Blogs from Berlin, Berlin, Germany, Europe - page 8

There are a few things that become important when you travel - wifi and coffee! Without good quality, you will find both can be frustrating. i am going to add a rating on both these items, for each country/city I visit. So, to catch up: Stockholm and Malmö, Sweden - excellent coffee everywhere. Internet free and available at most places. Quality was good in my hotel. Copenhagen, Denmark - excellent coffee everywhere. Internet free and available at most places. Quality was good in my hotel. Hamburg and Berlin, Germany - coffee is only average. Internet available intermittently. Doesn't work very well in my hotel room hence I find myself sitting in the lobby when I need to do my blog. Main reason for introducing a rating system ?. It is not only annoying but quite time ... read more

Christiane (the hostess with the mostest!) popped out before I woke up to buy some traditional Hamburg pastries and coffees for our breakfast. She also bought some bread rolls and made them up for my trip, with liverwurst, ham and pickles etc left over from the other night. We had a lovely breakfast together and then said our farewells - until next we meet ? I then took my time getting organised and went for a walk to the lake. It was another beautiful day in Hamburg! I walked past the Hamburg tennis centre which was huge - this is where they have the German open. It is on Christiane's street. Christiane's apartment is in what was the Jewish quarter of Hamburg. The places here are just amazing - I love the architecture and how beautifully ... read more

Wednesday, 13th June 2018 Our day began early with breakfast at a local 19 Gram Coffee Chain that served up traditional Eggs Benedict and other hot foods. After a satisfying meal, we took a Bahn to Nordbahnhof where the Berlin Wall Memorial is located. This is another site in the city where remnants of the famous wall could be seen. Over at the Documentation Centre, there is a special exhibition titled "1961-1989, The Berlin Wall" where poignant images of the wall were displayed. In the afternoon, we also found time to visit the DDR Museum located in the Mitte District. This is a little nostalgic museum that showcased life in German Democratic Republic (GDR) aka East Germany in a fun and interactive setting. Opposite the DDR Museum stood the Berlin Cathedral Church with its majestic and ... read more

Monday, 11th June 2018 We took a six hours train to complete the 573km journey to Berlin, the capital of Germany. Enroute, we had a decent meal on the meal cars where pork cutlets and dumplings were served. Arrival at Berlin HBF in the evening, we check-in to the Amano Grand Central Hotel. This was chosen given its convenient location opposite the train station. As I was tired out from the train travels, we decided to shelf our travel plans until the following morning. Berlin that greeted us was as busy and convenient as it gets given its extensive network of U-Bahns, S-Bahns, Buses and Trams. With all the sights we have planned for over the next two days, we were certainly looking forward to our short stay in the city.... read more

One of my earliest political memories is of the construction of the Berlin Wall and the news of people being shot to death who tried to cross over it. So our trip today to the East Side Gallery, to see the artworks on a remaining segment of the Wall, was particularly meaningful.... read more