Lunch after the memorial was catered by the Hotel
Inter-Continental and consisted of luxurious
buffet things (I had several salmon sandwiches)
and lots of beer (Berliner-Kindl Jubilaums-Pilsner
- a decent brew but not the most appropriate, I
think, given its name, for the occasion). After
that all I wandered off to look at the sights.
Went to the Brandenburg Gate and discovered that
it had been enscaffolded and wrapped for renovation
and now looks like a Christo construction but with
big ads for t-online.de - I could hardly believe
my eyes when I saw it; walked around the Reichstag
(lots of tourists, most French or American) and
the huge construction projects nearby (bear in
mind that it's a new capital as well as an old
one, and it's only recently had to absorb Bonn's
governmental functions, and bureaucrats need
their space).

- -

Public transportation is excellent, with S- and
U-bahn trains, trams (in former East Berlin), and
buses offering a comprehensive network. A car isn't
needed at all in the city, and the system is clean,
safe, and works like clockwork. There are several
kinds of tickets including the timed 2-hour ticket,
which costs 2 or 3 bucks and is good for unlimited
travel within the time period and zones designated,
or the zoned day passes, which cost $4-5 depending
on whether travel includes just the city proper,
just the suburbs, or both.

Two of the most tourist-friendly buses are the
100 and 200 (both enclosed double deckers, as are
most buses; the upper deck is a little short (short
enough for me to bump my head, so probably 5' 8" or
less) but provides nice views.

(Looking at the Berlin in Fahrt brochures)

The 100 begins near the zoo and passes numerous
sightseeing destinations: the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial
Church; the Zoo; the Bauhaus Archive; the Victory
Column; Schloss Bellevue, the German White House;
the World Culture Center; the Reichstag and the Platz
der Republik; the Brandenburg Gate; Humboldt University;
the Staatsoper; the Cathedral; the Lustgarten; the
TV tower; Alexanderplatz.

The 200 also passes many of these landmarks (not the
Bauhaus Archive, Victory Column, or Schloss Bellevue)
and also circles the Potsdamer Platz, the symbol of
the city's renaissance and in my opinion one of the
ugliest things I've ever seen.

- -

Another feature of this city is the ease and cheapness
with which one can go between the various airports and
the city proper. The Schoenefeld Airport is right at
the end of one of the S-bahn lines; Tempelhof is on
the U6; and Tegel is a 1 1/2 mile express bus ride
from the Jakob-Kaiser-Platz station on the U7.