She just got up and said ' I'm sick, but I didn't come this far to sit in a hotel room'
As it was a fairly cold and bleak morning, we decided to take a spin on the Berlin Tour Bus, one of those double deckers you see in each large European city that take you on a tour of the city highlights.
The bloke who gave the commentary was a classic, cracking jokes, giving 'nods' and generally making the trip even more interesting than it otherwise would be.
He was English, but also spoke fluent German. He would explain something in German first, then English, which meant that we got the jokes the second time around. It also meant that we we knew when a joke was coming, so we could at least prepare ourselves to laugh, whether it was funny or not.
He was just like a bloke you would find sitting at the bar in any English pub.
Some shots from the tour...
Just one of many high rise apartments in the old East Berłin. There were no windows on the west side, so that the people could not see towards the west.
What these photos do not show is how drab and grey these buildings were, as they have only been coloured up since the reunification in 1989.
Wherever we go in Berlin we see these brightly coloured pipes above the ground. I was going to ask our tour guide about them, but Jen suggested that talking to them might distract them from what they have to say on the tour.
He must have read my mind, because just as we stopped beside these pink ones he went on to explain them.
Apparently, Berlin is built over a large swamp, meaning the water table is very high. With so much building going on, they need to drain the water table before putting the pipes underground, which is why they are currently above the ground.
An old church that was bombed in WW2. It has been kept like this as a reminder of the horror that they went through.
One of the few remaining sections of the Berlin Wall.
The cobblestones mark where the wall once stood, a constant reminder.
Checkpoint Charlie.
This is the hotel that spies from all over the world stayed at during the Cold War. It was widely acknowledged that most rooms were bugged, but that didn't stop them fro staying here.
Just had to try out some traditional German sausage, and wasn't disappointed.
Jen feeling the cold a bit more than me.
And sausages!!
And while in the gym which overlooks the city, I had a brainwave...I just had to go and have a beer at a bar!!
So after a quick shower, and asking Jen if she'd like to join me ( I think she would have preferred having her toenails pulled at this stage, as she is so unwell, and going out in the cold wasn't high on her agenda!)
So off I went, armed with my iPad so that I could read the news about the great win by the Tigers over Carlton, and went and found a nearby bar.
No sooner had I settled into the match review and my beer, there was a message from Jen. The next day would be Good Friday ( we have lost all track of time) and everything would be shut, and we had no food. So, she was going to make a trip to the supermarket, which just happened to be near the bar where I was.
My dilemma...do I go straight away and meet her there, or squeeze in one more quick beer and finish the articles about Richmond?
As it was fairly crowded at the supermarket, I figured the extra beer option was the one to take, and after chugging it down I managed to get there just as she was at the checkout, meaning we could walk back together. To make it up to her I then managed to cook up what we think has been our best meal on tour so far, albeit helped by a jar of mango and curry sauce!!
Sunday 2nd April
Even though it was the 2nd here, it was the 3rd back home, which meant our son Will's 20th birthday.
We felt bad at being away for his birthday, but are sure that Lachie and his friends helped to make it special for him.
Today was our day of testing the rail system to see if we were going to be able to use it to get to our train to London tomorrow at 6.00 in the morning. We thought we'd take a practice run, which only took 15 mins, so we were then wondering what to do next.
As we were already on a train, I suggested to Jen that we just stay on it and see where it went. At worst, we could get off and come back!
What a master stroke!!
It took us to an area called Potsdam, historically significant and a world heritage listed area, and only about 30 mins from Berlin.
The place was deadly quiet as it was Good Friday, the streets were huge and there were just massive spaces everywhere. You could easily spend a few days here alone exploring.
As we had forgotten that it was Good Friday, I had nothing to eat for brekky, so had to settle for this giant hot chocolate at Potsdam, that had TWO handles!!!
I'm sure the sign on the side translates clearly into English!
Hundreds of bikes at the train station belonging to those who travel into Berlin.
The Potsdam water taxi.
And just topping up the energy levels for the car in the Main Street in Berlin.
And now for the most disturbing part of the day.
As we got on the train back to Berlin, another young bloke hopped on who was clearly homeless and down on his luck to say the least. He was dishevelled, barefoot and wearing what could be best described as rags. He basically had little to cover himself, and keep in mind that it has been snowing here.
It appeared that he was just riding the train as it was warm, and gave him somewhere to sleep.
Our initial response was to keep our distance on the train, but we then realised how desperate his existence really was. He was just sleeping and causing no harm to anyone.
After discussing what we could do, I chose to give him my jumper so he would at least have something to keep him warm. As our stop was coming up, more people got on and we lost sight of him, as the plan was to give it to him as we got off. He must have hopped off when we weren't looking, as a search of the carriage at our stop showed he was clearly not there. This made me realise that I should have done it sooner, as goodness knows where this poor soul is freezing tonight. I feel bad that I didn't act when I should have, as this poor bugger had 100% less than what I have, and I'd hate to think where he is tonight. My heart goes out to him.
We are now packing and setting alarms for very early in the morning, this time tomorrow we'll be in London, and getting ready to fly home in a few days. At least we'll get to see Sam again which will be great.
Did I mention that we are going to Les Miserables? Monday night. Couldn't even use the old 'I was planning to tidy up my sock drawer' to get out of that one.
I have been told I WILL enjoy it.
Stay tuned...
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