Berlin

It has been a while since I last updated so I am forgetting what I have done. We spent one night in Berlin for a stopover before heading into the Netherlands. I wasn't sure what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised. I rather enjoyed my visit to Berlin. On the first night our hostel, Wombat, was located in the East which is close to the Berlin Domer (I'm not certain on the name) so after grabbing some dinner, we walked around to see that and the canal near our hostel.

Then the next morning, we had a few hours to kill until our train left so we took the free tour of Berlin. http://www.newberlintours.com/nbt/content/view/1/2/lang,en/ It turned out to be really informative and had a good time. The guide had so much information, there were times when I tuned out. To name some of the sightes we visited: Brandenburg Gate, the remainder of the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, churches, the location of Hitler's bunker if it were still standing, memorial to the Jews who were murdered during WW2, and much much more. We had to leave the tour early to catch our train, but if I had time, I would have liked to see the museum by the memorial. It contains artifacts found from the time period (i.e. journals, etc). They also offer a tour to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp which sounded really interesting. Of course there is Pottersdam which is supposed to be beautiful with nice gardens. It's also listed in 1000 Places to See Before You Die. By the way, I definitely recommend this tour company. The guides make money through tips so they work hard to keep you entertained. They provide information in an animated and interesting way so you stay tuned in.

One thing that I find great about this trip is that I've really taken an interest in history which I didn't before. Growing up, it was always 'that subject' for guys. I am also a visual person and reading about events in a book is too removed for me. Now that I am here, I see and experience things which help me to retain information much better. I am not retaining everything, of course, because my bad memory is still bad. At least it is filled with some new information.