Berlin Day One

Today we started by hopping a train and then tram outside town to a motorcycle accessories shop that was about 30 minutes outside of the inner city. Outside the central city, it was mostly giant housing estates as far as the eye could see. Big, square buildings, all several stories high, full of flats. I found my shop easily, I wanted new motorcycle boots but they didn't have any stock for my big feet.

Next we hopped the same tram back, but only one stop, to an Asian markets we had noticed on the way past. Here were eight giant "halls" full of little shops. All sorts including food, clothes, nails and markup, electronics. All very cramped but interesting to see.

Next we caught the same tram right back into Berlin, then transferred to a train across to the Brandenburg Gate. Here we had Currywurst for breakfast at a street vendor. It was cold and wet so we sat under shelter while we sample the local delicacy. Actually it was a bit average. 

We then walked over the through the famous Brandenburg Gate. 

From here I decided to walk aimlessly for a while, but we ended up in an open space by the river. All very modern, and clean, with huge buildings everywhere, which makes for long walking distances to get to anything interesting. 

We followed the river for a bit before deciding we need a plan. We agreed to go to Museum Island and used Google Maps to suggest a bus. We needed to walk to the bus and wait a while.

Actually we ended up stopping on the way because a few things caught our eye. Firstly was a shop selling souvenirs related to what we call "Mr Green Light Man" who is famous in Berlin. His actual name is "Ampelmännchen" which translates to "'little traffic light man". Helen bought a T-Shirt and stickers.

Next door, Volkswagon had an exhibit setup which showed their history and future. This included showing the original Volkswagon Beetle and Golf, various models across the years, but also other cars like Lamborghini Countach and Porsche Carrera GT supercars. They also had various electronics from over the years. This included my favourite, a Commodore 64. My misspent youth took place glued to one of these. Photos were forbidden in here but I had to sneak this! 

Next we got on the bus to Museum Island, where numerous giant museums are. There were Christmas Markets here, they had interesting signs that we've never seen before. It is sad they feel some of these are necessary especially guns.

It was lunch time, so we wandered through. These markets had a museum building as a backdrop and had a really nice intimate feeling about it. We opted for Indian food, kind of a taste of home. 

After this we carried on the same bus route to find a shop Helen wanted to see. Unfortunately it closed permanently. 

We caught a mixture of bus and underground back to the hotel to thaw out and have a rest.

About 6pm we ventured out again, intending to return to Museum Island to the same Christmas Markets. Unfortunately a bus mixup meant we drove on a different road, straight past the markets we wanted, and off Museum Island. We decided just to get off at the next stop and decide what to do. As luck would have it, there were more Christmas Markets right here. This was the Berliner Markets, the biggest in Berlin. We wandered in, found some food, and sat down to eat. This was one of the few markets we've found with seating. Helen had pommes with garlic and mayo, while I had a currywurst, and we shared a beer in a returnable glass. We sat and enjoyed the Christmas cheer alongside a skating rink. Helen then saved my seat while I went to find us some desserts.

The whole time, we were eyeing up a big ferris wheel that didn't seem to be moving much. We wondered if it was so pricy that nobody wanted to ride it. Next thing you know, Santa came flying in over the markets in his sleigh! It was a bit of fun and spectacle for all to see. Actually he was flying on wires, the guy acting as Santa was quite brave being up there.

Eventually it started to rain so we headed off to find the ferris wheel. Rides were quite cheap so we jumped on, and suddenly it started to become popular. From up high, we would see just how big the markets were. They spanned an entire park, and the skating rink was setup about the famous Neptune fountain. It was a lovely view from up top and thankfully the rain was driving from a direction that meant the windows we needed stayed dry.

Once down again, the rain set in so we headed off to find a bus. We got our bus, and at changeover walked to the correct bus stop for our next bus. Two buses came by and did not stop for us. It was then we translated to English a sign at the bus stop saying that the bus route has changed. Given we were in the middle of nowhere, and it was raining, this wasn't helpful! So the next bus that did stop, we got on no matter where it was heading. As luck would have it, it stopped nearby the Brandenburg Gate where our day started, so we hopped off. This was an opportunity for a night photo, by which time the rain eased, then down into the train station.

We caught the train to the stop nearest our hotel. But it didn't get there. The train stopped one station early, made an announcement, and everyone got off the train. Someone was kind enough to speak English and tell us that the train cannot continue due to unexpected problems. The train driver got off the train too and walked away so this wasn't going to resolve quickly! We headed up to road level to get our bearings. This was one big station we'd stopped at but it wasn't busy.

Here we found we were just opposite the Mall of Berlin, and a short bus ride away from the hotel. But firstly we saw a ride where people sit on giant rubber rings and zoom down to the bottom. It looked like fun for not for us.

Our bus arrived, and about 10pm we got back to our hotel.

It doesn't sound like we achieved much, but it kept us busy and we saw quite a lot.