So I set off walking from the hotel.
South down Wilmersdorfer Strasse
East on Bismarkstrasse to Ernst Reuter Platz Past Deutsche Oper
Then Hardenbergstrasse
past Zoologischer Garten station
Budapester Str
Kurfurstenstrasse
Lutzowplatz past Bauhaus Archiv
Tiergartenstrasse past Saudi embassy, Japanese & Italian embassies
Berlin Philarmonia
Into the Sony centre
Eberlstrasse past Gay memorial & Holocaust memorial to Brandenberg gate.
Met Ryan & Andy at the gate.
Went for a good look at the holocaust memorial
then back through the gate
Through Pariser platz. Used facilities at Starbucks!
Along Unter den Linden to Friedrichstrasse.
South to Checkpoint Charlie. Read the history on wall boards.
Lunch at a cafe. Ordered my sandwich in German - ein schnittbrochen mit salami bitte - & was then given a phrase back in German to which I had to reply 'sorry'. The assistant was asking if I wanted to take away or eat in!
Then the purchase of a day ticket (6.80 euro coins only) & the train from Kochstrasse to Bernauer Str to see remaining parts of the wall.
Lots of story boards & info. Very sobering experience.
Westwards along the track of the wall. Getting quite cold now. Past a rebuilt earth wall church
to a welcome doughnut cabin then the Nordbahnhof statiion.
Train to Potsdam Platz. Had to go on surface to change so looked around the xmas market, sledge run & back into the Sony centre as the lads had not been in.
Train back to hotel & ready for the evening fun!
Out to Hackescher Markt - beautiful old market area.
Then a really nice meal before back to the hotel. No late night tonight as we had to be up early to catch the plane home.
