Blogs from Berlin, Berlin, Germany, Europe - page 126

Berlin, in fact the whole of Germany, was not in our original itineray, but we are so glad we went! Having realised in Vilnius that we hadn't left enough time to use the Interrail card before meeting our Mum (Claire and Michelle) we decided to postpone it and make a detour into Germany. We arrived in Berlin on a broken train from Warsaw, so for half of the seven hour journey our carriage had no heating and no emergency brake (!) When we crossed the border we were told to move into a working carriage because it was against Germany safety restrictions to stay in the carriage (the Poles hadn't minded!) We shared an eight bed dorm room with a crazy Italian and a bitchy Italian, who made our stay memorable. The crazy Italian turned out ... read more

We arrived into Berlin in the evening around 8 p.m. The flight was easy and short and we knew we should be able to figure out the public transport system rather easily since we are seasoned travelers now. What we did not know about was the bizarre airport we had decided to fly into. Berlin Templehof was totally old fashioned; complete with the mobile staircase to carry you down to the runway as well as baggage claim as soon as you get off the plane. Also, the building looks as it where an old Nazi private airport. To make things ever more interesting we grabbed our bags and where greeted by a giant party in the lobby complete with full brass band and tuxedo clad waiters carrying champagne. After skirting the party we made our way ... read more

We jumped on the train to Berlin, successfully avoiding being ripped off again by a Prague taxi driver. German rail impressed us but our trip was continually being interrupted by people who had reservations for our seats. The train was almost at capacity and the only place we could find was in the even more luxurious dining car - we had a three hour trip and felt like stowaways, hoping the waiter wouldn't kick us out - that bowl of soup had to last a long time :-)! Mind you, most of the dining car travellers appeared to be in a similar situation. We spent about four days in Berlin, with the aim of travelling briefly to most corners of the city to try to get a feel for the diversity and enthusiasm that it is ... read more

Hey all, Firstly, this keyboard is funny. Z is in place of Y, so if i type z then it means y, and vice versa. So i've managed to navigate my way to where I am staying, whilst trzing to be subtle and not be pointed about being a tourist. Apart from looking confusedly at a large map, carrying a huge bag and clicking photos everywhere, so far so good! Hostel is good, my bed is the warmest comfyest bed i've ever slept in. Met a cool person from Tasmania this morning, who's off to Spain today. She's been travelling for 6 months. Berlin is Very Cold. At about 5pm the temp dropped dramatically. But i still have 10 fingers and 10 toes. I think... *counts* Went to Spandau y'day, which is a NW suburb of ... read more

Wow, where did November go to? I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I had an excelletn time with Jetta and her family in Berlin. We also had our little Christmas together and I got some wonderful home made things to take back with me, which are proudly displayed around the flat and/or my office. Just think, in just a few short weeks, it will be Christmas in the States. For Russia, Christmas is not much of a Holiday and it is celebrated as part of the New Year so a lot of the country takes the first 10 days of January off for New Years and Christmas. I plan to stay here for Western Christmas, but take the day off out of respect for the Holiday. Then for Russian Christmas, I am going to Zurich ... read more