Berlin

Tuesday, 29 September

We breakfasted, compliments of Judy, in a dear little cafe that we found yesterday, then returned to the hotel to collect her bag and escort her to the station. We used the hop-on hop-off tickets we bought yesterday so it was definitely the scenic route to the "Hauptbahnhof".

It is actually very easy to work out where and when to catch your train here even though the station is enormous. Judy's train pulled in exactly as per the timetable and departed right on time. We were very sad to say goodbye to her as she has been a barrel of laughs from day one.

We took the Strassenbahn from the station to the cathedral, more or less as the river boats depart near there. Spent a pleasant hour on the River Spree seeing the city from a different perspective. Once again we saw a fantastic mix of old and modern architecture. There were only a few moments when we felt cold enough to be back on the Fleesensee.

By the time we left the river to walk up to where the hop-on bus stops, the afternoon was getting on. We waited about three quarters of an hour for a bus to come. They are supposed to be every ten minutes. When we finally got under way it took us back to the Hauptbahnhof and then just stopped. Apparently they knock off at six o'clock no matter where they are. There were some very angry passengers, including us.

The nice man at the information kiosk in the station explained that we need the city train to get home and even sold us tickets for today and for tomorrow when we go to Dresden. So we caught the train to Savignyplatz and walked from there, stopping for a meal on the way. It will be an early start tomorrow for our day trip to Dresden.

 

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