin and Potsdam

The German Parliament Building in Berlin is called the Reichstag and is rather unique as it has a dome on top that allows a panoramic view of Berlin. 

Within the dome is a solar power generator that is a work of art in itself.  It uses a combination of mirrors, solar panels, and louvers that move around to get the maximum advantage of the sun.  You have to schedule your visit and buy a ticket but it is not like anything we have seen before.
 


You get an audio tape that walks you around the dome and as you circle your way up, it tells you what you are looking at.  The tape is triggered by places in the floor so it knows just where you are and what to tell you about the view.  There is also a restaurant in the dome.






As we were touring the city we came across lots of street musicians and such.  We found them in all of the cities and countries we visited.  Twice we came across guys selling bubble wands.  It was really cool watching the huge bubbles they could make and the way the kids went crazy over them.

We spent a day in Potsdam with Sophie and Klaus.  It is outside of Berlin and is the location of the Sanssouci Palace which was built by Frederick the Great between 1745 and 1747 as his summer palace.  It is said to rival Versailles.



At the other end of this huge park is the New Palace, also built by Frederick the Great, which was built to celebrate the end of the Seven Years' War.  It was built to impress important royals and dignitaries with the power and glory of Prussia.




The grounds are quite extensive and have other buildings and gardens in them between the two palaces at the ends.  We walked the whole length, too.  I think it was over 2 miles, not counting our detours.




Also in Potsdam is the Cecilienhof Palace where Truman, Stalin, and Churchill met in 1945 to decide how to divide up Germany and Berlin (the Potsdam Conference).