I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to be the +1 with a friend-and-coworker (let's call him Jeff) who is going to a conference.
We departed Newark around 6 PM Saturday, and arrived in Berlin at 8 AM Sunday. Jeff decided to sleep most of the way, but I had better things to do.
We took the bus from the airport to a location vaguely near the hotel, somewhere near the zoo. It was still before 9 AM, so we ditched our luggage with the staff and went to find some breakfast. The woman at the front desk recommended a cafe around the corner, which turned out to be an excellent suggestion. The waitress wished us a happy Valentine's Day.
I've always found that the best way to keep yourself awake is to keep moving, so we immediately embarked on the Best Of Berlin self-guided walking tour from the guidebook.
The first stop was the Reichstag and surrounding area.
#selfiestick
We skipped around a bit (abbreviated tour), and headed for the Brandenburg Gate.
Brandenburg Gate leads to Pariser Platz, which is home to the US and French embassies. Back through the gate and just around the corner, we visited the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.
The tour took us east along the expansive boulevard Unter den Linden, past the British embassy and the massive Russian embassy, and past Bebelplatz (which was a bit chaotic due to to massive construction project on the State Opera).
Attracted by a crowd of people, we took a brief detour through Humboldt University and around the back of the State Opera building.
We made it to the Spree River, zipped past Museum Island, stopping briefly in the Lustgarten to admire the Berlin Cathedral (technically not a cathedral?), before heading towards the... I want to say "Space Needle"?
This guy didn't want his picture taken, I guess. But I appreciate the level of German Engineering that goes into providing fresh sausage products, weather be damned.
It was a bit cold and raw down by the river, and we still had to go check into the hotel, so we ended the tour before making it to the base of the TV Tower and made our way back to the train station.
Along the way, we admired some truly impressive parking jobs, like this one.
We finally made it back to the hotel, settled in, and had a nap. Eventually, we ventured out for an early romantic dinner and a few beers before turning in for the night.
Photos are all shared. Pics from Monday are already up, so don't get ahead of me. Blog will be updated tomorrow.
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