Bye Bye Berlin

After a much needed nights (and the day before) sleep I headed to Rosa-Luxembourg Platz to meet Lucy and Kent for some Korean that they had recommended. 

 

Walking there only took an hour and as I remembered general directions from the last time I was in Berlin, I didn’t get too lost and enjoyed the sunshine. 

Berlin looks so different without the snow and the cover of winter’s darkness, like so many cities in Europe, the arrival of spring seems to rejuvenate not only the place but the people too.

To be honest, I do think Berlin is an ugly city, but I think that is what makes it uniquely beautiful.  It doesn’t try too hard to be anything than what it is and what its history has created for it.  You can still feel a separation and strange distance hanging in the air of the city even though there are no longer any physical barriers. 

Spotting Lucy and Kent (not too difficult with Lucy’s jumping wave) we went to lunch.  As it was Easter Monday, the streets were quiet and many of the shops closed.

I later met Cristin and Co. at Gunnenbrennen with the intention of having a tour of some of the bunkers and tunnels below the city.   Unfortunately they were booked out and so we instead made our own tour through the city.  

  

You peddle and drink beer. Not sure who's steering.

The boys and their new wheels

Later that evening we went to Alexanderplatz and had a drink at a hideously tacky ‘beer hall’ which had been set up for the tourists complete with a soundtrack featuring Kylie Minogue and the worst of the 80’s.  We went further afield to look for some dinner and as Cristin sniffed the air and told us it was going to rain, a few drops did fall. Unfortunately Cristin was trying to be ‘extra Australian’ and do a rendition of the ‘Dundee sun/time trick’, but had forgotten that she’d already told me earlier that she’d been watching the weather channel.  

Every restaurant told us their kitchen was closed although we think they just didn’t want to serve us.  One place let us sit outside, but after being scoffed at for asking for more than one menu between 5 of us, we returned to the beer hall for another half a litre of beer each and some sort of meat dish (not really sure what it was, probably for the best).

The next morning I checked out of my hostel and spent the morning organising a travel plan for after Amsterdam and getting ready for the next bus trip.

Around lunch time I met Cristin and Valdes at the Reichstag Parliament building although once again couldn’t get in to see it, instead we had a drink and a chat. I was meant to be meeting Lucy to say goodbye, unfortunately a storm passed through when I was meant to leave and the rain pissed down. Unprepared in my jumpsuit (without appropriate underwear on) we had to wait it out. A soakage like that really would have left nothing to anybody’s imagination; I thought I’d leave nudity in the parks to the Germans.

Rushing to try and get to Lucy in time, I didn’t get a chance to say a proper goodbye to Cristin and Valdes as we were running down the platform untangling bags and picking up my belongings that kept falling out, but it was a fitting goodbye for us and I’m sure I’ll see her again either in the UK or back in Australia.

Unfortunately the timing was too tight and I wasn’t able to see Lucy and Kent for a final goodbye, but it was so nice to catch up with them and I’m glad that I was able to get to Berlin before they headed back home.