" What to expect inside Germany's Parliament Building called Reichstag "

[ REICHSTAG aka Deutscher Bundestag ]

Is the seat of the German Parliament.
The original version was built in 1880s, topped with a stone dome but was damaged by fire and war during the Nazi period.
It was restored in the 1960s, with a classic Neo-Renaissance style and added its Glass inspired dome that was designed
by Architect Sir Norman Foster.

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DETAILS :

ENTRANCE - Free
- best to book in advance.
- register at this Website link , fill out the form
- or you can go directly, but must wait in line * for at least two hours/ depending on traffic *

TIME SCHEDULE :

From 8 am to Midnight * last admission 10 pm *


the inscriptions on the front


How the Parliament looks like many years ago, dated 1914.



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Hallo Jungs! *hello guys*

Berlin: it was in 2012 the last time we were in this city, though much has changed since, this edifice remains the same.

The first thing we did was to make an online reservation in advance.
There are schedules for you to choose, fill out a form, where you leave your contact details and passport infos.
They will email you with their confirmation.


a glimpse inside the Dome

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The initial plan was to visit Reichstag during the night,
because of the spectacular aerial view and the glimmering lights, but decided otherwise,
given the weather in Berlin which proved to be foggy and misty during winter time.

We booked as early as 8:30 A.M. but still got there 10 minutes late! *blame it on jet-lagged and bad alarm setting*.
From our hotel, we took the Metro from Hausvogteiplatz to Unter den Linden metro stop.




* hello! that's me on the right *


up the stairs with these catchy shout-outs from EU

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The morning walk was wonderful by the way.
From Parisier Platz, we passed the Brandenburger Tor, aka the Brandenburg gate.
The streets were quiet, the place was silent.
Apart from us and a few locals heading to work, the crowds haven't gathered yet.

The first sight of the Brandenburg gate with all the flickered lights beside a giant Christmas tree...


*note: Left side building is the US embassy.



On our way to the Parliament we saw a crocodile of small school children shepherded by their teachers.
They were cute! ^-^


My guess was they were heading the same direction as we were, but I was wrong.
They crossed the other side of the street on the way to the garden.




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There are helpful street signs for you to follow, leading you to the side entrance of the building.
Once inside, there will be a bunch of security checks and scanners.
Strict securities are implemented.

One security clerk was cheery and had this "Welcome to Berlin" speech prepared.

SEC: Hello! welcome to Berlin!
Speak English? Where are you from ?

Me: Hello (smiled)

SEC: Are you from China?

Me: shook my head and said: No, (still smiling)

SEC: ah! from Japan?

Me: No...

SEC: so, where you guys from?

Me: I finally caved in and said from the Philippines.

Well, I think it only took him like more than 10 seconds to register where in the world is that?!
and surprisingly said, Oh wow! what a nice country. ^-^


* this is the area where they officially check your belongings *

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We were then ushered outside the building into the west side gate, where we took the lift up the dome.

[ It read: " DEM DEUTSCHEN VOLKE " which means To the German People. ]



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Once inside, Audio guides were provided with some brochures and newspapers in case you're interested.




Inside the dome, the walkways are in spiral manner with what seem to be an upside-down pyramid shaped that looked below
the Parliament seating.

There are sensors along the way, with the audio guides included, you get a description of its history,
in and outside of the building as you walk along the platform.




It is immensely spacious and airy.
In case you want to know...
It is made up of 800 tons of steel,
3000 sq metres of glass plus 360 mirrors.




You can wander freely around the area, go up and down or take pictures outside.
At the top of the dome, there's a seating area, this was where we took lots of self-timed shots and yes, selfies included. ^0^




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On a clear day, it would've been great to capture lots of panoramic and scenic view.
But the dull-grey skies were all we could managed at that time, nonetheless... it was still worth it.


the art read: [ Stimmen Für Den Mindestlohn ] that translates to : Vote for the minimum wage

More shots from the inside looking out.




see the Brandenburg gate on the right?


nice detail







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If the place was packed, we would've finished it in less than an hour, it would've been tedious.
Instead, we almost have the place to ourselves.
So, we took time to appreciate each and every detail down to its imposing exterior.
The audios were helpful especially, if you're into history,
As for me, I have a short attention span, I get bored easily, so I tend to shift my gaze from here to there.






just look at how this was intricately carved.





you have to look up once in a while


Exiting the building


Bare trees in Winter amidst the green


Outside the Bus stop area
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At the end of the trip, I can say that the Reichstag tour was pretty much satisfying.

If there is a next time for me in Berlin, I'll make sure to visit it again, only this time, it's going to be during the night. ^-^


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" my KLM overview "

On our next trip to Europe,
we chose the royal dutch airlines aka KLM.

Initially, we planned to book Qatar airways, mainly because of its price,
but luckily, on the day we're about to book, KLM's website got cheaper.

This was supposedly for an earlier post. *last 2012*
That year though, our first stop was Berlin.
But again, because there are still NO DIRECT FLIGHTS from Manila to Europe,
thus,its connecting flight was at Taiwan, then Amsterdam, then Berlin.

Plain tickets and Passports = checked.



sipping a cup of tea, whilst browsing,
which by the way has lots of interesting reads,
don't have way too much ads.



music and movie choices...



here's what we had in-between flights:
not in chronological order

this was offered to us from Madrid to Amsterdam on our way to Manila.
Indeed very healthy and guilt free.






I think this was what we had from Manila to Taiwan,
we boarded during the night so,
this was our dindin.



what's inside...
well, not really as enticing as it looks though.



side dish...



looking at the view,
just landed Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport.



honestly haven't been into this country for more than a decade now,
I miss the Chinese characters, the Mandarin speaking scenario, the shopping and night markets.
It brings back good memories.

anyway,
this was our transfer ticket. , don't lose this one,
this is like your 2nd boarding ticket.
as soon as you land,
a KLM team ushers you to its right direction,
so you're not left alone to go figure where you're headed next.




a quick look inside the Taoyuan airport.
very hip and nice.









and then another meal when we boarded.
but this time, i wasn't so hungry anymore.



and voila!
after trying to get a good night's sleep inside the airplane that lasted more than 10 hours.
well, good luck on that!
There were two kids at the back of my seat who were intermittently crying and kicking and whining, almost non-stop.
then there was a new born (i think 3- 4 month old baby) in the center aisle,
who keeps crying also, especially when the plane gets a bit turbulent. ^0^
But on the bright side,
a glass of wine and an herbal medicine, kept me calm, and err... a bit sedated. ^0^



I've just been Miffy-fied! ^0^
They're sooo adorable.

MIFFY is the official mascot of Amsterdam.



"two roads diverged in a wood."
sometimes I get poetic. ^0^^

when we landed Amsterdam,
the signs were just twisted!
my first reaction was "Que Lío".
pure confusion at its big space.
only to realize that we had to literally walk from A to B,
boarding in less than 30 minutes,

whoa! we almost missed the flight,
because we were waiting at the wrong gate,
they informed us thru text that there were some changes,
but we weren't able to receive it,
hello?! the GLOBE roaming wasn't working then.




here's me mimicking the über dashing Brad Pitt.



and yes,
we even managed to hit the wi-fi for free.
Pepperoni brought her PSP.



luckily, I re-check my ticket and asked the ground staff,
he then told us, we were the last 2 passengers and the plane was about to leave,
the ground staff quickly radio-ed the other end to wait for the two of us.

We, on the other hand literally drag our backpacks and ran as quickly as we can to get to the other gate,
made it almost in time.
I don't know what we'll do, if we really missed the flight. ^0^
needless to say,
we made it and then, on board, everyone was staring at us,
as if we're the very caused of this delay... * so embarrassing. *




this is Berlin Schönefeld Airport.
It looks dated and has a very provincial feel to it. *sorry*


we took a taxi that costs less than 25 euros to the city center and our hotel.



and were so giddy when we finally saw a glimpse of Brandenburg gate.



next post:
the second KLM review