Climbing to New Heights

For some strange reason, I had it in my head that my parents like to climb to the top of tall things to see a view. No idea why I had this notion, but I did. Before they arrived, I brainstormed some ideas for our travels in both Berlin and Copenhagen, trying to incorporate as many climbing to the tops of buildings that I could.

One fantastic offering that Berlin provides is a chance to climb to the top of the Reichstag (government building) for free. The catch? You have to make a reservation first. The problem with the parentals arriving the week before Easter? There are 2 million more people here this weekend. I am not exaggerating. There was even a headline about it in the papers. Why does everyone travel to Berlin for Easter? No idea...it's practically an atheistic country, but nonetheless, 2 million more people are here than normal, and it is quite noticeable. Therefore, getting reservations to climb to the top of the Reichstag was a no go.

Crazy narrow stairs

I was denied at every turn for a chance to the top of buildings, which is a problem when, like DC, Berlin does not have many tall buildings to choose from. However, I finally found something...die Siegessäule, or the Victory Column. The Siegessäule is a statue/memorial that commemorates Prussian/German victories over Denmark in the 1870s. It is in the Tiergarten, and gives an unobstructed view of the city. While one must climb some extremely narrow stairs, battling people going both up and down with camera bags, backpacks, and children, the view is pretty amazing. You also get a workout in, as these stairs really make your booty work :) Another plus? Prices are cheap to go up and the lines are not as long as other places.

Cool sky! 

Twas windy...couldn't really look at the camera without my hair blowing in my face

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Our next climbing thing was in Copenhagen at the Round Tower. The Round Tower used to be an observatory for astronomers. It is connected to a church and also has a tiny little museum. What we enjoyed about this climbing adventure was that there really was no climbing involved. The tower has no steps and is instead a circular ramp. Climbing to the top of this building seemed so much easier than in Berlin! The view was once again, amazing, as Copenhagen has a beautiful skyline with red roofs and canals. If I had a camera with more zoom, you'd be able to see the canals better, but the rest of the skyline is picturesque.

I was only up there for about 10 minutes, but look at the change in sky!