When the kids had their engineering class on the UC Berkeley campus this weekend, I had another little walk. It was raining in the morning, so it was quiet and beside s a couple of walking tour groups there were almost no people around.
The one building you almost see from any corner of campus is the Campanile or Sather Tower. It was completed in 1914 and is the third-tallest bell-and-clock-tower in the world what I find impressive. It has a carillon at the top made up of 61 bells. I had to look up what a carillon is and Wikipedia describes it as pitched percussion instrument. You can see how the one in Berkeley is played if you get up the tower in time for the daily concert. The observation platform you can access through an elevator is at the same level as the keyboard that plays the bells (which sits inside a glass box). On our first trip to Berkeley, we stayed in a hotel close to campus and I still remember hearing the bells each morning what was really lovely. As far as I know there is a special class and most of the players are students at Berkeley. One of the undergrad students who worked in our lab was one of them and he told me that there is an identical keyboard on the lower floors to practice with headphones (what is probably a good thing because I imagine it sounds awful when you don’t get it right). You can hear the daily concerts even in my corner of campus (what probably means you can hear it anywhere on campus). The viewing platform also gives you an incredible view of the bay including San Francisco. It’s worth it in my opinion and almost all visitors we had so far were taken there. It’s nice that for university employees and students the ride up to the top is free.
What is one thing you usually do around where you live if you want to take someone sighseeing?
Fun fact: since 2017 there is a pair of peregrine falcons nesting at the campanile. They have their own website and if they hatch their eggs again next year it might be fun to watch since there is a webcam.
Home here and there 
That is gorgeous!
We live in a university town and I just love how we get to cross through the green space and enjoy all the big, old buildings…daily. In one way I “take them for granted” but, really, I notice them every single time and almost have to pinch myself.
There is SO much stuff to see in Nova Scotia. The lighthouse at Peggy’s Cove is the most iconic location in the province, and it also happens to be a family favourite. We almost always take guests to visit this spot, but also go plenty just as our family because we love it so much! In addition to a gorgeous lighthouse, there are HUGE rocks that are perfect for climbing on and the kids are a huge fan of (safely) exploring the grounds.
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Nova Scotia sounds great! If I ever go, I will for sure have a look at the lighthouse (those are always at the top of my list). If there is is rocks to climb on, that’s a big bonus, too! We took pictures in a park yesterday and even before the first click the kids were up on the rocks. I already saw pictures with a scraped knee and torn pants in my mind but all worked out.
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We have a museum that I take people to when they come to town. It’s attached to the National Dairy Shrine (I live in Wisconsin) and I can always tell if someone is my type of person by how they react to this museum! We also have an “art corner” where a local artist has painted murals with a semi-famous local poet’s poems that I’ll take people to. It’s a small town, but it’s got a lot!
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Murals are always good in my book and that museum sounds interesting, especially since you say you can tell from it if someone is your kind of person. I always find it interesting what our visitors want to do when they come here. Some just want to see San Francisco, other prefer seeing nature. It’s always a surprise.
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So every single morning there’s a live carillon concert? How long does it last? That sounds amazing. We usually take our visitors to the beach, or down to Miami. When my sister and her husband come this summer we’ll probably go down to the art deco district in Miami Beach.
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The daily ones are only 10 minutes (one at 7:50am, noon and 6pm) but they used to have 45 minutes on Sundays (from their website I can’t tell if they picked those up again).
Beach sounds nice. We can go to the beach here, too (we do have to drive a little) but it is always cold…
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That is lovely! I actually remember this. I spent some time in Berkeley when Jon’s Mom lived in Rockridge for a while and we’ve walked on Campus every now and then.
When people come to visit, I usually take them down to the Capitol and to the Tower Bridge. Those are the two most famous landmarks in Sacramento.
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Rockridge is a nice neighborhood.
I do remember the Capitol in Sacramento. It looks so grant but I have never been inside so far – maybe next time.
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Ah that campanile… There is a photo from July 24th 2000. That shows my Mom and I in front of it. Me wearing a red tank top and my mom holding a red rose and we make grimaces. It was my parents 20 wedding day y- hence the rose. I remember that day fondly walking around campus. One thing that was on my dads sightseeing list for the U.S.
As for things I would take any visitor to in Berlin would probably be the Berlin Wall. And then not necessarily the East Side Gallery that is more art then history but to a museum where you can actually see the entire complex with main wall, hinterland wall and death strip in between.
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There is so much to see in Berlin I would imagine it’s hard to pick. We always “had to” visit for our visa renewals back in the day.
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I love the picture you painted here with your words. It sounds so lovely, especially having a little “concert” like the one you talked about every day.
There is SO much to do in my city! We have a very vibrant downtown area, lots of beaches, museums, and theme parks. I’d probably take someone to my favorite coffeeshop to have a coffee flight – that’s the first thing I’d do!
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Coffee first is always a good idea and beaches and museums sound great!
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I, too, would love to hear a daily campanile concert. Here, we just have our monthly testing of the emergency sirens. (First Wednesday of the month, every month… :>)
And, hm. I also live in WI -the capital, Madison – but have had so few visitors I honestly don’t know what is on the must-do list. Places I’ve enjoyed, though, are the capitol building itself, the Wisconsin historical society museum, the botanical gardens and… the Mustard Museum. 🙂
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The mustard museum sounds unique. That probably would be on our list if we ever visit Madison. My husband loves mustard.
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