Welkom to Berlin!
Elva Smith and I arrived unscathed in the early morning of March 23, 2017. We left Hartsfield - Jackson Atlanta International aboard KLM after a swift and hassle free check in. The flight was smooth, the food was actually good, and movie selections included the latest Oscar winners including La La Land and Moonlight! Arriving at 6:00 a.m. to Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport we were delighted to know we did not need to go through customs to transfer to our next flight in the EU. However Passport Control was a long sad story of misdirection and changes after the fact by the rather rude "TSA" types. Not sure what they are called there but I would call them useless. Some 45 minutes later we were heading to our gate for the short hop to Berlin.
Again a smooth flight with just enough time for an egg salad sandwich (I declined) and a tiny can of Coke! On the ground we crossed the rain soaked tarmac to a shuttle bus to the gate. Arriving directly to baggage claim we waited another 45 minutes before our bags stumbled along the conveyor belt. It stuttered and convulsed spitting out two or three pieces of luggage and then came to a halt. The pauses seemed interminable but finally we had bags in hand and headed out the door where we were greeted by the grateful Viking transit person who had been waiting for a painfully long time.
We were the only passengers in the Volkswagen Mini-Van on the long ride from the airport to the Berlin Hilton Hotel centrally located in the heart of the historic Mitte district. Sebastian, our Viking Program Director, met the car and assisted us into the lobby and helped with check - in. Our room on the fourth floor is on the quiet side of the hotel not facing Gendarmenmarkt. This is one of the most beautiful squares of the city and features the old theater which is now the Koncerthaus and two historic churches of twin design. The German and French Doms were built together so that neither faction of the city would feel less than the other. Who knew that once about 20% of Berlin was Hugenot!
We settled in and tested the two full sized beds for comfort, made a cup of tea and coffee, and I ohhed and ahhed over the marble bathroom with a long, deep bathtub! After checking everything out we decided not to waste even a rainy day while on vacation and set out to explore the surrounding neighborhood. We were the first of the pre-trip group to arrive and so with guidebook in hand and a city map with the hotel circled on it began our adventure.
Around the corner and a few blocks ahead was Checkpoint Charlie! We were to discover that our hotel has an ideal location and everything you really want to see and do is a short to reasonable walking distance. At Checkpoint Charlie, so named because it was the third allied crossing of the Berlin Wall (A,B,C etc.) there were two soldiers casually standing guard and posing for photos with anyone who asked. Turns out they are not retired military but actors from a nearby school who do this as a way to earn money...sort of an acting job but since they seemed to have no particular character to portray, I think it is not exactly good experience.
We looked at several related displays but did not enter any of the 'museums' as they seemed to be rather hokey tourist traps and not genuine. The nearby McDonalds and KFC were busy with lots of young people going in for familiar food and respite from the rain. It occured to me that although these young adults knew they should see Checkpoint Charlie they really didn't know why or understand the significance of it. They gaily donned hats and struck poses, sometimes weirdly, with the acting soldiers. Lots of laughter and not too much understanding.
As we made our way back to the hotel we checked several small restaurants and decided to stop at a soup bar where we perched at a counter facing the street to people watch. I had a blueberry scone, not very good, and Elva had excellent tomato and sausage-filled soup, maybe it was knockwurst. We noticed that we see very many smokers, more than at home. Also lots of people pushing baby carriages and strollers. I saw lots of dogs but no dachshunds! There were not many old people out and about, maybe because of the rain. Traffic seems well managed but there are not turn lanes so if waiting to make a left (they drive here as we do) horns will be honking and some get quite persistent.
Back at the hotel we were excited to try out the heated pool and sauna. But the water was not exactly warm and the attendant thought we were not supposed to have the sauna included. So a hot bath replaced both of those for me!
By 8:00 p.m. we were in bed and it turned out the next morning that we slept soundly for 12 hours!
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