Had a good time in Berlin, first time on my own in a foreign far away country. I was particularly happy that I was able to understand the train system. (Sorry if I've written any of this before, part of the dilemma faced when not keeping up to date)
Highlights there were the Modern & ye olde architecture, the various scale models, reconstructions / replicas of antiquities, actual antiquities, hearing German accents, the bread rolls, the really short departure from Tegel Airport (cause it super small) & especially Tiergarten! If I had more time I would cycle in & around it. Also I would go to the Berlin Zoo. Unfortunately I did one of my personal classics & walked heaps on Tiergarten day. (as in the day I scheduled to walk about the gardens) This took up heaps of time. (My ability to time events is flawed) and more painfully... my legs were aching. Once Id done the circumference of the gardens the Zoo was closed.
As you will see I had a coffee, in the blind belief that it'd be better than the Hotel coffee. As a result I've added a pic of me in black & white
Hopefully you're just as confused as I was by a shop called Mister Lady in one of my favourite towns Alexplatz. I had to do a double take which became a triple take & then I took the photo & walked on.
At Check Point Charlie (CPC), as illustrated in the pix, there was a car, as used during the CPC era of the Wall Division. Its amazing all the different ways people got secretly transported to the other side. Some by Flying Fox (not the animal but the rope one coupled with a pulley-like device) via holes dug underground, in one of those trolleys that older people put there shopping in, hidden inside a large loud speaker & the hidden compartment in the small car as scene in my pix : )
Saving the best till last is HUGE drama # Two: Departure from (Tegel) Berlin airport!
I arrived with the taxi driver who was (& is) deaf. No problem. In the Check out queue I was asked the standard (annoying yet necessary) questions "after" informing me that I was required to fill out an ESTA form before leaving. During the questions all I could think about was that form. Then they were not sure where there was internet in the airport. Eventually they gave me directions to one in another end of the airport. I went to an information booth in another section of the airport, went around that sector full circle, asked info booth again then found it. Only had some coins on me to operate the computer. Computer keys were different in places. It took me awhile to realize what was what. Then my coin operated time was running out AND there were smelly street people sitting behind me AND AND the computer wouldn't let me complete the $&*@^*# form!!!! I raced back to check in. The lady there was awesome!!! Eventually it had been sorted with less than a half hour till departure!!
My initial panic attack in Cairo still holds First Place of all my travel "experiences" : )
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