Chapter 241 Brandenburger Tor

4/9/2010

Brandenburger

The Brandenburg Gate is the historic entrance to the Capital City of Berlin. Passing thru it past the East Berlin Wall into the Soviet Union. JFK, "Ich bin ein Berliner". Reagan, "Tear down this wall." Bush, "Ich bin ein Frankfurter".

The beautiful 1793 Quadriga sculpture at the top with eagle and original olive wreath replaced with iron cross now popular with surfers and motorcyclists.

These 360 Panoramas are awesome.

This old city gate is historic for so many reasons: Battle torn during the Battle of Berlin ending WW2 with Hitler's suicide near-by in 1945. The Soviet blokade of West Berlin in 1948. The Berlin Airlift in 1949. The construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961 isolating the Gate. The Kennedy an Reagan speeches. The tearing down of the Wall in 1989 and end of the Soviet Union.

Kathy and I were forbidden / afraid to travel there behind the Iron Curtain  but preferred the smaller quaint town of Garmisch Partenkirchen (mountains fogged in my '76 shot) in lower Bavaria. Another tourist photo w/o fog. Stayed at this Bayerischer Hof (just noticed our fellow guest on balcony) with community bath down the hall.

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