As we drove across town and Thomas spoke to us for the first, but not the last time, of the history of the architecture we were passing by.   We worried that the rain would interfere with our enjoyment of our first night’s expedition to the Parliament building

and still the rain ushered us across Berlin toward the Reichstag and its famous dome.

By the time we reached the impressive Reichstag, the rain had stopped and the skies presented us with spectacular light, cloud formations and beautiful reflections.

Britannica tells us “The Neo-Renaissance building was designed by Paul Wallot and was completed in 1894. It was the home of the Reichstag (“Imperial Diet”) from 1894 to 1933, during the periods of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the Weimar Republic (1919–33).”

Tho colors of the sunset sky and clouds reflected in the windows of the building created a spectacular glass canvas.

Though the previous shot said alot, this shot, with the German flag seemed an appropriate additional shot to speak the German people’s pride in their country.

An awesome approach, indeed.

After climbing the steps and looking out onto the “front yard” of the Reichstag, I was taken by the power and beauty of the setting sun, perfectly framed by the clouds forming a circle around the center opening.

What a sight!

As we waited our turn to take the elevators to the top of the building, the sheer heights of the central area and the large works of art displayed on either side told us this was a space of great importance.

Though our encounter with the many powerful works of contemporary art displayed in the building was limited to this space, I found this documentary (link provided here) that speaks to the many works on display along with this introductory text: A film by Wolfgang Kabisch, 45min The Reichstag Building in Berlin was inaugurated as the new German parliament in April 1999. To mark the occasion nineteen artists were commissioned to create new works that directly refer to the building and its history. With other works either purchased or on loan, these artistic projects represent one of the most important collections of contemporary art in Germany. The film presents the artworks and their concepts and also shows how the artists came to conceive and finally install their works. Participating Artists: Georg Baselitz Joseph Beuys Christian Boltanski Grisha Bruskin Carlfriedrich Claus Lutz Dammbeck Hanne Darboven Rupprecht Geiger Gotthard Graubner Hans Haacke Bernhard Heisig Jenny Holzer Anselm Kiefer Markus Lüpertz Georg Karl Pfahler Sigmar Polke Gerhard Richter Ulrich Rückriem Katharina Sieverding Günther Uecker

I confess, I am a sucker for reflections – in glass, in water, in stone – wherever I see them.

Finally, after waiting for one of the large elevators that brought us to the rooftop, where we first saw and entered the dome.

Once we were all on the roof, we listened to our guide, Thomas Abbot, as he spoke above the cold wind that whipped at us.

Our first full view of the dome as Thomas explained many things about its construction and significance to the Parliament building.

The juxtaposition of modern and historic.

Off in the distance is the Park Inn where the group stayed the first three nights. Just to the left and far below is the Spree river, on which my roommate Nancy and I travelled that very afternoon. Pictures of the sights from the river will be found in an earlier post.

After stepping inside the dome, the impressive staircase that spiraled up to the top of the dome beckoned to us to begin the ascent.

The central funnel is not merely a fascinating visual design of light, form, reflection and movement, it is integral to the heating and cooling of the entire building.

This piece travels with the sun to modulate heating and cooling forces in the building.

The same light modulating shape from another perspective.

Finally reaching the top of the circular walkway, we see the center of the dome’s top. It reminds me of the cloud formations captured earlier in this post.

The “floor” of the dome is also the ceiling of the parliament hall where the legislators convene. We were told that Angela Merkel always wears pant suits when speaking at the dais to the assembly. Why? Because the air currents from the central funnel are such that anyone at the dais wearing a skirt will be subjected to the “Marilyn Monroe subway draft effect” Get the drift?

After completing our dome immersion, we went to the Kafer Restaurant, just a few steps from the dome. It’s the only public restaurant situated within a building of parliament. In summer the glazing of the conservatory can be opened completely. The restaurant offers breakfast, lunch, coffee and cake in the afternoon as well as an upscale dinner. The cuisine is German with French accents and the chef rewrites the menu every two to three months. This photo is the only course I will offer to view in this blog. Great wine, great food and jet lag made the capture of other dishes too challenging for this writer.

This minimalist sculpture stands at Kafer’s doorway along with a sign advising the general public that only reservations would be accommodated that night as the restaurant was at full capacity, and unable to welcome walk-ins.

Two of our group: Lois Barliant and Ron Barliant. The conversation, like the dinner and wine, was rich and satisfying.

As we walked to our bus after dinner, the nightlit flag called my attention.