Germany - Berlin

Morning call at home of 5.00 to drive to Birmingham Airport for the 10.15 flight to Berlin, Tegel Airport, arriving at 13.10 local time (UK + 1hr).

Unusually for a "package tour", having been met by a local rep., we have to wait over an hour before the bus is available to take us to the Hotel on the other side of the city. The hotel, Estrel, is a very modern one with a conference centre and plenty of restaurants.

We crashed out for a short spell before going out to get the lie of the land and find a supermarket for bottled water and other provisions. The hotel is out in the suburbs and close to a U-Bahn station (Sonnenalee), and a supermarket wasn't difficult to find. So, stocked up with suitable provisions we head back to the hotel and crash out properly!

Dinner is in the hotel. The meal was OK except that my beer was served in a dirty glass and Val's dinner was served cold, which she told the waiter about in German (virtually exhausting her vocabulary), but he replied at length in German, too. However both problems were fairly quickly rectified.

The actual Tour Manager posted a notice to say he will meet with us at 8.30pm. At 9.30 he turned up - obviously thought that the Brits wouldn't have put their watches forward. The meeting was all about seeing him and a quick check that we all had the right visas for the trip. No problems that he didn't know about.

The first day's sightseeing

The morning call was 7.00am and we get going about 8.30, driving to the centre of Berlin to pick up the local guide for the day. In order to get to the pick up point the bus virtually follows the route of the city tour, so we are left wondering why the guide didn't just come to the hotel then we needn't have repeated so much of the route.

The tour manager introduces the party to the concept of seat rotation for the holiday - moving two seats at a time, anti-clockwise, each day.

Coaches are never the best mode of transport for a city tour. The guide, in the front seat, has excellent visibility and knows what he is looking at, and sees it sooner than the people sat 35 feet further back. This means that "on your right, now" probably isn't, "look down this next street coming up on your right" may be the second street coming up, "straight ahead is something very interesting" where straight ahead for me is the dozen or so seats in front, and "see the statue on top of the column on your left" is no good if you have a window seat on the right (which is how we managed to drive round the monument on June 17th Street several times and still have no idea what the statue on top is all about).

The drive took us through Potsdam Platz and "down the street on your right is where Checkpoint Charlie used to be - nothing there now" (we are told). The first stopping place was at a bit of remaining wall and next to the former Gestapo/SS headquarters.

The next stop was Gendarmen Platz, location of the French and German Churches - time to walk around here. Everybody back on the bus as we then head of to "museum island" which has the asbestos riddled Republic Palace, the Berliner Dom (Cathedral), the Rathaus, and a few other interesting buildings architecturally speaking of which we get only a cursory glance as we drive past rapidly.

Driving up to the Brandenburg Gate should, of course, be a highlight but it is in scaffolding - worse than that it has a covering showing what the view would look like, apart, that is for the football socks and boots fitted to the pillars. The stop which presumably would have been here is at the Reichstag instead. After this stop we drive through Tiergarden to the Olympic stadium at which we stop at the gate and get out to, well, look at the gate and the outside of the stadium. Hmm, can't help thinking there could have been a better place to stop for quarter of an hour.

Shoe-Bear Fortunately the local guide had quite sense of humour (perhaps he wasn't German, at all) and had a few good jokes to tell, as well as revealing the local nicknames for some of the statues.

The bus finally terminated at Kurfursten Str., a main shopping street, at 11.45 where the stop was for lunch, after which (1.30pm), those going to Potsdam in the afternoon would re-board. Those not on the optional excursion stay in town and will be picked up at 5.30. Today is Sunday, and the shops are closed, so what these people are expected to do for 5 hours is not made clear. Anyone wanting to go back to the hotel, which at least one couple did, are expected to use the underground system. A bit rough for folks who only arrived last night and probably have no idea where the hotel is in relation to a U-Bahn station - pretty poor show from the tour company, I thought.

During the lunch hour we have a little look in the Kaiser Wilhelm Gedachtniskirche church which has been built next to the badly damaged original, before going to KFC for lunch - believe it or not, this is the first time EVER that I have had KFC (possibly also the last time, too).

We also spent time looking at, and taking pictures of, the "Berlin Bear" statues which adorn the city, sponsored by various companies - the one shown here is sponsored by the shoe shop it stands outside, but there are hundreds of them scattered around Berlin.

Afternoon to Potsdam

Back on the bus and off to Potsdam, passing en-route, the Humbolt Bridge - scene of many a spy-swap in years gone by.

The first stop, of two, is the Cecilienhof Palace the location of the famous Potsdam Conference of 1945. The tour moves progressively through the palace showing which rooms were occupied by which delegate - each one providing access directly to the conference room without the possibility of contact en route. In each room there is photo of how the room was then, and we can see how it is now.

A very small amount of free time was given after the tour, but only enough to take a couple of photos, go to the loo, buy an ice cream then walk back to the bus. The trip then takes us around Potsdam looking at nothing in particular before the next stop at Sanssoussi Park, and in particular Schloss Sansoussi and the Orangerie. Views down stepped garden to a fountain and time for a pleasant walk around was all that was allocated here before "everybody back on the bus" and the route back to Berlin to pick up the stragglers who have spent the afternoon not shopping.

We get off the bus, as everyone else is getting on, our intention to spend a bit more time sightseeing. A quick assessment means that we'll be taking at least 3 metro rides so its better to get a day rover ticket on the underground. What sights do we see:

Potsdam Platz: Route of the old wall, now a major entertainment centre.
Franz Dom (in Gendarme Platz, visited earlier) just to go up the dome for a view over Berlin.
Unter den Linden: A walk up the street, stopping only to eat at a cafe.
There are signs for Walls ice cream, but it isn't Walls abroad - take a look
Brandenburg Gate: Under renovation, as explained earlier, but at least here we get a closer look and go through it (even though there is nothing to see).

Return to the hotel.

All this gets us back at about 9.00pm - time for refreshment and bed.

Berlin to Gdansk, Poland

Another 7.00 alarm call with the intention of departure at 8.30. German efficiency not in evidence in collecting luggage and we don't get on the road until after 9.15.

It was the second night in this hotel and on both of them, despite air conditioning, I awoke pouring in sweat! It was only today that Val pointed out the plastic covering under the sheet. I shall quote from Pete McCarthy's book "McCarthy's Bar":

"... bed was fitted with with one of those vile plastic undersheets, originally designed to make life easier for carers of the terminally incontinent, that are now found in more and more hotels and guest houses. These things draw sweat from your pores like suction pumps. It's like sleeping in a plastic paddling pool full of horse sweat"

Meanwhile back on the bus, most people have applied seat rotation, before everyone is told seat rotation didn't apply to yesterday (so why tell us about seat rotation yesterday), other folks therefore dive in to free seating which means that some individuals find themselves at the back a lot sooner than expected. Unfortunately we find ourselves in possibly the most uncomfortable seat on the bus (behind the middle door) with no leg room (for a whole day bus ride!)

Its a long way to Gdansk from Berlin (405 km/251 mi as the crow flies - but we're not a crow so it'll be longer) and speeding is predicted to get there in good time and "fines" will have to be paid.

There was the usual comfort stop(s) on the way but the lunch was in Stettin - Poland.