BA Boomerang, Bratwurst and Buddha - Berlin to Hong Kong - Day 1 (Checkpoint Charlie, etc)

BONZO · 29 Sep 16, 11:31 PM

BA Boomerang, Bratwurst and Buddha - Berlin to Hong Kong

CAST LIST

Me (Shaun): 50 something, loving all the travel
Alison: 50 something (just!), also loving all the travel
Link to trip report index: http://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=986320

Day 1 – Wednesday 14th September 2016

Finally the day had arrived. For us it’d been a long summer with people in the office going and coming back from holiday as their children were at school age but at last it was our turn to go away!

We were up and out at 5.45am (with hand luggage only as per our previous couple of trips!) and onto the good old M25, fingers and everything else crossed that nothing serious had happened to impede our journey. Traffic was slow in places but we’d built in plenty of time to get to Heathrow and arrived at 7.15. This time round we settled on Business Parking (we prefer POD parking which is great fun, but too pricey for us for more than 3 or 4 days!). The operation here was very slick and nice executive style mini buses whisked us quickly away to Terminal 5.

The airport was relatively quiet although not surprising really given the time of day, so we moved quickly through Fast Track Security (I won the first ‘numpty’ moment of the trip by leaving my belt on and therefore setting the alarm off – d’oh!)and then onto the first lounge of the trip. Blimey, the place was heaving with people travelling on business and all the available tables for sitting down and having breakfast were taken! I can’t remember what flights came about but the majority of people left the lounge after a while which allowed us to get somewhere to sit down.

We had a nice breakfast – full english and champagne for me, with bran flakes, toast and champagne for Alison – before heading down to the gate where boarding was just starting. We were in seats 1d and 1f on this leg of our trip.

The flight was uneventful and as breakfast was offered we thought it would be rude to decline! I had the continental option and Alison went for the cooked.

We touched down at Tegel airport but had to be bussed to the terminal building. This was a bit of a concern as we had back to back flights booked on the way home and if the same thing happened then there may be problems. Nothing to concern ourselves with for now but we had to bear this in mind.

We headed off the plane and through passport control quickly before heading out of the terminal to find the bus ticketing machine as wanted to get the TXL Express Bus service to the main train station. Much fiddling and pushing of buttons later we had our tickets (€2.40 each) and waited for the bus to arrive. The system here, as much of the Berlin transport system, was that you purchase a ticket and then validate it before travel i.e. use a stand-alone machine to punch a pin sized hole in it.

The TXL buses run every couple of minutes so we didn’t have long to wait and our first glimpses of Berlin was to travel through the industrial outskirts around the city, pretty much as any other city airport, nothing pretty but just practical. What I hadn’t realised was how many rivers and canals criss-crossed the city. We pulled up at the Berlin Hauptbahnhof train station and wow, very impressive looking glass and steel building.

We wandered around the station, looking for a machine or ticket booth at which to purchase a train ticket for our onward journey. We eventually found a machine but there was a bit of a queue and it appeared to be faulty so we took another look around. We noticed some form of enquiry desk and after another queue they just pointed us to the tourist information office, not very clear at all. Alison purchased the tickets to Alexanderplatz station at a grand total of €1.70 each. That meant it was a total of €8.20 for us to get to our hotel, rather than a possible €30 for a taxi.

I was immediately drawn to the huge volume of leaflets and started to flick through them. I did notice a couple of maps near the front desk and found one that I thought could be useful so just picked it up and put it in my pocket. As we were leaving I noticed that it wasn’t free but cost 1Euro, I didn’t have the heart to return it to the rack or pay up so just made my way out of the shop double quick. I still feel a bit guilty about it now but it was done in all innocence officer.

We took the train (S5, S7 or S75) from Platform 15, took the train and popped up at Alexanderplatz.

First impressions was that it wasn’t the most glamorous of locations but it was very central and we made our way across the square to find our hotel for the next couple of nights.

We’d chosen the Hotel Indigo hotelindigoberlin as a good location in the Mitte district. We couldn’t get into our room as it was a bit early so we decided we’d head out to start touring but first we just left our wheelie bags with reception but before setting off we used their toilets. I don’t usually get excited by toilets but these were magnificent! Done in a woodland setting, birds suddenly started tweeting as soon as you entered and the whole place was themed throughout – magnificent!

Lovely hotel - modern - 2 beers came to €13 nearly fell over! Really needed it though.

It was a bit hot and sticky so we had a couple of pricey beers in the hotel bar and pored over a map of the city first, deciding on planning our route.

We had a chat to the lovely girl at reception who said that most of the big attractions were only about 30 minutes’ walk away.

We stepped out and decided to go for the furthest point first, Brandenburg Gate or Brandenburg Tor, so off we went. Quite straightforward but it was still very hot out and we had to hop across the roads from time to time, dodging buses and trams etc. Lovely wide tree lined roads and some interesting buildings along the way. We stopped off at a café and bought a roll and a soft drink as a quick break.

Just before we arrived at the Brandenburg Gate Alison spotted a Starbucks, so that was that then, another pit stop for frappucinos.

Brandenburg Gate was very impressive, they’ve done a really good job of restoring this to its former beauty.

As there was nowhere to sit down at Starbucks we walked through and took a rest in the shade just outside Tiergarten, on reflection we should have gone in and wandered around as I think we may have missed something here but maybe another time.

We took a look at our map and noticed that The Holocaust Memorial - Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe wasn’t that far away. We walked over to it and it’s overlooked by the American Embassy and there are 2700 blocks of different heights. The ground they are set in undulates itself so at some points the blocks tower over you. There were a mix of people paying their respects, people using it as a cut-through and many visitors just wandering and some just sitting and looking. All around were security staff making sure that people where respectful about the area. I felt this was a simple but somehow moving experience.

After another quick check of the map we noticed that Checkpoint Charlie was in easy striking distance so off we went. As we approached I couldn’t get the lyrics from Oliver’s Army out of my head! Basically it’s the reconstructed customs point in the middle of the Friedrich Street and a now a commercial operation. A couple of guys dressed as American G.I.’s stood outside and you could have your photograph taken and passport stamped for cost which we declined. Overall, not quite what I’d expected but a must see tourist spot all the same.

Guess what? Another Starbucks was calling Alison so as the pull was too great we pulled in for another coffee to keep us on the go!

Not far from here was the Topography of Terror, a free gallery built next to a remaining section of the Berlin Wall and the remains of the SS HQ outlining the rise and fall of the Nazi regime. Lots of information to take in and no punches pulled, some of the information contained was truly alarming but a credit to the city for doing so.

By this time I was flagging so we just made a move back to the hotel as we’d pretty much covered a lot of the hot spots we wanted to see by this time anyway as this was always going to be a bit of a whistle stop tour.

We called in at reception and the lady on the desk said that “as a valued customer” we’d been upgraded. I think that “valued customer” simply meant that we had booked direct with the hotel and signed up for their rewards programme. The room (642) was stunning, modern almost Ikea looking with a very funky / boutique vibe about the place. Funky shower / bathroom with a glass partition onto the bedroom, bizarre but it does work!

We showered and relaxed for a while then decided it was time for food.

Tonight we decided to go for a Thai meal and after looking around we settled on Thai Inside, this was a restaurant that I had seen from the train on the way in, located at 128 Dircksenstraße – a small road opposite some railway arches and not the first place you’d think of looking. We settled on the set menu and settled down for the night near the large windows near the pavement but not actually on the street as those tables were full of smokers.

Excellent meal with typical exquisite Thai vegetable garnishes and service and all washed down with a couple of ice cold pints of lager each – fantastic. We started with thai soup, then had a platter of starters, then 2 curries with rice, and fished with bananas and ice cream.

It was honestly one of the best thai meals we’ve ever had, and came to a total of €78. Whilst we were seated there was an escorted group of people across the road looking at the graffiti which I assume had some historical interest but when I looked I couldn’t make head or tail of it to be honest.

So, a full day nearly over and lots of ground covered we wandered back via Alexanderplatz to find a group of people being entertained by a band playing. The odd thing was the lead singer was in his underpants with a horse head mask and accompanied by didgeridoo and accordion - oh those crazy Germans!

Exhausted we fell into bed reflecting on the first full day of our trip with some random experiences already.

Datapoints:
Starbucks count: 2
Steps: 18188
Miles: 9.1

disneyme · 30 Sep 16, 10:48 AM

You packed a lot into your first day!

Hotel looks lovely and Berlin is definitely on my list for a future trip

BONZO · 30 Sep 16, 11:19 AM

Originally Posted by disneyme

You packed a lot into your first day!

Hotel looks lovely and Berlin is definitely on my list for a future trip

Hi,

We only had very limited time to tour Berlin so we needed to cherry pick and do things at fast pace.

It's our normal method of getting around, hit the ground running and don't stop until you drop!

The pace doesn't really slacken off throughout the trip which is why we kept track of the steps / mileage covered.

I need another holiday just to recover.

Melbatb · 2 Oct 16, 06:54 AM

Wow - you did a lot!

I have been to Betlin twice - one pre and one post wall. It is a fabulous city!

Guest · 2 Oct 16, 08:01 AM

Great first day thanks for sharing!

shirley · 21 Oct 16, 10:07 PM

Great first day, cant wait till I get to visit Berlin, food in Germany is fab!

ashc13 · 29 Dec 16, 11:17 PM

Wow you covered a lot!
Enjoyed Berlin when we visited a few years ago. Looking forward to reading more!

29 Sep 16, 11:31 PM	#1
	29 Sep 16, 11:31 PM BONZO Imagineer
BONZO Imagineer Join Date: Mar 02	BA Boomerang, Bratwurst and Buddha - Berlin to Hong Kong - Day 1 (Checkpoint Charlie, etc) BA Boomerang, Bratwurst and Buddha - Berlin to Hong Kong CAST LIST Me (Shaun): 50 something, loving all the travel Alison: 50 something (just!), also loving all the travel Link to trip report index: http://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=986320 Day 1 – Wednesday 14th September 2016 Finally the day had arrived. For us it’d been a long summer with people in the office going and coming back from holiday as their children were at school age but at last it was our turn to go away! We were up and out at 5.45am (with hand luggage only as per our previous couple of trips!) and onto the good old M25, fingers and everything else crossed that nothing serious had happened to impede our journey. Traffic was slow in places but we’d built in plenty of time to get to Heathrow and arrived at 7.15. This time round we settled on Business Parking (we prefer POD parking which is great fun, but too pricey for us for more than 3 or 4 days!). The operation here was very slick and nice executive style mini buses whisked us quickly away to Terminal 5. The airport was relatively quiet although not surprising really given the time of day, so we moved quickly through Fast Track Security (I won the first ‘numpty’ moment of the trip by leaving my belt on and therefore setting the alarm off – d’oh!)and then onto the first lounge of the trip. Blimey, the place was heaving with people travelling on business and all the available tables for sitting down and having breakfast were taken! I can’t remember what flights came about but the majority of people left the lounge after a while which allowed us to get somewhere to sit down. We had a nice breakfast – full english and champagne for me, with bran flakes, toast and champagne for Alison – before heading down to the gate where boarding was just starting. We were in seats 1d and 1f on this leg of our trip. The flight was uneventful and as breakfast was offered we thought it would be rude to decline! I had the continental option and Alison went for the cooked. We touched down at Tegel airport but had to be bussed to the terminal building. This was a bit of a concern as we had back to back flights booked on the way home and if the same thing happened then there may be problems. Nothing to concern ourselves with for now but we had to bear this in mind. We headed off the plane and through passport control quickly before heading out of the terminal to find the bus ticketing machine as wanted to get the TXL Express Bus service to the main train station. Much fiddling and pushing of buttons later we had our tickets (€2.40 each) and waited for the bus to arrive. The system here, as much of the Berlin transport system, was that you purchase a ticket and then validate it before travel i.e. use a stand-alone machine to punch a pin sized hole in it. The TXL buses run every couple of minutes so we didn’t have long to wait and our first glimpses of Berlin was to travel through the industrial outskirts around the city, pretty much as any other city airport, nothing pretty but just practical. What I hadn’t realised was how many rivers and canals criss-crossed the city. We pulled up at the Berlin Hauptbahnhof train station and wow, very impressive looking glass and steel building. We wandered around the station, looking for a machine or ticket booth at which to purchase a train ticket for our onward journey. We eventually found a machine but there was a bit of a queue and it appeared to be faulty so we took another look around. We noticed some form of enquiry desk and after another queue they just pointed us to the tourist information office, not very clear at all. Alison purchased the tickets to Alexanderplatz station at a grand total of €1.70 each. That meant it was a total of €8.20 for us to get to our hotel, rather than a possible €30 for a taxi. I was immediately drawn to the huge volume of leaflets and started to flick through them. I did notice a couple of maps near the front desk and found one that I thought could be useful so just picked it up and put it in my pocket. As we were leaving I noticed that it wasn’t free but cost 1Euro, I didn’t have the heart to return it to the rack or pay up so just made my way out of the shop double quick. I still feel a bit guilty about it now but it was done in all innocence officer. We took the train (S5, S7 or S75) from Platform 15, took the train and popped up at Alexanderplatz. First impressions was that it wasn’t the most glamorous of locations but it was very central and we made our way across the square to find our hotel for the next couple of nights. We’d chosen the Hotel Indigo hotelindigoberlin as a good location in the Mitte district. We couldn’t get into our room as it was a bit early so we decided we’d head out to start touring but first we just left our wheelie bags with reception but before setting off we used their toilets. I don’t usually get excited by toilets but these were magnificent! Done in a woodland setting, birds suddenly started tweeting as soon as you entered and the whole place was themed throughout – magnificent! Lovely hotel - modern - 2 beers came to €13 nearly fell over! Really needed it though. It was a bit hot and sticky so we had a couple of pricey beers in the hotel bar and pored over a map of the city first, deciding on planning our route. We had a chat to the lovely girl at reception who said that most of the big attractions were only about 30 minutes’ walk away. We stepped out and decided to go for the furthest point first, Brandenburg Gate or Brandenburg Tor, so off we went. Quite straightforward but it was still very hot out and we had to hop across the roads from time to time, dodging buses and trams etc. Lovely wide tree lined roads and some interesting buildings along the way. We stopped off at a café and bought a roll and a soft drink as a quick break. Just before we arrived at the Brandenburg Gate Alison spotted a Starbucks, so that was that then, another pit stop for frappucinos. Brandenburg Gate was very impressive, they’ve done a really good job of restoring this to its former beauty. As there was nowhere to sit down at Starbucks we walked through and took a rest in the shade just outside Tiergarten, on reflection we should have gone in and wandered around as I think we may have missed something here but maybe another time. We took a look at our map and noticed that The Holocaust Memorial - Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe wasn’t that far away. We walked over to it and it’s overlooked by the American Embassy and there are 2700 blocks of different heights. The ground they are set in undulates itself so at some points the blocks tower over you. There were a mix of people paying their respects, people using it as a cut-through and many visitors just wandering and some just sitting and looking. All around were security staff making sure that people where respectful about the area. I felt this was a simple but somehow moving experience. After another quick check of the map we noticed that Checkpoint Charlie was in easy striking distance so off we went. As we approached I couldn’t get the lyrics from Oliver’s Army out of my head! Basically it’s the reconstructed customs point in the middle of the Friedrich Street and a now a commercial operation. A couple of guys dressed as American G.I.’s stood outside and you could have your photograph taken and passport stamped for cost which we declined. Overall, not quite what I’d expected but a must see tourist spot all the same. Guess what? Another Starbucks was calling Alison so as the pull was too great we pulled in for another coffee to keep us on the go! Not far from here was the Topography of Terror, a free gallery built next to a remaining section of the Berlin Wall and the remains of the SS HQ outlining the rise and fall of the Nazi regime. Lots of information to take in and no punches pulled, some of the information contained was truly alarming but a credit to the city for doing so. By this time I was flagging so we just made a move back to the hotel as we’d pretty much covered a lot of the hot spots we wanted to see by this time anyway as this was always going to be a bit of a whistle stop tour. We called in at reception and the lady on the desk said that “as a valued customer” we’d been upgraded. I think that “valued customer” simply meant that we had booked direct with the hotel and signed up for their rewards programme. The room (642) was stunning, modern almost Ikea looking with a very funky / boutique vibe about the place. Funky shower / bathroom with a glass partition onto the bedroom, bizarre but it does work! We showered and relaxed for a while then decided it was time for food. Tonight we decided to go for a Thai meal and after looking around we settled on Thai Inside, this was a restaurant that I had seen from the train on the way in, located at 128 Dircksenstraße – a small road opposite some railway arches and not the first place you’d think of looking. We settled on the set menu and settled down for the night near the large windows near the pavement but not actually on the street as those tables were full of smokers. Excellent meal with typical exquisite Thai vegetable garnishes and service and all washed down with a couple of ice cold pints of lager each – fantastic. We started with thai soup, then had a platter of starters, then 2 curries with rice, and fished with bananas and ice cream. It was honestly one of the best thai meals we’ve ever had, and came to a total of €78. Whilst we were seated there was an escorted group of people across the road looking at the graffiti which I assume had some historical interest but when I looked I couldn’t make head or tail of it to be honest. So, a full day nearly over and lots of ground covered we wandered back via Alexanderplatz to find a group of people being entertained by a band playing. The odd thing was the lead singer was in his underpants with a horse head mask and accompanied by didgeridoo and accordion - oh those crazy Germans! Exhausted we fell into bed reflecting on the first full day of our trip with some random experiences already. Datapoints: Starbucks count: 2 Steps: 18188 Miles: 9.1 __________________ http://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/sign...igpic534_1.gif 1988 ~ Contemporary ~ Honeymoon 1989 ~ Off site 1994 ~ EuroDisney ~ Santa Fe 1999 ~ Off site 2001 ~ CBR (Aruba) ~ Poly (Tahiti) 2003 ~ WL & HRH 2004 ~ Pop Century, RPH, CSR, PBH, Contemporary 2006 ~ DLP ~ Newport Bay 2007 ~ POR ~ HRH ~ GF 2008 ~ All star sports, BCV, RPH, Vero Beach, VWL 2010 ~ OKW ~ BCV ~ HRH ~POP Century ~ Vero Beach ~ VWL 2013 ~ AKL ~ HRH ~ BCV ~ Vero Beach ~ VWL Edited at 08:33 AM.

2 Oct 16, 08:01 AM	#5
	2 Oct 16, 08:01 AM Guest Guest
Guest Guest	Great first day thanks for sharing!

29 Dec 16, 11:17 PM	#7
	29 Dec 16, 11:17 PM ashc13 Serious Dibber
ashc13 Serious Dibber Join Date: Mar 05	Wow you covered a lot! Enjoyed Berlin when we visited a few years ago. Looking forward to reading more!