The humans of Berlin are a mixed bunch, lots of tourists, bicyclists, hipsters and smokers. The day was another day of walking. We decided to walk to the Reichstag and then take a boat trip down the Spree.

Our journey took us down Leipzig Strasse to Potsdamer Platz. It was a Monday morning and the streets were thick with traffic and the smell of smokers walking, standing and even riding a bike. I'd been in Germany in 2007 and over the intervening years I'd thought that the German's "liebe zum Rauchen" would have diminished, wrong. It is hard to understand how anyone with a ounce of sense would smoke but it seems to be the national sport in Germany. The one improvement since my last visit is that you can't smoke indoors.

I'm impressed with the amount commuters on bikes. Berlin is a pretty flat place and getting around by on a bike is an ideal way to beat the traffic. The young and old where on their way to work and school.

We'd been walking for about an hour when we found the Sony Centre which is located in the bustling city centre of pre-war Berlin, near the Brandenburg Gate. Most of the buildings were destroyed or damaged during the war and from 1961 most of the area became part of the "No Man's Land" of the Berlin Wall, resulting in the destruction of the remaining buildings. After the fall of the Berlin Wall the square became part of a redevelopment. We found a Starbucks which had good strong coffee and free wifi. This was a good time to have a quick FaceTime with Maddy. Isn't it amazing that we can have a coffee in Berlin and chat to our daughter in Sydney doing the gardening.

After a nice 30 minute break we continued our walk to the Reichstag. It was a beautiful day about 26 degrees which was very pleasant. The sun at this latitude does not have the same sting that we have at home and with a hat and sunscreen not a bit of pink skin.

At the Reichstag we found that the house of the people was off limit to the people. Just like our Federal Parliament increased security means that onerous security requirements have been put in place so access to the building is limited. We could have waited inline for an hour to go through security but that was not considered a good use of our limited time here so opted to move on. I was looking forward to visiting the glass dome constructed on top of the building. It was designed by Norman Foster and built to symbolise the reunification of East and West Germany.

The Reichstag is very near the Brandenburg Gate so we walked over to see one of the city's most iconic monuments. The Gate is located Pariser Platz, and when we arrived is very busy with tourists from all corners of the world. Tour guides spruik for business in all languages.

Greg and Rob decided to walk through the Gates just to check that they were open, then on to the river. On the river there are a myriad of cruise boats and we all agreed on a short river cruise, bought some lunch and found a short one hour cruise. It was a good opportunity to see Berlin from another vantage point and also rest our weary feet. Leaving the cruise we decided to do different things so Rob and Tess headed off for their own adventure.

Greg and I thought that we'd visit another museum but the long lines for tickets and waiting in the sun for entry made us do a rethink. I suggested that we visit the New Synagogue which is not far from our apartment. The gilded dome of the synagogue is visible from just about any place in Die Mitte.

The New Synagogue in really not that new as it was built in 1859 and was the main synagogue of the Berlin Jewish community before the war. It is located Oranienburger Straße in Die Mitte. It was inaugurated in the presence of Count Otto von Bismarck, then Minister President of Prussia, in 1866. One of the few synagogues to survive Kristallnacht, it was badly damaged prior to and during World War II and subsequently much was demolished. The present building is a restoration of the facade, front rooms and the dome of the ruined street frontage. The building is not a place of worship but serves a monument to the once vibrant Berlin Jewish culture. It was the largest synagogue in Germany and seated over 3,000 people. It must have been a beautiful building. We spent an hour going through the museum which is located next to the synagogue. It's heartbreaking to hear the stories and see the photos of happy people in 1935 and know that nearly all would be murdered by 1945.

Today the area surrounding the synagogue has a growing Jewish population from all over the world. We headed back to the apartment down Oranienburger Straße and came across some more plaques in the footpath commemorating people who were murdered in the Holocaust, a simple reminder that they were once here. Whilst we were looking at the plaque a passerby asked if we knew what the plaques were and we said yes. This gentleman was one of the many new Jewish residents of the city. He was Finish and had moved to the Berlin be part of this growing community. We'd been walking for about seven hours I was keen to head back put my feet up and rest.

I'm in bed now and everyone is asleep. I can hear the trains arriving and departing form Hackescher Markt station and a man singing Hallelujah, in a bar across the road. I should be tired I think we walked about 15 kilometres today, but I'm thinking of the people of who lived here 70 years ago. They would have enjoyed summer days just like this never contemplating that it would end so terribly.