Blogs from Berlin, Germany, Europe - page 159

Had breaky in the room. Put a load of washing on which was new and got to watch a bit of the hawks in action on afl.com.au just before lunch (yes Davo, we got spanked) Walked down to KaDaWe via the Ku'damm which is apparently the biggest department store in Europe and it is pretty damn big - 7 huge floors, had lunch there - currywurst, we dumped Michael at their groovy child care centre (more fun for hom than looking at stuff with us) and had a look around - it was all too expensive, the highlight for me was the €116,000 stereo on display - awsome, MTL I think it was and had the weirdest looking speakers. We then had afternoon tea near the bombed church left as a reminder of the war. A ... read more

Did a bit of shopping in Leipzig - Gabrielle bought some jeans, bought Michael a Bob Der Baumeister top, Corey bought a sausage. Drove to Berlin - pissing down rain, doesn´t stop most Germans from driving at breakneck speeds. Found the hotel (actually apartment) about dinner so went across the road to a supermarket and bought stuff for dinner and cooked it in our room - 2 sausages for me. sc = 4... read more

Hello to everyone. Well we have had an awesome day! I am so tired! Thats the sign of a good day I think. We went on a bike tour with the Fat Tire Bike Company, seriously these guys are so good, the bikes are so comfy, and its definatley worth it. We were on a general Berlin city tour, we saw so much! Lots of the same things as yesterday, but it was a bit different just because we were on bikes vs. walking and had a different guide. First we went to the statue of Karl Marx and Engels (his writing partner). This doesn't mean much to most people, however it does to me because I was forced to read most of these guys' famous works (ie. the Communist Manifesto) in my sociological theory course ... read more

Geo: 52.5235, 13.4115This morning we did the Third Reich walking tour of Berlin. We met our guide who's English was excellent. Saw some of the buildings that survived the bombing. Found out that the SS didn't want the Brandenburg Gate destroyed, so the made 16 replicas around the city and camoflaged the original- their plan worked as it survived. Saw an old watch tower and other parts of the wall. Next thing we were standing on top of Hitler's bunker where he killed himself. Now there is just a car park and road on the road. We then saw the Jewish Memorial which is a monument dedicated to the many German Jews who lost their lives. After it was built it was discovered that underneath the site is where Goebbel's (Hitler's 2nd in charge) was and ... read more

Geo: 52.5235, 13.4115This morning we hit the road at 6am. Brad gave us a breakfast on the bus, which was quite good. Then had a sleep. Then watched Ocean's Eleven. Slept again. Stopped for lunch at a truck stop and ate in the car park among the polluting truck exhausts. Finally started reading a novel I got two months ago. Mid-afternoon we reached the Polish/German border. Once again I missed out on passport stamps.Finally arrived in Berlin. We did a driving tour of the city. First stop was the East Side Gallery, which is part of the Berlin Wall that has been graffitied/decorated. We saw the Brandenburg Gate, Parliament House, the hotel where Michael Jackson dangled his baby over the balcony, the Holocaust Memorial and other buildings. Drove for a while before we got to camp, ... read more