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| Kristin and me on the roof of the Reichstag |
Danke and Ausgang. The only 2 words I know in German. They are quite useful though. Danke means thank you- i.e. I said it every single time I had to ask for directions because I was lost. Ausgang means "exit" another very helpful word when you are trying to figure out the crazy metro/tram above ground and underground system Germany has. It quickly became my favorite word. From October 9- 13 Kristin and I frolicked around Berlin together. On Saturday morning we both got settled in to Swisshotel, a great hotel that Kristin booked, right by the Zoologishter Station. We then walked around Berlin and went to Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag (the Parliament building). Luckily the line wasn't too long so we only had to wait about an hour to get inside and do a guided tour of the dome. The view from the roof was great and we were able to get a sense of other possible sights we might want to visit during our trip.
The next day we did a bike tour with Fat Tire bikes from about 11-3. It was sooo much fun. Our guide, Tam, was also quite the jokester. In his tutorial about how to ride a bike he said, "Now you want to place the bike seat facing forward, unless side saddle is your preference...who knows." On the bike tour we went to about 20 or so different touristy sites in Berlin, including Checkpoint Charlie, the Berlin Wall, and Tiergarten (the huge park in Berlin). We both had not been on bikes in a while so we were a little rough at first, but after a few almost collisions and lots of laughter, we got the hang of it. We also had a husband and wife pair that were on a tandem bike. It was great entertainment to hear the wife scream and reprimand her husband for going to fast or turning to sharp. Our bikes also had names so that we could find them easily after stopping at each location. My bike was named "Shakira" and Kristin's was "Wesley Willis." We at first thought that Wesley was a child of Bruce Willis' but after some blackberry searching we discovered he was actually a singer/somewhat of a schizophrenic. Interesting that Kristin "accidentally" chose this one. Our bikes also had bells and squeaky toys on them which was great. The last person in the group who made sure none of us got separated, named "The Ass Man" was a military man living in Germany. He was insane and whenever we reached any stop would yell "Your ass is here!" or just simply announce his arrival by yelling "Ass Man!" I am so glad we did the bike tour. It was a perfect way to see the city and the tour guide was really friendly...and cute. He was born in England but then lived in Australia for the majority of his youth so he had a australian/british combo accent. I don't think an accent can be any sexier than that.
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| Kristin and me having dinner at the top of the TV Tower |
During the rest of our time in Berlin, we visited several museums, especially the fantastic museums on Museum Island. One of my favorites was the Pergamonmuseum where they had the actual ruins from Roman times. It was as if we had just entered a giant's castle the archways and columns were so big! Kristin and I loved going from museum to museum looking at all the different works of art on display. We also went into the Berliner Dome and climbed to the tippy top where you are allowed to go outside on the roof. In addition to all the sight seeing, Kristin and I ate extremely well during this trip. We managed to find great meals everywhere and the service was great as well, even at the restaurant where Kristin broke the curtain holder! hahaa. I think the best meal was the one we had at the TV Tower. You take an elevator to the top and after your ears pop 3 or 4 times you have arrived at the top. The restaurant rotates slowly and after about 45 minutes you have made a full rotation. We had a great dinner there and had a silly waiter to make it even more fun. It was a beautiful view of the entire city lit up at night time. Berlin is a fantastic city and I am so glad I was able to spend 4 days there with Kristin. We had a great time! Love you Kristin for flying all the way from NYC to see me!
The next day we did a bike tour with Fat Tire bikes from about 11-3. It was sooo much fun. Our guide, Tam, was also quite the jokester. In his tutorial about how to ride a bike he said, "Now you want to place the bike seat facing forward, unless side saddle is your preference...who knows." On the bike tour we went to about 20 or so different touristy sites in Berlin, including Checkpoint Charlie, the Berlin Wall, and Tiergarten (the huge park in Berlin). We both had not been on bikes in a while so we were a little rough at first, but after a few almost collisions and lots of laughter, we got the hang of it. We also had a husband and wife pair that were on a tandem bike. It was great entertainment to hear the wife scream and reprimand her husband for going to fast or turning to sharp. Our bikes also had names so that we could find them easily after stopping at each location. My bike was named "Shakira" and Kristin's was "Wesley Willis." We at first thought that Wesley was a child of Bruce Willis' but after some blackberry searching we discovered he was actually a singer/somewhat of a schizophrenic. Interesting that Kristin "accidentally" chose this one. Our bikes also had bells and squeaky toys on them which was great. The last person in the group who made sure none of us got separated, named "The Ass Man" was a military man living in Germany. He was insane and whenever we reached any stop would yell "Your ass is here!" or just simply announce his arrival by yelling "Ass Man!" I am so glad we did the bike tour. It was a perfect way to see the city and the tour guide was really friendly...and cute. He was born in England but then lived in Australia for the majority of his youth so he had a australian/british combo accent. I don't think an accent can be any sexier than that.
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