Germany

I love waking up in a new city everyday. Not knowing where I am is a challenge at times. It forces me to use my brain and think. I have to focus and look at the signs. Pay attention to my surroundings. Place my alert system on high. Listen to the words around me, hear the body language. 

I arrived in Cologne, Germany for a one night stay. It was a task trying to keep my eyes open on the train. My hotel, a few blocks away from the train station, was perfect. Small, quaint, quiet with a comfy bed. I slept for 12 hours straight. It was the best nights sleep I had had all month. I needed every minute of it. It made the world of difference the following day when I went for  a walk. I had energy, my mind was clear and I could focus on planning the next few days. 

I only had one afternoon in Cologne. I walked the city and stopped at a typical German brewhouse. I had a beer and the best sauerkraut soup ever! I actually went back for seconds. The only sightseeing I did was at the Dome. It is amazing. So much detail. Why didn’t we ever build like this in the US?

After walking and eating, it was pretty much time to get back on the train and head out to Berlin. I booked a really nice hotel in the Charlottenburg area of Berlin. I was grateful it was a nice room. It rained the whole next day, so sightseeing became difficult. I took the hop on hop off bus and only hopped off for a minute to grab some currywurst. It’s the local flavor and a must try while in Berlin. I again, went back for seconds. Soooo good!

Berlin is large. It’s bigger than New York City. The usual walking tour I do was not so practical here in the rain. Along with the hop on hop off bus tour, I took the riverboat tour, but I forgot to get the audio guide after getting on. The whole tour was in German. I have no idea what I was looking at, except for the obvious....The Berlin Wall.

All in all, Berlin was pretty much a bust. Bad weather, bad sightseeing and the language reminds me of every movie I’ve seen on the holocaust and WW 2. It was just gloomy. I was ready to move on and experience something beautiful and sunny! Next stop, Prague!