The plan was simple.
Arrive back in Cologne on Tuesday night, go sightseeing on Wednesday, and then board a 9:55 am flight to London on Thursday morning.
Fail.
We managed the first part exceptionally well.
We got home after a long, 5 hour train journey from Berlin, exhausted and ready to have an early night.
We got up the next morning and spent the day seeing the sights of Cologne - the Cathedral (the tallest in all of Europe), a cruise along the river, a walk through the old town, and everything in between.
It was warm-ish and by the evening we were starved and ready for a nice dinner. We ate in a little square and then stayed to watch some buskers and enjoy a not-so-cold evening.
I had already checked in online and printed my boarding pass, so all that was required of me was to drop my luggage 30 minutes before the flight (or so I thought).
When I arrived, all check-in counters were closed and there were no Easy Jet staff to be found anywhere. Turns out, baggage drop closes 40 minutes before departure and I was 5 - 9 minutes late...
The rather friendly woman at Information told me I had two options, leave my baggage behind and fly without it, or try to take it through security - neither of which were legitimate options.
And so, after running from counter to counter and contemplating leaving all my belongings in 'Lost Property', I simply turned on my heel and returned to Cologne.
Unable to get another flight for 6 days because of ridiculous prices, I now have a new plan, involving one last city.
Tomorrow I shall train from Cologne to Belgium (no check-in or baggage drop required) for an evening and morning of sightseeing, and then on Wednesday, I take another train back to London.
Problem solved - albeit rather expensively (Ooops!).
Which brings us to here... Monday September 1.
Three months, 7 countries and 20 cities down, and only a couple more to go.
This time next week, I'll be three hours in to a 24 hour journey home...
See you soon Melbourne ;)
xo
Monday, 1 September 2014
This is what I remember from Berlin:
...
???
So, that Berlin hey?
She is one craaaaazzzzyyy city and if I'm to be completely honest, I probably only remember about 50 per cent of it - the rest is all a bit hazy.
After having already put in four solid nights in Cologne and Prague, we arrived in Berlin somewhat lacklustre.
At various points throughout the night we even contemplated staying in and having a quiet dinner and a bottle of wine at home, but then we remembered that we were in Berlin - infamous for its nightlife and where staying in on a Friday night is simply not an option.
Shoes and jacket back on, and with the constant thud of a headache in tow, we headed out for our first night on the town.
Our first stop was a heavy metal bar with 'the best Mexicana shots in all of Berlin', or so I was told. For those of you who do not know what they are, they are the disgusting mix of tequila, tomato juice and tabasco sauce - kind of like a bloody mary but in a smaller glass and more lethal. 3 - 6 were had in the first 30 - 60 minutes, along with beers a plenty.
When the outside tables were shut down, we moved on to another bar, drank more Mexicana's and beers, adopted a random group of Finnish guys, and I ate someone's kebab.
After that, it's all a bit vague but we fell into bed sometime in the early hours of the morning.
The next afternoon, Kat and I went out for brunch and a bike ride. I saw part of the Berlin wall, and we sat by the river in the partial sunshine. I'll admit, it was difficult to maintain enthusiasm about sightseeing and, well just moving in general but we did walk through a couple of funky, lively and somewhat sketchy neighbourhoods.
Back home, we ordered in dinner, got some wine and began preparations for Saturday night in Berlin. It was hard to find the energy, motivation and conviction but sometimes, you just have to dig a little deeper!
En route to an 80's, 90's, pop and whatever else night at a club, we stopped for drinks at our favourite heavy metal bar.
At some time around 3:30am, and a medium length wait in the line later, we were finally let in. With rooms inside, rooms outside, a bouncy castle, a beer garden and 100 kilograms of confetti, it was unlike any club I have ever been to!
Inevitably, there was dancing and wandering through the many rooms and music options, and by the time it was 8 or 9am and time to get some sleep, I was covered in confetti and experiencing some short-term memory loss.
There was no Sunday...
I went to be around 9am and slept until 6:30pm, utterly exhausted from constant sightseeing by day and being out and about every night.
I showered, ate my first and only meal of the day, watched a movie and then went back to be - I was up for a whole 3 - 5 hours!
By Monday, it was time to get our act together and finally do some proper sightseeing.
We started at a section of the Berlin Wall, which is basically just a concrete wall covered in artwork and graffiti, and then we took a cruise along the river.
Seeing the sights from a boat or ferry is my new favourite activity - you get to see all the major sights, museums, landmarks, etc., all from the comfort of your seat, and it even comes with table service!
There were bridges, statues and monuments a plenty:
Our last night in Berlin was tame in comparison to most other nights we had had; we sat in a square drinking beer and people-watching, found a little restaurant for dinner and wine, and then, at a very respectable hour, we went to bed as we had a train to catch back to Cologne the next day.
All in all, although Berlin has sights to see and is quite the city for cafes and shopping, etc., the city truly comes alive at night where there are few rules, where anything goes, and where 12am - 8am are completely normal evening hours...
Chipsy and Sticklets are heading back to Cologne where we shall recover from Berlin-itis...
???
So, that Berlin hey?
She is one craaaaazzzzyyy city and if I'm to be completely honest, I probably only remember about 50 per cent of it - the rest is all a bit hazy.
After having already put in four solid nights in Cologne and Prague, we arrived in Berlin somewhat lacklustre.
At various points throughout the night we even contemplated staying in and having a quiet dinner and a bottle of wine at home, but then we remembered that we were in Berlin - infamous for its nightlife and where staying in on a Friday night is simply not an option.
Shoes and jacket back on, and with the constant thud of a headache in tow, we headed out for our first night on the town.
Our first stop was a heavy metal bar with 'the best Mexicana shots in all of Berlin', or so I was told. For those of you who do not know what they are, they are the disgusting mix of tequila, tomato juice and tabasco sauce - kind of like a bloody mary but in a smaller glass and more lethal. 3 - 6 were had in the first 30 - 60 minutes, along with beers a plenty.
When the outside tables were shut down, we moved on to another bar, drank more Mexicana's and beers, adopted a random group of Finnish guys, and I ate someone's kebab.
After that, it's all a bit vague but we fell into bed sometime in the early hours of the morning.
The next afternoon, Kat and I went out for brunch and a bike ride. I saw part of the Berlin wall, and we sat by the river in the partial sunshine. I'll admit, it was difficult to maintain enthusiasm about sightseeing and, well just moving in general but we did walk through a couple of funky, lively and somewhat sketchy neighbourhoods.
Back home, we ordered in dinner, got some wine and began preparations for Saturday night in Berlin. It was hard to find the energy, motivation and conviction but sometimes, you just have to dig a little deeper!
En route to an 80's, 90's, pop and whatever else night at a club, we stopped for drinks at our favourite heavy metal bar.
At some time around 3:30am, and a medium length wait in the line later, we were finally let in. With rooms inside, rooms outside, a bouncy castle, a beer garden and 100 kilograms of confetti, it was unlike any club I have ever been to!
Inevitably, there was dancing and wandering through the many rooms and music options, and by the time it was 8 or 9am and time to get some sleep, I was covered in confetti and experiencing some short-term memory loss.
There was no Sunday...
I went to be around 9am and slept until 6:30pm, utterly exhausted from constant sightseeing by day and being out and about every night.
I showered, ate my first and only meal of the day, watched a movie and then went back to be - I was up for a whole 3 - 5 hours!
By Monday, it was time to get our act together and finally do some proper sightseeing.
We started at a section of the Berlin Wall, which is basically just a concrete wall covered in artwork and graffiti, and then we took a cruise along the river.
Seeing the sights from a boat or ferry is my new favourite activity - you get to see all the major sights, museums, landmarks, etc., all from the comfort of your seat, and it even comes with table service!
There were bridges, statues and monuments a plenty:
Our last night in Berlin was tame in comparison to most other nights we had had; we sat in a square drinking beer and people-watching, found a little restaurant for dinner and wine, and then, at a very respectable hour, we went to bed as we had a train to catch back to Cologne the next day.
All in all, although Berlin has sights to see and is quite the city for cafes and shopping, etc., the city truly comes alive at night where there are few rules, where anything goes, and where 12am - 8am are completely normal evening hours...
Chipsy and Sticklets are heading back to Cologne where we shall recover from Berlin-itis...
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