Boat Trip Day 2, Part 1

On the second day of our boat trip, we had a big day ahead of us, since we were going through the center of the city and had to be back in Potsdam by 6pm. We started by heading north through Friedrichshain. Our first landmark was the Molecule Man, a sculpture of three men interconnected with holes, a symbol of the reunification of Berlin.


[Back in the boat...]


[The Molecule Man]

As we passed along the banks of the river around 8:30 am, it was pretty amusing to see the beach bars still in full gear after a long Saturday night. We then passed under the bridge at Waschauer Strasse. We were now at a point where one side was in the East and the other in the West. This is also the bridge that you see Lola run across in the German movie, "Run Lola Run."


[One of the beach bars that we passed]


[After going through...]

From there we continued into the city, following along the S-bahn tracks and getting closer to Alexanderplatz.


[The Fernseherturm in the distance]

Our next big task was to pass through the first lock. Since Dad and I had no experience going through locks (other than at the historical museum at the C&O Canal) and Jurgen was out of commission, I was a little worried. But Jurgen told us exactly what to do, and it worked fine.


[Waiting for the lock to open]


[The first lock]

From here, we were right in the heart of the city and got to see the Berlin sights from a whole new angle.


[Palast der Republik being dismantled, slowly but surely]


[Berliner Dom]

The next big area that we hit was the Reichstag and the Regierungsviertel. Although there was a message that said private boats needed a short-wave radio to communicate that we were coming through this sensitive area, we had no radio. We got kind of apprehensive that some police boat might track us down and get us in trouble, but nothing happened. We went right by some of the most important buildings in Berlin without being checked at all. We were surprised.


[The Reichstag]


[Government offices]


[The Federal Chancellery]

From here, our journey got more relaxed...