Last stop: Berlin

Tonight will be my last hostel night for some time. I'm in western Berlin at another great hostel called JetPak with free internet :) and very friendly staff here too. Yesterday, getting into Berlin, the train from Prague was 2 hours late and was disappointed to find the warmly recommended hostel was fully booked for the weekend. I did get a bed in a pension a few streets away which was fine and today I managed to get one here. A much liked Irish guy I met in Prague sent me here so they squeezed me in. Now it seems everyone here is going out on a pub crawl but I can't really stomach that today... These two weeks have been very intense and I find myself being very tired after a 3, 4 hour walking tour along with some exploring of my own. I guess I am ready to go home and sleep in my own bed without sharing rooms with 7 party animals. Don't get me wrong, that can be great fun as well... It's a great way to meet other travellers.
The tour was excellent, an enthusiastic Canadian girl took us through the center of Berlin; the Brandenburg gate, the Holocaust memorial, to Hitler's bunker, remains of the Berlin Wall, Luftwaffe's head quarters, the Opera house... All with a bunch of good facts, history and entertaining stories to go along. All for free - a tip-only basis so that you can experience Berlin whatever your budget. Very good.
After having been dropped off at the museum island and after a coffee with a nice Canadian couple I took the underground to Kreuzberg, in the eastern part, which has a nice alternative feel to it. Lots of great-looking cd and book shops, clothes shops, restaurants, bars, cafes as well as a lot of street art. I would definitely need more time to check it out fully, I gave up today when the rain started coming down and my legs needed some time off... Having said that I need way more time to check out ALL of Berlin properly - it's a great city, a lot of history, architecture (old and modern), cultural events, parks.. I only had the chance to see a fraction of it in one day. Also I'm a bit impressed of my German skills - they're deep down but I understand a lot more than I thought I would. And I can order a coffee pretty good too...
Anyway, I should get some food soon and have a quiet night. Tomorrow I leave early for Lubeck and Travemunde where I'm getting a lift on Stena Carrier back home to Goteborg on which my good friend Johanna is working. That will be an interesting and good way to end my short interrailing trip!

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