As I mentioned previously, I'm in Berlin for one day only, which for me is about perfect. But first, let's discuss how I got to Berlin. Yesterday afternoon, I assumed that I would get on my 7pm direct train from Amsterdam to Berlin (getting in around 4am). I assumed incorrectly. You see, there's a 4 day strike which started today by some of the train workers who are looking for pay raises. Therefore my overnight direct train was cancelled. But all was not lost. Instead, I was re-booked with the following itinerary: a 6:34pm train from Amsterdam to Duisburg (arrival: 8:32pm), depart Duisberg at 2:54am and arrive in Hamburg at 6:51am, and then leave Hamburg at 7:06am, arriving in Berlin at 8:48am. ARGH! Annoying, but alright. Except for one minor issue, the train from Amsterdam to Duisberg was rerouted. I ended up in Koln instead. Where I then I had to take a 2:10am train to Hamburg. (It was actually the same Duisburg train, I just got on it further south. So basically, I went southeast, to go northeast to go southeast to get to Berlin. Good times with very little sleep!
The one silver lining in this mess of an itinerary is that I met the most amazing person while waiting for the 2:10 am train to Hamburg - a 23-year old filmmaker from Norway (Emilie) who is in Germany getting awards for her most recent short film. We had the best time chatting and it made the time much more enjoyable. See, this is why I travel alone. If I were traveling with someone else, I would have never had that connection.
The one silver lining in this mess of an itinerary is that I met the most amazing person while waiting for the 2:10 am train to Hamburg - a 23-year old filmmaker from Norway (Emilie) who is in Germany getting awards for her most recent short film. We had the best time chatting and it made the time much more enjoyable. See, this is why I travel alone. If I were traveling with someone else, I would have never had that connection.
This rail strike is affecting me tomorrow too. My 8:48am train to Prague is now a 7:00am bus to somewhere (I can't remember where) and then I switch to the train to Prague. Not only did this strike screw me up but November 9th marks the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and there are tons of celebrations scheduled this weekend. Talk about timing. I'm certain the rail workers picked this weekend on purpose. I'm just glad I'm getting out of Dodge before it gets worse.
Okay, as for my day in Berlin. I got to my hostel a little before 10am and luckily I could get into my room immediately. I basically dropped my stuff and headed out for the day. I decided to start the day with a hop on-hop off bus tour, in order to get my bearings and figure out which sites I wanted to visit. I knew that I wanted to see the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, and what's left of the Berlin Wall, but I wasn't sure what else I might find interesting. The bus tour did the trick by giving me a couple of other places to visit and giving me the layout of the city.
I then got off the bus and started a self-walking tour; beginning at the Reichstag, I walked to a Berlin Wall memorial and a memorial for the "gypsies" that were victims of the holocaust in the Tiergarten. I then walked to the Brandenburg Gate, then made my way to the Holocaust Memorial. It's nice to see that Berlin has embraced it's past and has finally put up memorials for the victims of the holocaust. I know that there is a memorial for the homosexuals who were killed during the holocaust, but I could not find it. I made my way to the spot where Hitler's Bunker was located; it's now a parking lot (fitting!). Next up was the Berlin Wall section and finally, Checkpoint Charlie. I saw a few other things along the way.
A few interesting tidbits I picked up today: the purpose behind building the Brandenburg Gate was to promote peace; although it was usurped by the Nazis for the complete opposite purpose. Over 100 people were killed trying to cross the Berlin Wall, including 20-year old Chris Gueffroy who died nine months before the Wall fell in 1989. (He was shot through the heart in no-man's land.) But 5,000 people successfully defected and some through very creative means (i.e., digging tunnels, taking hot air balloons, and being smuggled out in the trunks of diplomats' cars.
I then got off the bus and started a self-walking tour; beginning at the Reichstag, I walked to a Berlin Wall memorial and a memorial for the "gypsies" that were victims of the holocaust in the Tiergarten. I then walked to the Brandenburg Gate, then made my way to the Holocaust Memorial. It's nice to see that Berlin has embraced it's past and has finally put up memorials for the victims of the holocaust. I know that there is a memorial for the homosexuals who were killed during the holocaust, but I could not find it. I made my way to the spot where Hitler's Bunker was located; it's now a parking lot (fitting!). Next up was the Berlin Wall section and finally, Checkpoint Charlie. I saw a few other things along the way.
A few interesting tidbits I picked up today: the purpose behind building the Brandenburg Gate was to promote peace; although it was usurped by the Nazis for the complete opposite purpose. Over 100 people were killed trying to cross the Berlin Wall, including 20-year old Chris Gueffroy who died nine months before the Wall fell in 1989. (He was shot through the heart in no-man's land.) But 5,000 people successfully defected and some through very creative means (i.e., digging tunnels, taking hot air balloons, and being smuggled out in the trunks of diplomats' cars.
Berlin is very much a big city and is heavily under construction. You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a construction site...annoyingly so. Also, because the city was so heavily bombed during World War II, much of the construction is new. Although, it was interesting to see the pockmarked buildings that remained from the War and see the damage that was sustained and never fixed. (I saw the same in London.) Over all, Berlin is a nice city with friendly people, but it's definitely a place I would only want to visit. I wouldn't want to live here.
So I say Auf Wiedersehen to Berlin and will catch everyone up tomorrow on my trip to Prague. Let's hope I get there. Day 17 photos can be found on my GToE photo site. Time for a quick dinner and then an early bedtime.
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| The Reichstag |
3 comments:
Way to adapt, overcome and improvise around the rail strike! That's a great chance meeting story. Those human encounters can be some of the best moments of travel -- often more memorable than the sights.
Glad to see you made it. On to Austria.
Czech Republic, Tom. :-)
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