Wow, we are here. Getting here was so efficient. we got the tram outside our hotel to the train station, took the train to the airport and landed in Berlin with a thud. It was all so automated that George wondered if we would have to also fly the plane! We met our friend, Karen from The Watergate at the airport. We used to watch "Corner Gas" together in the laundry room before we had TVs. She was coming from London, England and will be with us in Berlin. Our hotel is as cute as we remember it--it is in a great location. We walked to Checkpoint Charlie to look around. Then we had coffee and a snack. Our waitress was very grumpy.. Anyway the food was good but we might not go back there if she is working that day. We walked down Unter den Linden to the Brandenburg Gate and over to the Memorial for the Murdered Jews of Europe and peeked into the Tiergarten--what a great city. There is so much to see. At this point, we needed a nap as we had been up since 5:30 this morning.
We watched a balloon man that reminded us of "Up" although he didn't fly away. After a pleasant dinner of wiener schnitzel , goulash and more, we discovered a concert that was sponsored by the South Korean Embassy. It was spectacular--a huge symphony, a beautiful opera singer in her princess dress, a pianist, and drummers. There were big screens so we could see that one of the performers kept her music in place by using a clothes peg. Who would have thought! The conductors were amazing. It was outdoors in front of the Brandenburg Gate -we got there around 20:00 and it continued until nearly 22:00. It was just starting to get dark by then. Wow. We were all delighted. We strolled on home and were glad of the warmth of our hotel as it feels like fall in the evening.
So this is August--temps at 24. We have tickets to see "Cabaret" a musical set in the 20s and 30s in Berlin. So this morning George arranged a walking tour for us in the area where it was set. So we took the Underground to what was West Berlin. The guide was great--shocked us to learn how open and advanced life was for gay people. When referring to a young woman who was her own person, he said she didn't take up much space because she loved to live on the edge. We had a lovely lunch in a cafe that the guide recommended.
We walked home for a relax and the set out for a boat cruise. After we got the English transmitter thing working, we enjoyed seeing the sights along the River Spree. And then it was dinner time. It was about 21:00 when we scouted out an outdoor restaurant. The waiter who resembled Faulty in his speed and abilities, said it would be 50 to 60 minutes before we got any food. So we ordered drinks and were prepared to wait. (Oh, yes, an important thing here is that my left eye had started to weep,) So we ordered and George and I decided to share a sausage dish and then have strudel for dessert. We mentioned this idea to the waiter. (Meanwhile my eye was even more weepy and getting sore from being wiped.) By about 22:30, we were nearly done and the waiter showed up, I said that we would skip dessert as my eye was sore ....... However, he replied in a mix of German and English, you must have the dessert you ordered. So I said we didn't want it. He insisted. So it took another 1/2 hour. Finally he returned and offered us free espresso because it was taking so long. Imagine espresso for me who only drinks decaf coffee! So George and Karen had espresso and I continued to wipe my eye.. And then there was apple strudel with cream. What could we do but share it three ways, munch it and laugh all the way home.
And today Kendra arrived. Yay!
"Life is a cabaret, my friend, Life is a cabaret!" A truly delightful production even if the story is sad. The dancing, singing, band and shenanigans--WOW. We started with a delicious dinner of wiener schnitzel with a ice cream/fruit/sorbet dessert and everything continued to be wonderful. Our seats were in the third row and the action was all around us. What can I say, we loved it. Then on the way home we encountered a roller skate hoard--there was music and probably 1000 skating down Unter den Linden-amazing to see. Our guide told us this occurs regularly--sometimes it is bicycles, sometimes skaters and we even saw someone on a unicycle. It all had a police escort.
Today the Reichstag--this is probably the best building ever! We even got to sit in the seats of the gallery in the house. The dome that brings heat and coolness is open at the top and we went up a ramp to the top with commentary in our ears all the way. It was coordinated with the walk and would say things like: Stop for a moment and enjoy the view. The building uses almost completely green energy. This was a highlight for me and our little group. We then, walked over to a beregarten as the temperature was 34 today.
After a little shop and poke around at Gallery LaFayettes and a rest for some of us, (Kendra continued to explore!), we had a delightful dinner at an outdoor cafe. Oh, I forgot, Kendra discovered an amazing chocolate shop which had huge chocolate structures of sights around Berlin. Very cute. Our last wonder and then home to bed. Karen has left for London and we three will be in Copenhagen by lunch.
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