so,,,,our bus takes us into the backstreets of berlin- we had no idea where...we were off the limits of our lonely planet berlin map.
we eventually realised it was a subway ride along a very complex network of lines to get close to our targetted accommodation, which turned out to be quite comfortable. it was in the heart of berlin, which bustled with wurst (sausages) and beer beer beer!!
so we did just that for dinner, Becks and wurst at 'curry 36' a famous street vendor of wurst:
The next night we got involved in a city tour, ran by a British novelist turned berlin resident/lover of 4 years...
this was an extremely informative few hours. the guy runs on tips only, its a free tour company run by guys like said POME... we tipped him a couple a bucks as did each of the 40 or so tourees,,,i recon he does well ;) and well deserved, his tips were priceless! he told us how to get into the world famous Pergamon museum without the usual 10 euro charge, and the best time to climb the top dome of the Reistag house of parliament without the crowds - infact we were the first pple up the morning we went early and it was a very cool bit of architecture with a wicked 360 view of this history-laden city.
we learnt of its deceptive ancient appearance ; yet most of its buildings were only less than a few hundred years old.
the Brandenburg gate was more spectacular each time we saw it. but its all too much to see in one day so we spent several exploring and learning; the bus 100 and 200 weaved through the city passing all the main sights, so did them aswell.
the sight-seeing gets tiring in a city that offers so much, so we were well drained by several full days roaming; the german brews much well earnt by the days end!
the next stop south, on our quest to pass christmas in Prague, was the picturesque Dresden. here we had arranged to meet Margit, a local who i also was mates with in '02 Brasil exchange.
we arrived by train (precisely on time) and Margit was at the station to greet us! great catching up, again after some 4 or 5 years...
we figured like many germans, Margit was a bit hesitant at first to speak english with us, but after a while the words flowed very freely. not bad for her 3rd language ;)
we stayed in M's cosey little appartment with some of her uni firends. Dresden we saw only for one night and one day, but it was most impressive. most of it survived the WW bombings and i thought it was brilliant by night, something we'll never forget. the christmas markets paralled those of berlin, and we found them culturally fascinating.
had to leave thought around midday the next day tho so it goodbye ;) great time, cheers M !
and to train to the Czech Republic ..... tbc
