Yesterday was Good Friday; because it was such an important day and such a full day for us, I want to re-visit for just a bit more. Good Friday is a widely observed holiday in Germany. Many stores and restaurants were closed, even grocery stores. I fully expect that only the very barest of essentials will be operating on Easter Sunday.

We saw an outdoor Good Friday service being conducted on the Bebelplatz while we were there. Here the magnificent Konzerthaus Berlin reigns over the square and is flanked by the French Cathedral on one end of the plaza and the slightly larger but almost identical German Cathedral on the other end.

Although the skies threatened rain early on, the day was windy and cold most of the time but sunny. Sunshine and the Good Friday holiday brought out crowds. It was sometimes a challenge to maneuver our bikes through the crowds of people on sidewalks and milling around the squares.

One of the most interesting things about our bike ride yesterday was the amount of construction that we encountered troughout the city. Cranes could be seen in almost every direction. In fact it was difficult to get a decent photo without construction barriers, equipment, broken concrete or cranes in the photo. Much of the construction is ivolved with city-sponsored projects to rebuild and restore original designs to historical buildings lost in the war. Ninety percent of Berlin was destroyed or heavily damaged during the Allied bombings in World War II. Other construction is to enhance the local rail infrastructure adding new tracks, new subways and new stations.

We learned in our bike tour that the famous TV Tower, Fernsehtrum located in former East Berlin, had been built by the DDR (Duetsch Democratic Republic) to demonstrate in a tall way what the Communists could accomplish. Its other purpose was to control communications and to widely broadcast propaganda. During this time, the DDR forbade the display of religious symbols. Ironically after it was completed a strange phenomenon occurred. The DDR tried to correct it in many times in n many ways, but even today when the sun strikes the glasses of the globe, it captures the light and reflects a huge Cross. We saw that Cross yesterday, on Good Friday.

I'm switching gears a bit. Too bad we all did not invest in IKEA. Even before shopping IKEA became widely available in USA, we noticed in our visits to Europe years ago that IKEA virtually controls the market in furnishing apartments and it still does today It's clean, functional design fits well into the apartments in older and new buildings alike. IKEA is the obvious source of all kitchen cabinetry, furniture, rugs, linens, kitchen cutlery, utensils, wall décor and even plumbing fixtures in most homes we have visited throughout Europe in our earlier travels and certainly in the home we have visited through this trip. Beds are simple too. Most are queen or king-size, outfitted with a deep foam mattress covered with a dense pad and topped with only a fitted sheet and two individual twin-size comforters inside duvets. To make-up the bed, the comforters are folded in half lengthwise, laid side by side on the bed and topped with a matching pillow. I don't know who told them to make beds this way, but everyone does it . . . maybe it was IKEA.

Good news!!!!! One of the things we'd most like to do before we leave is visit the Reichstag, Germany's Parliament building—it's a grand building with shimmering glass dome overlooking the wide green lawn. A tour there is free but the admission waiting list is weeks' long! As a longshot, we applied online for a reservation at the restaurant there for anytime between now and time we must be at the airport on Monday. If you dine, you can tour. Just moments ago, we received a message that we have reservations for lunch tomorrow, Easter Sunday, in this magnificent place.

Today's weather was pretty miserable, full of wind and drizzle, so there was no need to rush. All layered-up to keep out the cold and the wet, we set out about noon on a mission to see the Topography of Terrors Museum. On our S-train ride toward the museum we spotted an outdoor market and decided to hop of th train and take a look. The very first thing we heard and saw was a street singer entertaining the market shoppers with his guitar and singing, Wagon Wheel, . . . Hey Mamma Rock Me - one of my very, very favorites.

The market was awesome - they were selling fresh-made foodstuffs, grilled meats, cheeses, eclectic clothing by local designers, jewelry, hats, vegetables, fruit and flowers, flowers, flowers. This was my kind of place!!

The Topography of Terrors Museum is just around the corner from Checkpoint Charlie. The grounds on which the museum sits today once housed the institutions of Nazi terror: the heart and soul of the Gestapo, and the Reich SS.

The museum is an indoor/outdoor pictorial timeline of photos, letters, posters, and other sorts of communications and evidence documenting the Nazi rise to power and its ultimate demise with the end of World War II. It was completely captivating, informative and overwhelmingly disturbing.

We meandered shoulder to shoulder with other visitors touring the museum. It was a quiet and reverent walk. It rained while we were there, still people moved along, totally engrossed in the chronological presentation of events. I pray, dear Lord, that this particular dose of history is never repeated. We must all fight for the right to think freely, live freely, to experiment and explore, and to support the good of the people . . . rather than the good of the country.

We like tasting things. Today, we took a break at the museum and shared a delicious sandwich of sun dried tomato, fresh mozzarella cheese and rocket doused with a bit of olive oil on a very delicious seeded roll. We also had tiny cups of coffee, wonderful coffee with cream and raw sugar that was served with tiny thimbles of chocolate cake. Later on, we shared a curry wurst which is thick-sliced hot dog of sorts smothered in a warm, sweet ketchup sauce served with pomme fritz -condiments like the ketchup and mayonnaise for the fries come at an additional fee.