European Vacation - Berlin, Germany

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Guten Morgen from Berlin!

Arrived by train to Berlin, Germany on Wednesday, March 28th,

Overview: Nice weather when we arrived, but the next day (touring day) was cold, cloudy and windy with the threat of rain all day (even had a few sprinkles here and there. Initially, we were planning on doing another Segway Tour, but it ended up that we opted for another ‘Hop on, Hop off’ bus tour like the one we did in Vienna.
We arrived at our hotel in the late afternoon, the Crown Plaza which is the only well-known hotel on our journey.

The hotels in Vienna and Prague, and the ones we have booked for Rome and Barcelona, are less known and we booked them more for location and historical/character appeal. I must admit, it is nice to actually have an ice machine and robes in the rooms. Although, THEY charge for internet....go figure?! After we settled in we inquired about where to go for some ‘home-style German cuisine’. The woman directed us to a restaurant not too far from our hotel. The place was empty, which made us a bit skeptical at first (see the Santa and funny signs pics attached, but the staff and the food were both fantastic!

On Thursday, we headed out on our bus tour. The all-day pass is good until 5 p.m. and you can get on and off at any of the stops and the buses come every 15-20 minutes, same as in Vienna. The concierge suggested we do the route once (2 hrs) and then the second time opt to get off wherever our interests took us. It was a great idea since the weather was so cool and windy.

My opinion of Berlin: Not much. It was okay. There is a lot of history in Germany, but other than the really nice parks (which I would’ve liked to bike ride thru, but due to the weather and lack of time, decided not to), lacks ‘charm’ and seemed kinda 'dreary' in my view. Much more commercialized and westernized than the others. Food: very good A+, People: fun, nice, helpful...(except for the person who stole my wallet at the bus station...yes, REALLY!...but thieves are EVERYWHERE, my own ‘friggin’ fault.....heavy sigghhhhhhh). Would I return to Germany? Yes. Berlin? No.

Enjoy the pics, and don’t worry about me. I have a GREAT friend with me here (Terri) who has made me feel much better about the wallet .

Stay tuned for more from Rome (where I will be’ clinging’ to my stuff)...and you'll get to see my NEW cool "Made in Germany" luggage!



Luvs to all.....xo

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Photos

Waiting for the train to Berlin....
...at the OBB Station Prague

Some of the serene scenery from the train....
..which is why we chose to take the train rather than fly from Vienna to Prague and Prague to Berlin (plus only 4 hours each trip, and cheaper)

Outside out hotel the Crown Plaza....
...thought we'd treat ourselves to ONE 4 Star hotel at least

At the "German Restaurant" that was suggested
...tacky German decor, but GREAT food!

Fun signs from the restaurant
...Terri liked this one, being American and all

Thought this was appropriate since it is true there
...only with inflation, it the price has gone up

They love their puppets.marionettes
...the Czechs more so, but here in Berln as well

And Santa Claus (Weihnachtsmann in German)
..a pretty popular guy along with the Easter bunny...as you can see

Love the big toe on this Weihnachtsmann
...lol

Did some exploring around the vicinty of our hotel to work off the meal
...little booths in the squares, similar to Prague, with souvenirs and such for tourists

Bears everywhere ...why?
...well, The two concepts Buddy Bear and United Buddy Bears stand for two very different types of activity. The Buddy Bears are an urban event, comparable to other events with a great diversity of animal sculptures that bring new life into many city centres. The United Buddy Bears, however, are primarily about their message - a message of peace, international understanding and tolerance among the nations, cultures and religions of this world

These are the bears that are EVERYWHERE..
...I liked this bear, along with a couple others