I woke up to the rocking back and forth of the ferry. We were headed to Kiel, Germany, and we were both feeling a little sea sick. Yuck. I grabbed a cup of hot tea and walked the decks of the boat, watching the sun rise before anyone else was up for the day. After landing in Germany, Devin and I headed to the train station. I saw a man selling fresh raspberries, and I just had to get some for breakfast.
We changed trains in Hamburg at lunch time, and Devin decided he needed a hamburger from Hamburg. He got Burger King, and I opted for the cheaper chinese noodles. The train to Berlin was hot, and we were both dozing off the entire ride. Our travel is beginning to catch up with us.
After arriving in Berlin, we found a hostel and ended up getting separate rooms (don't worry, we're not ready to kill eachother yet, they just didn't have two spots together). We claimed our beds and began our planning for the day. I saw an ad for the Blue Man Group, and I knew that Devin would love the show, so we went and bought tickets. With the time we had before the show we walked around and checked out some of the Berlin Wall. We followed the wall down to Brandenburg Gate and saw the memorial for the six million Jews killed during WWII. On the way back to the theatre we spotted a Haagen Daaz, and we stopped for a little treat.
The Blue Man Group was awesome! The music and the lights are incredible. After the show Devin played hackey sack with one of the men and then got his head stamped with a blue handprint. We walked back to the hostel for some much needed sleep. To my suprise, when I walked in my room there was someone sleeping in my bed! How rude! I climbed up on the top bunk and went to sleep without any sheets because the girl in my bed had mine.
Breakfast in the morning was typical. We headed out for the day and saw all the educational sights. I got my passport stamped ten times at Checkpoint Charlie! After eating yet another kabob, Devin's new favorite food, for lunch, I bought our dinner: apples, pears, and cherries. I keep feeding Devin fruit, and he keeps forcing kabobs down my throat. Hopefully between the two we're getting adequate nutrients. HA!
We went to the train station to wait for our ride to Krakow, Poland. We met some very interesting characters. Three guys from Argentina: Yanni, Esteban, and Nano. They were traveling the world for one year. Nano had already spent five months in India before meeting up with his friends. He WALKED from India to Paris! We had some cheese and wine and listened to Nano play his guitar and sing while waiting for the train. After boarding, we met two more people and had them all crammed in our car for wine and music.
By morning we were ready for a shower and a comfortable hostel in Krakow. We found a hostel right across from the train station. Not only were we able to check in, but they offered us breakfast, showers, and set us up with a tour to the concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. We headed out for the day to the camp. It's humbling to see the place where so many people were tortured and killed. Devin and I were very tired, and we were glad to get back to the hostle for a free dinner. We had a traditional cold Polish soup, similar to gazpacho, made with beets. It's actually hot pink! Tonight we're attempting to catch up on journals and get some quality sleep. Tomorrow it's off to Prague!
