GERMANY - Best of Europe 2014 - page 654

Boat Tours
Spree River Cruises
Several boat companies offer one-hour, €10 trips up and down the river. A relaxing hour
on one of these boats can be time and money well-spent. You'll listen to excellent English
audioguides, see lots of wonderful new government-commissioned architecture, and enjoy
the lively park action fronting the river. Boats leave from various docks that cluster near the
bridge at the Berlin Cathedral (just off Unter den Linden). I enjoyed the Historical Sight-
seeing Cruise from Stern und Kreisschiffahrt (mid-March-Nov daily 10:30-18:30, leaves
from Nikolaiviertel Dock—cross bridge from Berlin Cathedral toward Alexanderplatz and
look right, tel. [phone], www.sternundkreis.de ) . Confirm that the boat you choose
comes with English commentary.
Self-Guided Bus Tour
Bus #100 from Bahnhof Zoo to Alexanderplatz
While hop-on, hop-off bus tours are a great value, Berlin's city bus #100 laces together the
major sights in a kind of poor man's bus tour. Bus #100 stops at Bahnhof Zoo, the Berlin
Zoo,VictoryColumn,Reichstag, UnterdenLinden,BrandenburgGate, PergamonMuseum,
andAlexanderplatz.Areaderboardinsidethebusdisplaystheupcomingstop.Abasic€2.30
busticketisgoodfortwohoursoftravelinonedirection,andbusesleaveeveryfewminutes.
StartingintheWestfromBahnhofZoo,here'saquickreviewofwhatyou'llsee:Leaving
the train station, on your left and straight ahead, you'll spot the bombed-out hulk of the
Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, with its postwar sister church (described on here ) .
Then,ontheleft,theelephantgatesmarktheentrancetothevenerableandmuch-loved Ber-
lin Zoo (described on here ) and its aquarium. After a left turn, you cross the canal and pass
Berlin's embassy row. The first interesting embassy is Mexico's, with columns that seem
to move when you're driving by (how do they do that?). The big turquoise wall marks the
communal home of all five Nordic embassies. This building is very “green,” run entirely on
solar power.
The bus then enters the 400-acre Tiergarten park, packed with cycling paths, joggers,
and—onhotdays—nudesunbathers.Straightahead,the VictoryColumn (Siegessäule;with
the gilded angel, described on here ) , towers above this vast city park that was once a royal
hunting grounds. A block beyond the Victory Column (on the left) is the 18th-century late-
Rococo Bellevue Palace. Formerly the official residence of the Prussian (and later German)
crown prince, and at one time a Nazi VIP guest house, it's now the residence of the federal