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Published: December 20th 2006
Hey people,
That's me back at the youth hostel, had a great day today!! Wasn't so cold today.
Started off waking at 9am instead of the intended 6am, heehee but it was worth catching up on the sleep I missed for about 30 hours before leaving.
Ticket to Warsaw is still not her, so I popped into Ostbahnhof ReizeCentrum, and no one had any idea what I was on about, so I just phoned the online centre who said it should get here tomorrow. Only, there's 30 boxes for mail at Waldenser Str 30, which is the address I asked it to be sent to. So the nice person who owns this hostel put up a wee note for the postie saying any unspecified mail should be sent here 😊 This took me most of the morning!
Then headed to... let me think...
The Panorama tower at Alexanderplatz. Would have gone up it but it wasn't a clear day at all, so I wouldn't have seen much. Then wandered along ermmm that street, jumped on Bus 200 and went right to the end of its route, which was an eastern suburb, Michelangelo Straße. Nothing much there, just gave me a flavour of the poorer suburbs. Jumped back on the 200, visited Berliner Dom. It was really pretty, and the crypt below was cool. Had a real atmosphere.
I was wandering along casually when I heard these two people working at a wee stall speaking Urdu, so I eavesdropped a bit, and I was like wow, am I hearing right?? So I went and spoke to them, and they were really friendly. I asked them tips for places to see and go in Berlin etc, talked for like half an hour, then they said would you like a coffee, so I was like cool. I mean the 3 of them were about 40 or 50 years old, 'uncle jee's''. So one joined me for coffee across the road and he was like, hey I'll join you to see the Reichstag and Brandenburg Tor (it was about 5pm, and I wanted to see these in the dark) so I was like cool, you can tell me about the history etc. So I waited in the coffee shop for 20 mins chatting to the shop assistant, while he went to pack up his stall, and I thought hey wait a sec, I'm a stranger in a strange place, although he's friendly I shouldn't be stupid. So I decided to leave before he got back, but just as I was leaving he got back. So we went to Brandenburg Tor together, chatting all the way. I asked him how long he'd lived here etc, and he was like yeah 12 years, I have kids and a wife back home in Peshawar. So we're walking up to the top of the Reichstag when I start feeling really uncomfortable; he's invading my personal space. So I start really wanting to get away from him, and all the while he's saying, 'come back to mine for dinner and I'll make you a nice cup of tea too, I mean what are you going to remember about Berlin? That no one took care of you?' Now I'm REALLY worried. So I start saying nicely, I appreciate your joining me, now I'm going to go back to mine, I have some things to do then I must sleep. And he was persistent. I am SO glad that there were other people at the bus stop otherwise I probably would have been knifed and raped (people who know what Peshawari people are like will understand this!) But he joins me on the 100 anyway. By this time it's very obvious what he wants from me, and it's obvious he's determined because he asks me if I'm married, whether I have a partner etc. Azeemi ring to the rescue!! I start talking about how I have a fiance, and that's my engagement ring, and how I'm trying to organise his VISA to UK, blah blah. He gets the message. Then, all of a sudden, when the doors are about to close and the bus is leaving Alexanderplatz, I jump off so he can't follow me, but he jumps out in time too. So I ran up the stairs to the station, and get lots of people between us, and when I got to the top of the escalator and he was at the bottom, he waved and walked back out the station. I was shaking and I was scared he was still following me so I kept looking about me and I got onto a random train, got off somewhere, and did this several times so not only did I lose him, I lost me too. Anyhoo.... that scare was over and I decided to enjoy the rest of my night.
Lesson: DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE, be friendly with a stranger, even if he speaks your language in a country where people don't. JUST DON'T DO IT.
Headed to Freidrichstraße after that after chatting with an English guy who gave me his recommendations of Berlin. F is a big long street, really glamorous with all the top designer shops. Saw Checkpoint Charlie, then headed to Gendarmenmarkt. It was AMAZING! I think by far the best xmas market. Although Spandau yesterday was really pretty, cobbly etc. Saw this really funny comedy act by male dancers dressed as angels. Once I get these photos onto CD, I'll update each entry with the illustrations. It made me so happy to be there, just seeing all these people enjoying Xmas, munching on Bratwurst lol and other gooey stuff. Everything smelled great but I was too full of choccie wafers and choccie apples. Must have apple punch tomorrow though.
Headed home at 10pm ish, and here I am, munching grapes and biscuits for dinner. Because all the shops on Turmstraße are closed, and I can't be bothered heading further to find proper food.
I've learnt that should really research each place you want to go to, even figure out the trains buses and routes to get there, opening times, prices, everything really, the night before. Because I have wasted quite a bit of time just looking for routes to get places, and I really don't want to be carrying a huge map around and being obvious I'm a tourist. So I'm planning right now how I'm getting to Potsdam tomorrow, which is the old part of Berlin, in fact older than Berlin according to Liaqat Ali, the creepy guy I ran away from. Also going to the Berlin wall, Charlottenburg palace, and all the bits and pieces I have missed out. The Jewish quarter too. And Orianenburger Tor. Oh yeah I'm gonna go up the Reichstag again in daylight, hoping to get some good photography. Gotta also head back to hostel at 1pm to check my tickets here. Intending to get up in time to see sunrise, maybe even FROM the Reichstag! Now that would be something.
So I should let the newbie to the hostel have a shot of the internet now.
Gotta go do some postcards too.
Over and oot!
Zain xxxxxxxx
PS: Saika, calling card doesn't work here!! It's an 0800 number, which is for UK. Can't believe I didn't figure that out, 0800 isn't 0800 everywhere! heehee.
PPS: just wanted to add, Ich leibe Deutsche! It's such a great language, really nice to hear, and nicer to speak. I've been trying out my limited German, and so far no one has laughed 😊
Another reflection: travelling is great. I love being a traveller. I love making a strange place my home for a short while. I love just seeing people doing peoply things, mingling with these people who are just getting on with life, and pretending I'm one of them. When I am less tired I will write more reflections because I have lots of them!
PPPS: Leave me comments people!!!
PPPPS: I went into a German Subway, and chatted to the guy there (CUTIE!!) and I have come to realise that ermm... German Subways are better 😞 how unloyal I am, but it's true, and I have photos to prove it. 17 different kinds of sauces!!
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Morven
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Ich bin ein Schaf!
Oh my goodness, that sounded really scary!! I was like, run Zaino run! even though I knew you clearly got out of it to be able to tell us all about it. My mum was in Berlin two weeks ago - she spent the entire time at the Christmas market I think! If you haven't already had it, she says to try Gluhwein (gloy-vine) and Gluhwein Weiss. Also, if you get the number 100 bus, it goes round all the major sites like the Reichstag and the Brandenberg Gate, for the price of a normal daily travel ticket. Also, she says to go to the Hauftbahnhof, because there's a Christmas tree there covered in Schwartzkopf crystals, worth £2 million. It's guarded by security and everything. How mad is that? Love ya loads! Take care xoxox