After signing off from day 1, Libby and I still had a full half-day left to explore Berlin. We were tired and more than a little cranky, but we set off full of high hopes. Our first bit of business was to try and find the nearest train station. We bought our tickets (two 72 hour passes) and set off on the S-Bahn. As with everything in Germany, the transit system is very logical; all the transit components operate on the same system, so our tickets work on S-Bahn (fast aboveground train), U-Bahn (underground), and bus systems.
We made it to the big hub station next to the Zoo, and expected the train to head on to the main station in Berlin (Hauptbahnhoff). That’s what the map said, after all. We happily sat there as everyone else jumped off the train, until someone took pity on us and tried three languages before settling on English to say, “The train ends here, you must get off”. We left the train to look for where to go next. As the train to the main station didn’t leave for another 45 minutes, we decided to try the bus. We went outside, where dozens of buses were leaving, and began trying to decipher the bus map. Here, we once again encountered the odd weather in Berlin. Out of a clear sky it began pouring rain once again. We found the bus, made it to the very impressive Brandenburg Tor (gate), and found ourselves in a stream of Moccasin-wearing, bandana-toting hippies. Apparently they’re a cross-cultural phenomenon. One of Libby’s coworkers had said to her before we left that she thought I’d probably propose in front of the Brandenburg Gate. I’m glad I didn’t take her advice; the majesty of the moment might have been diminished a bit by the Peace Rally going on directly in front of it. Leaving the odd fumes of the rally behind, we decided to get a snack at a bratwurst stand. I ordered a bratwurst, and Libby attempted to order her favorite German noodle dish her grandmother used to make, “Spatzel”. Instead she ended up with a pound-patty of deep-fried calf, “Shnitzel”.
We made it to the Reichstag next. The Reichstag is Germany’s very-old general assembly building, which had burnt partially down during Hitler’s reign (he blamed it on the communists and used it as an excuse to take more power). The facade of the building was very impressive, but the interior and the new dome they had built on top in the eighties to replace the bomb and fire damaged one were not. It was cold and industrial looking. We walked up to the top of the glass dome after waiting in line for an hour (which gave us plenty of opportunity to ponder our PDA question of the day). In the dome we were given an audio tour which pointed out much of the sites visible in Berlin. After a weary day, we headed back home via the S-Bahn, and went to bed without dinner (everything else had closed by then).
Auf Wiedersehen.