Wednesday 3rd December 2014
We had to wake up early today at 5.30, to be ready for our pick up at 6.30, with the taxi arriving early to boot. Soon we were on our way to Heathrow, arriving at terminal 2 just gone 7.20. A quick check in into German Wings (with forgetting to print the baggage tag) and we went through security. There was not too much shopping that we wanted to do, so we sat in one of the restaurants and had some food. I had some eggs Florentine whilst Bhavni had a pastry.
Soon enough it was time to board and fly; it was quite a quick flight and soon enough we were landing in Tigel. After clearing customs, we had to work out way round this old style airport to go to the tourist office there, where we got the welcome pack, zone a,b&c with entrance to Museum Island also. We then went outside and had to wait around 10 minutes for the TXL bus, starting to feel the cold, which took us to Beussellstabe, after which we changed to the S-Bhan, catching the clockwise ring to Landsburger Allee, which was where our hotel – Hotel Andel – was located. We went out the long way as it took a 5 minute walk to get to the hotel.
Checking in, we were given a room on the second floor. Freshening up we then were out. We caught the M5 tram, from just outside the hotel to Hakinsher Markt, the terminus. We were quite hungry so we ducked into a pizzeria there and had a large vegetarian pizza, with Bhavni having a non-alcaholic beer also.
It was a short walk to museum island where the cathedral is also. We settled for going to the Old national gallery – 3 floors of artwork. The first 2 floors were mostly artwork associated with Germany and Prussia, but the third was a special exhibit, paintings of Mauri Leaders from New Zealand. By the time we finished it was just after 5pm, so we walked towards Alexanderplatz, looking at some of the shops on the way (kitchen and alcohol and shoes). Near Alexanderplatz there was a Christmas market, which we went into, wondering around and eating some of those suger coated nuts and having some warm mulled wine.
It was getting close to 7pm when we finished, so we started looking for a restaurant (for some reason my phone was playing up), but we could not really see anything that was nice where we were walking. So in the end we got back on a tram going to Hakinsher Markt (as we knew there were eateries around there), but we got of at the next stop as from the tram we spotted some restaurants, literally around the corner from where we were.
We had dinner at Vapiano (Rishuls favourite), having a pizza, pasta and a tirimisu. When leaving we had a crazy druggie type person start to follow us laughing his head off, so we ducked into a bar, so that he would not come near us. The bar man told him where to go. I had a coffee, whilst Bhavni had a hot chocolate, which she sent back as she was not happy with the milk in it. After, it was the tram back to the hotel. We fell asleep quickly.
Thursday 4th December
So I was up at 7am so that we could be downstairs for breakfast at 8am in the hotel restaurant, which was a continental buffet, simple, but filling enough. Getting our stuff from the room, we caught the tram to Hakinsher Markt pretty much straight away, and were there at 9.20. Well we were quite early so we went for a walk around. Unfortunately all the shops (apart from cafes) opened after 10am, so we had to brave the cold – Bhavni suffering the most. Completing the walk nearer 10, we bought our tickets for the walking tour, then get some coffee and hot chocolate as the tour started at 10.30.
There were 13 other people on the tour (English speaking), and the guide – Nickolai – was originally from Sofia in Bulgaria, but had lived in America most of his life. The tour started with the new Cathedral on Museum island then went down the royal boulevard. There was plenty to see (and dont forget the name Schinkel), with lots of history, including the memorial for the war victims (Neue Wache), followed by the square where the Nazi book burning of 20,000 books took place.
Then it was towards the French quarter, with the twin churches, followed by the wall and Checkpoint Charlie before lunch. Lunch was at a cafe, Bhavni and I had hot chocolate. From there we saw the site of Hitlers bunker – now a car park, and some buildings from the 3rd Riche era. After it was towards the Memorial to the murdered Jews, a strange place near the American Embassy, finally finishing up at the Brandenburg Gate. We also were told the window at the Hotel Adlon where MJ hung the baby out from.
After the tour we walked to the Reichstag, (the German government building). The entry is free but you have to book ahead so instead we had a look around the area, seeing the memorial to the Sinti and Roma people and then took the 100 bus to Hakinsher Markt, then walking to Alexander Platz where we went into C&A and bought Bhavni some shoes. With warm shoes we were able to proceed; we walked up a few streets to Momos – a vegetarian momo restaurant that Bhavni had found, but when we got there, even though the lights were on, the door was closed. Disappointed we started to head back towards a station so we could eat at one of the restaurants that we had walked pass before. It just to happened that I looked back and saw someone approach the door, and not re-appear. Bhavni being sceptical did not believe me, but when we got there, the owner was there, so we sat for some momos, having a try of all the different ones (fried and steamed) – nice.
After the meal, we walked to Museum island and went to the Noyse museum, which was the museum with old artifacts, starting with mummies from Egypt, to Greek and other cultures and bronze and stone age. The museum building its self was interesting as it was heavily damaged in the war, but has been restored sometimes to the way it was with the Prussian empire.
Leaving the museum at 7, we made our way to the twin churches in the French quarter (with Bhavni not believing I knew the way), as this was where our guide earlier had said that the better market was. Well it even had a cover charge. It was a lot busier than the other market we had been to, but we still had our nuts, roasted chestnuts and mulled drinks, with Bhavni buying dried apple crisps also. There was a large section indoors, so we were out of the cold for a bit also.
By the time we finished it was getting late, so we caught the 200 bus from the main road, which took us to the other side of the Volkspark Friedrichshain, where we went to another find of Bhavnis – Taleh Thai, which turned out to be quite a nice restaurant, with good food. It was nearly 11 by the time we finished dinner; the owners suggested taking a bus on the main street and then catching the ring to the hotel. That was going to take a while, so we walked around the park (through would be quicker, but we did not fancy going in the dark), before catching a passing tram for one stop.
Friday 5th December
So as we were early the day before, we woke up a little more leisurely and were having breakfast at 8.15. Catching the tram to Hakinsher Markt, we met the tour people and got tickets for the tour to Oranianburg and the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. It was a bit annoying as they did not give us the extra discount that they should have because the guide yesterday did not sell us the tickets.
Getting some sandwiches for lunch, it was just after 10, when we left with our guide Maria, taking the train to the central station, where we met up with a couple of people from the western meeting point. There was a couple from NZ, who Bhavni got talking to. It was a 25 minute 40km ride out to Oranianburg, and as it was busy, we walked 20 minutes to the camp entrance. A perfect day for the tour – cold, very foggy and eerie.
Suffice it to say, the tour was not rosy, with the horrific things done here (although there was good things here and there), so much so that one of the couples with children completely disappeared, and Bhavni ended up waiting outside some of the areas. However, i think it was less horrific (as it had been sanitised over the years) then for example the killing fields.
We had lunch huddling around a radiator, at the kitchens complex before seeing the last couple of places.
We walked back to the station and got on the train to Berlin. However, instead of getting off with the group at the second stop, we went to the next station which was Potsdamer Platz. This was the new modern area, with the Sony center and other new buildings. Well we decided to book an IMAX showing of Penguins of Madagascar, and had a walk around the markets nearby in the mean time. After the show, we had another wonder, before having dinner at a Indian restaurant there. The food for me was ok, but not Bhavni’s favourite.
We got to the hotel and after a bit of rest (my wife was tired), we went up to the Sky Bar, it was busy, but we found 2 places and had a drink, looking out over the city.
Saturday 6th December
So this was the last day here, we had an even more later breakfast at 8.30, after which we collected our bags and checked out leaving our bags there. It was a nice sunny (and cold) day. We took the tram towards Alaxanderplatz, then the 100 bus which went to the Berlin pride monument (Victory Column). We met one of the people from the tour who said going in was definitely worth it, so we bought the tickets and after a brief look at the exhibits at the bottom, climbed to the top, up the many steps, for a really good lookout of the city from the park. We could see lots of the places we had been to in eastern Berlin, but so far this was the furthest west (except the airport). We could see Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag, the twin churches and bits on the museum island. It was getting quite busy so we went to the bottom level looking at the mosaics there, before leaving and catching the next 100 bus.
The bus took us past the Berlin aquarium and zoo. We got out near the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, which is a reminder of the bombings in the war. We walked inside the main entrance, but did not want to go right in. We then saw the new beehive church, before having a walk around the obligatory Christmas market that was there.
We walked around a couple of the shopping centers there (one called the Bikini center), before we took the 200 bus towards the Sony center, as Bhavni was in a mood to shop, and had spotted the Desigual shop the day before, but it was even more expensive than the uk. In the end Bhavni got a nice scarf and we had Falafal in the food court at the Leipziger Platz.
After we made our way to the twin churches to go to a chocolate shop – Fassbender & Rausch. The shop had lots of cool models in chocolate (though some were cheats with being mostly wafer biscuits coated in chocolate). However here were lots of really cool items. Bhavni got a couple of chocolate desert pots.
We headed back to the hotel from here, picked up our bags and left for the airport (5pm). Asking about the entrance to the station, the receptionists must have thought we were strange, as the stairs were so obvious to the left from outside the hotel.
Funny enough the train came straight away and the connecting TXL bus was waiting when we came out the station. This meant that we were at the airport too early to check in, and had to wait 20 minutes till it opened. After checking in and going through security, there was not much to do. Bhavni found a stashed 10 euros, so she could buy some gifts, and I could have my hot tea.
The flight left early, so that we were at heathrow 30 minutes before schedule. Father picked us up.
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