Berlin

Berlin
Our next train trip on the 6th June took us to Berlin. We travelled on the ICE again, (4.5 hrs) and made sure to enter the date of travel before we boarded the train. In Berlin we stayed at the Arcos Apartment Hotel in the suburb of Wedding (very clean, quiet and with own kitchen, sitting room and close to underground and also,a short inexpensive train ride from all the attractions. While we were in Berlin, Turkey won their heat of Euro 2008 and fireworks were heard during the evening. Train connections are easy to follow if you have a line plan.

Most of Berlin was destroyed after WW2, but many landmarks have either been restored or reconstructed. There is constant building going on as you travel around the city. We visited the Reichstag, the seat of the German Parliament, Brandenburg Gate (Brandenburger Tor) which symbolizes the reunification of East and West Berlin after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, the site of a standoff between American and Russian tanks in 1961.

We also visited the Pergamon Museum with the spectacular Pergamon Altar taking up an entire room of the museum, and the Flea market at Tiergarten. We walked along the wide street named Unter den Linden, which is the main east-west thoroughfare through the city of Berlin. It earned its name from the rows of linden trees that were first planted there more than three-and-a-half centuries ago.

We also took a cruise on the river Spree and saw many other sights such as the Berliner Dom, Museum Island with no less than five museums all next to each other, people enjoying the sunshine along the banks of the river, all from the comfort of the open boat. That’s when we got burnt, as the temperature had reached 30C. Berlin is very sprawled out and it is advisable to catch public transport or take a tour to see the sights, particularly if the weather is hot.

For shoppers Berlin also has a department store called KaDeWe which is the largest department store in Europe (60,000 square metres in total). The Beauty Department covers 3,000sqm, with 1,500 luxurious classics and designer perfumes on display, but the absolute best was the famous 6th floor KaDeWe’s gourmet paradise of 7,000 square metres of gourmet specialties and delicatessen items for connoisseurs and gourmets as well as people who just like to gaze in awe at the magnificent and artistic food displays. There were also areas where you could sample local beers, wines, champagnes and have a light meal.. There was even a Moet sampling section. Myer and David Jones need to check this one out. Too, if you are interested in finding out more, just Google Ka De We and check out the unbelievable array of goods. The area where you will find this shop is called Kurfürstendamm. This is also known as the Ku’damm, and is Berlin’s most famous shopping street.

The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church is also in this area, which is the centre of former West Berlin and it is one of Berlin’s most famous landmarks. The damaged tower is a symbol of Berlin’s commitment to rebuild the city after the war and a constant reminder of the destruction of war.

Next Stop – Amsterdam.

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Frankfurt -Cologne (KOLN)

Upon our arrival in Frankfurt we took the shuttle bus from terminal 1 to terminal 2 where we could catch the ICE train to Koln,( Cologne). We had decided to make use of the Eurail Select Saver Pass – 5 countries in 2 months, to travel around on our holiday. The pass comes with a traveller’s guide, map and timetable. Reading the guide is very useful before you leave as it contains essential information to ensure you get the most out of your pass as well as many helpful hints. We needed to have our pass validated at the station before boarding the train and this was the only time we were kept waiting as there was quite a queue. A good suggestion is to check at the station whether you need reservations on these high speed trains. Reservations cost approximately 10Euro but guarantee you a seat, particularly if you have a longer journey. On some trains reservations are compulsory. You are then allocated a seat number on your reservation form, which you must also present to the conductor. The reservation form also tells you where to stand on the platform to enable you to find your car and seat quickly. A reservation for our initial trip was not necessary, but the following day, we checked at the station whether we needed reservations for the other journeys. The attendant was very helpful and spoke English as well.  We finally boarded our train, the ICE (Intercity Express). It arrived at the platform at the designated time as did all of the trains. It was very fast, travelling in excess of 190 km/hr.

The country side was blanketed in thick fog but you could still see how green everything was. We hadn’t been informed that this train only went as far as Messe Deutz, which was on the other side of the Rhine River across the Deutzer Bridge and not into Cologne Central station. We asked the train attendant to point us in the right direction for the onward journey, and quickly found the SBahn platforms to take us to Cologne (Koln) Hauptbahnhof  (Central Station) using the same ticket. The Eurail journeys are listed from your departure station to the end of the line and it is necessary to check whether it is more convenient for you to alight or change trains at another station, depending on your final destination.

The Cologne Central train station has a 250 metre long hall of iron and glass, and is a registered historic site. There are food stalls and shops that are even open in the evenings and on Sundays.   That was our first day of travel using the Eurail Pass. Upon leaving the station we found that there were plenty of taxis outside, and we quickly took the short trip to our first hotel – Hotel im Wasserturm. This hotel is unique as it has been developed in Europe’s once largest water tower.  The interior design is extraordinary as it is hidden within this 130 yr old nationally protected structure. The location is great as it is situated 200 metres from the underground and within walking distance of major attractions. Breakfast was included in the room rate and was excellent. The only negatives were that there were no tea/ coffee making facilities and no iron and ironing board in our room. There was an ironing service provided as well as a pay laundry service. With Euro 2008 commencing soon, hotels were at a premium and as this was the work related part of the trip for my husband; we were not going to argue about the hotel.

The weather averaged 19C. Quite warm in the stations, tourist spots and shops so a light all weather jacket and an umbrella for occasional rain is necessary at this time of the year.  Summer though, arrived in Cologne on the 1st June and it was 29C and humid, just like home. At least the shops had air conditioning and we had packed T-shirts as a precaution.

Cologne is a beautiful place and the locals friendly and helpful. A lot of people speak English and we didn’t find it difficult to communicate and get around.
We visited the Dom Cathedral which is Cologne’s most important example of architecture, and Germany’s largest Church (start of construction 1248; completed 1880). When you exit the central station the Cathedral is there in all its glory.
The old part of the city (Old Town-Altstadt) was once inhabited by craftsmen and traders and has numerous pubs and shops. Meals were varied, plentiful and inexpensive. It is best not to visit before 11:00 in the morning as the day only starts then in this part of town. While we were in Cologne, asparagus (spargel) was in season. I have never seen such an abundance or thick white asparagus in all my life, as thick as a man’s thumb and very tasty and tender with ham (shinken) and cheese (kase). Street vendors in town were selling it by the cartful as well as strawberries and raspberries.  We also checked out the Kolsch beers, very nice. We walked quite a way along the river bank visiting other interesting sites, and of course occasionally it was time for another local brew. The shopping precinct of Cologne is a shopper’s and gourmet’s paradise. The main areas we visited were at Neumarkt, which is now a traffic hub for buses, trams and the underground. It once served as a livestock market as early as 1076. Neumarkt Passage, Neumarkt Galerie( with its oversize ice cream cone- Dropped Cone- created by the US artists Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Brugge on the roof), Hohe Strasse which has been the main street in Cologne for over 2000 yrs as well as Germany’s oldest pedestrian area. The street is so popular that on weekends before Christmas it often needs to be closed off because of overcrowding. Schildergasse is wider and gives visitors more room to move about even though there are shops to suit every need.

Traveller tip:  You are expected to leave a tip when using the toilet facilities in most areas 20c – 40c is usual unless specified rate is listed, as the facilities are manned and kept spotlessly clean. At the station you are charged 1.10Euro for the privilege. We did notice that some locals ignored the tipping.

Next stop – Berlin

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Excitement mounted as we arrived at the Brisbane Airport. We were flying Etihad airlines, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates. The trip to the airport by taxi was more expensive than we had been led to believe. We had calculated the trip on the taxi web page for 2 people and it appeared to be just a little more than the taxi to the station plus the Airtrain fare which we had also checked. Bad luck for us, but the taxi service charge to the airport which is extra, was not listed on the webpage and therefore the fare cost us more. Not a good start to the holiday. So beware.
After that, we decided that when we returned from our trip, the train and the short taxi ride would be the go.

The check in at Etihad was speedy and the attendant thorough and pleasant. Our bags were checked all the way through to Frankfurt. My husband had bought a digital camera for the trip and we searched for the TRS (Tourist Refund Scheme) office, to have the GST refunded. Where was it? We finally had to ask one of the customs officers as TRS is tucked away out of sight. When you go through customs, go to the far left hand corner of the area and look behind the chocolate shop. Service at TRS was also speedy as we were the only customers. (Note: this service is also available OS if you shop at designated stores and show your receipts.) Upon arrival at our gate we found the toilets needed cleaning, no towels and paper on the floor, not a good look.

The Etihad aircraft was comfortable, meals were good and plentiful. We travelled Coral class (economy) and had enough leg room to cross our legs if necessary. Our 1 hr stopover in Singapore went smoothly, but on the next leg, the stopover in Abu Dhabi took much longer as our plane to Frankfurt was delayed. A long day so far as we still had a 6 hr flight to Frankfurt and then a further 1 hr train trip to Cologne (Koln).

Traveller Tip: If you have a lengthy stop over in Abu Dhabi, find a seat and sit on it if the transit lounge is crowded, otherwise you may be standing until your plane is ready for boarding. It is also wise to double check the gate number as we were directed to one gate when in actual fact the plane was boarding at another. That caused a lot of people much confusion.

Next Installment: Germany (Frankfurt to Cologne (Koln).

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A slightly more adult day trip I’d recommend is a tour of the wineries on Tamborine Mountain. Mount Tamborine is just 62km from Brisbane, and getting there is a gorgeous drive. The great thing about touring the wineries on Tamborine Mountain is the wine. At every venue you’re offered a chance to sample the vintner’s varietals, and you’re offered purchase discounts. Several of the wineries also offer little educational moments providing detail about things like the differences between wooded, lightly wooded and unwooded Chardonnay and even better an opportunity to actually taste the difference to determine which you might prefer, or how to select a good dessert wine…

The really stand out wineries on my tour were Heritage Wines and Tamborine Estate Wines. They were well set up for the tour and ready with plenty of tasting samples on hand, and relevant questions to determine what you might actually enjoy sampling. Tamborine Estates offered one of the better wine education programs that I saw that day, and I ended up buying a nice dessert wine from them for their trouble. Heritage Wines, in addition to serving up delightful wines and offering a great selection of tasting samples, also offered a bit of uniqueness in terms of the building in which it’s located. It’s housed in a really beautiful building that was originally The Infant Saviour Catholic Church of Burleigh Heads which was saved from demolition and re-located to Mount Tamborine. The restorations to the building are really remarkable and it’s a lovely place to lunch, with views overlooking rainforest and the Ocean in the distance.

Even though the day of the tour was a bit overcast for a portion of the tour, this didn’t detract from the beautiful vistas up on Mt. Tamborine, and the whole trip would have been worth it just for the chance to take it all in.

Even if you’re not interested in wine, Tamborine Mountain is a great place to visit. As part of the Gold Coast Hinterland, the mountain offers gorgeous views of the Gold Coast, Brisbane, and Mt. Warning. The area is home to several National Parks with walking tracks and picnic/BBQ areas, and is surrounded by several lovely waterfalls including Cameron Falls, the Witches Falls and Cedar Creek Falls. With craft and antique shops, galleries, tea rooms and little restaurants, there’s plenty to do up at Mount Tamborine, even hang gliding for the adventuresome. So if you’re looking for a relaxing way to spend a Saturday, take a drive and enjoy.

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