We met our terrific guide, Jim, at the appointed meeting place and set out on the tour, passing most of the main sights in East Berlin. 

Photo tour follows

First we strolled past museum island, situated where two branches of the Spree River meet and the site of five of Berlin's extensive museums, the most popular being the Pergamom containing amazing collections of classical and ancient near east antiques and the  Nueues Museum with Egyptian and papyrus collections.





From there we went to Palace Square, site of the former Hohenzollern palace, razed by Hitler so he could use the area for his massive rallies. One side of the square is taken up by the Berlin cathedral. Hitler made his speeches from the portal of what is now the Altes museum. Large scale renovations continue in the area, and particularly of the museums which will all be linked together. They are currently raising funds to rebuild recreations of the palace walls.