Choose another map, showing:

• Germany
• Europe (central)
• Europe (west)
• Scandinavia
• Europe
• Eurasia
• Transatlantic
• Eurasia, Africa & Pacific
• The World

Other entries in Berlin

Berlin Wall

The train was about 3 hours late getting to Berlin. Instead of 7am, it was 10am. The train from Katowice didn't come to the Berlin's main station. It stopped somewhere to the east of the city. It is ironic that the two places I chose not to drive to (Vienna and Berlin) had the most number of secure car parks of all the cities I had visited. Despite my best intentions to make an early start, by the time I got a train ticket to Prague and put my luggage in a locker for the day and completed an interview with two police officers who thought I looked suspicious walking around their new station with my huge bag - it was nearly mid day. I thought the best way to see most was to join a sight seeing tour. Berlin must have more sight seeing tour buses that any other place I have visited. It would have been much cheaper to get public bus 100 and do it myself. But it was too cold to whip out my guide book, my glasses, take off my gloves and whatever else every time I came to a new building. The tour guide explained how the Germans like to give everything a nick name. She had a comedian inside waiting to get out. She looked so pleased when people laughed at her joke. Some things she said to the Germans, she didn't tell the English. I caught the name Christiane F in the German commentary and was waiting for the English translation but it just didn't happen. Christine F was a cult film of the 70s/80s which I had a copy of and has disappeared in time. These tours are always good for a bit of trivia but as with all trivia, you have forgotten it by the time you step off the bus.

After the tour, I used my one day travel card (validated with date stamp) to visit some of the places we passed on the bus. While walking around I spend over an hour on the phone to Julie who had given up her job and was off to Singapore for a 5 star holiday. I had a good Chinese meal at a restaurant that had all kinds of foreign fast food near Checkpoint Charlie. A photo exhibition near by showed some moving stories from the past.

I got on the train to Prague as it was getting dark. Berlin is quite an amazing city. I want to come here again and spend more time absorbing the atmosphere. Transport here is great too.

I dozed off on the train and by the time I got to Prague - it was quite late. I was trying not to think about finding a place this late at night till I got there. My all else fails alternative was to go back to the 4 star hotel where my car was parked. As luck happens, when I got off the train I was confronted with a huge sign to a hostel called AO hotel with a free phone number. I phoned and within 30 minutes, I was tucked up in bed.

What to do on the cheap

Berlin Photos

Photos / videos of "Berlin Wall":