Day 2 - Berlin

Berlin Day 2 
We woke up @ 6:45, which was just right. By the time we showered and went downstairs for breakfast it was 8:30. The breakfast buffet had yogurts and fruit, several muesli to choose from, and a basket of soft boiled eggs wrapped in a linen. There were several breads to choose from, just slice as much as you want. Cheeses and cold cuts and tomatoes and cucumbers. I had a thick slice of grainy bread with sunflower seeds with brie and a cold cut that looked like it had meaty bits throughout like head cheese. Also had a bowl of yogurt with fresh fruit and prunes. Delish.
We walked to Mauer Park where they have the biggest flea market I've ever seen. It was very gypsy-ish. Booths selling used clothes, junk of the best sorts like old cameras, bike parts, toys made from computer parts. And the food; I wish we hadn't eaten at the hotel because all the old mamas and grannies mixing up all kinds of who-knows-what looked and smelled amazing. Donner kebabs, Turkish food, Lebanese, Asian, pastries, poppy seed cakes, sandwiches of every shape and sort filled with anything under the sun. Man, it all looked amazing.
We hung out in the park next to the market for a few minutes. People were running their dogs, making fires in the sand and drinking, playing guitars and just hanging out. Not a classy place, but not a trashy place either.
We then walked back along the old wall. We saw the wall memorial and many historical sites along the way. There are info stations along the wall with audio recordings and plaques to read. We read about Tunnel 57 and the Church that was blown up. Clint wanted to take pictures but I couldn't bring myself to smile. It's not really a happy place, but a place for reflection and thinking.
In the afternoon, went on the Brewer's Walking Tour. OK, there was no beer, so let's just get that out of the way. It's just the name of the company. Sad, but it was still great. Our guide Espin took us throughout the city and showed us the highlights. To name a few, we crossed the Spree River, saw Museum Island, Checkpoint Charlie, Humboldt University, Topography of Terror and a standing section of the Berlin Wall. At Checkpoint Charlie we had a break, so we enjoyed our first Donner Kebab then had a cappuccino with Espin. Then we walked past the Ministry of the Air force which was completely untouched throughout  WWII (which is remarkable because most of Berlin got hit with at least some fire). It is enormous and remarkable. We walked past the site of Hitler's ridiculously large office (which is now a Chinese restaurant) and onto Hitler's place of death (which is now a car park). This was actually an underground bunker, so there's nothing to see; just a sign post stating what is beneath the pavement. In contrast, we then walked to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe which is a very impressive site. More on that later. (Google it; it's evocative.) We saw the block that contains Embassies for USA and many European countries, then on to the finale, the Brandenburg Tor. The gate was crowded with tourists, so we'll venture back there in the morning when we can get some better photos. 
We finally started heading back to the hotel, and are now enjoying bread with sour cream and chives an a Berliner Pilsner (Clint) and a Radeburger (Shannon). Our legs and feet our beat, so this break is quite welcome.
Cultural note: yesterday we felt very awkward communicating with the locals. Our very limited German intimidated us, and we felt really awkward every time we said "Danke shoen ." Today we are more comfortable and say it with ease, as well as "Gutentag." Yesterday we felt like tourists, and it was an awkward feeling, but today we know we're tourists and are OK with it and not worrying about fitting in. Being a tourist isn't a bad thing, so I'm glad we're accepting that fact and not being shy about asking if people speak English. They all do.
OK, so now it's dinner time. And here, dinnertime is 8:00. We check out our guidebook and decide on a place that has traditional German tapas. We walk 15 minutes up the street to Die Schule (die shoo-luh). By the time we get there, it's 8:45 and the place is dead; only 1 other couple. But we make ourselves comfy outside and dine all fresco. We start with 0,5L of a German red wine; light and on the sweet side, the kind of wine you could drink all night long. We order a "classic" flammkuchen (German style thin crust pizza with onions and bacon) and 6 different tapas; schnitzel, fried Camembert with cranberry sauce, grilled sausage with mashed potatoes, German meatball with sauerkraut, pork knuckle and potato pancake. All together it is the perfect amount of food. The flammkuchen was by far the best. The knuckle was pretty great; like a strange ham. Everything else was good, but nothing else noteworthy. Taken together, it was fantastic. Clint said that the dinner as a whole was better than the sum of its parts. Agreed. Topped it off with a chocolate souffle served with lemon-thyme sorbet another 0,5L wine and call it a night. 
Walked back to the hotel, about 15 minutes or so. It has cooled down this evening which should make for a comfortable night.
Weather note: the morning was crisp and cool, but by about 10:00 or so, we were donning our sunglasses and leaving out jackets. It was bright and sunny today, about 70+ degrees. We both got a light sun burn on our noses but nothing bad. This afternoon was perfectly pleasant for walking about. Altogether a thoroughly enjoyable day.