Our first full day of activities found us in the “old” part of the Reistag building – the German parliament building – that has seen so much history in this city and in this country that I will send you to Google to find its history.
Some observations — above a picture from the back of an artistic (not state-sanctioned) aluminum (or, as to say, aluminium) representation of German’s eagle. Apparently, it is also called “the fat chicken” because some think it rather chunky.
This, I loved! 
When they tore down some walls during one of the many reconstruction projects – they found signatures of Russian soldiers who liberated Berlin in 1945.
In the afternoon – we went to hear a security expert at an institute that, I will be honest, I am still trying to describe. Quasi governmental, maybe a think tank, maybe like Quantico. It was situated in a part of Berlin that once housed GDR workers – in the former East Berlin. Our speaker told us that the people living around their gated “compound” continue to be suspicious of them. They are renovating in one of their buildings — making a new kitchen. “What are building in there?” they are asked. What kind of devious plan is afoot?
Fascinating stuff.
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