Wilkommen to Berlin!

I arrived in Berlin lunchtime Monday, the weather was hot and sunny and the local smiles were all genuine as I walked through Tegel Airport and grabbed a cab to my Hotel (The Hotel Concorde) which is just off the Kurfürstendamm, Berlin's major shopping strip.

I think the Hotel Concorde was a great choice. It is probably a touch corporate but a level or two above the Hilton Riverside in London and it does have a substantial mini-bar! After a painless check-in (again assisted by extremely friendly staff) I head upstairs to my room for a quick shower.

Refreshed, I headed out into the street for the usual reconnaissance mission to get an understanding of my surroundings.

Very close to my hotel is the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche (Kaiser-Wilhelm-Memorial Church) The original church was built in the 1890s however it was badly damaged during World War II. It is now a memorial that symbolises the destruction of war and is quite a stunning landmark, particularly at night.

After taking some photos of the church I continued to wander up the Kurfürstendamm weaving in and out of the shops whilst resisting the temptation to buy. Many of the shops bear familiar names (Bennetton, H&M, Tommy Hilfiger, Gucci, Luis Vuitton and others).

Having travelled as far as I wanted to go (without feeling too far away from the hotel) I headed back to the hotel for a siesta before grabbing some dinner in the hotel's restaurant, Le Faubourg

It was then back to my room to prepare for the next day which will include a visit to the Brandenberg Gate, the Reichstag, Checkpoint Charlie and one or two other places in between.

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Part of trip: European Sojourn 2009

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