April 4: Berlin, Germany

We decided that we just had to see Berlin while we were here in Europe so we checked out of our hotel early and drove seven hours to arrive here mid-afternoon. First we checked into our hotel, which is very nice, and then we got on the subway to head to Alexanderplatz where we were hoping to find a city bus tour. Figuring out which subway track we needed to be on was the first challenge but with some time spent looking at the map and the help of some nice people, we got on the U8 to Alexanderplatz (a large main square in the middle of Berlin). The subway was a great ride and much faster than driving our car and there was even a clarinet-accordion duet who played while we were riding on the subway.

Upon arriving in Alexanderplatz, we ran around, going a little crazy, trying to find the bus tour. We knew that we had to be quick or we would miss the last trip. By luck we walked out of Alexanderplatz onto the right street and were able to quickly board (the last trip) of one of the many tour buses. On our city bus tour, we visited many of the most famous sites of Berlin including the Brandenburger Tor, the Hauptbahnhof, the Reichstag, the Aquarium, the famous Unter den Linden street, the Berliner Dom, the Spree River and others.  We ended up on Kurfurstendamm or Kudamm as it is commonly called, the biggest shopping street in Berlin. There were so many people on that street and there was such a high-paced energy; I really felt like I was right in the big city.

We returned to our hotel by subway (this time on the U9). The subway was much fuller on the return trip and there were no performers but it got us where we needed to go. We went to "Ristorante Sara", right next to our hotel where we really enjoyed our meal. I am blown away by the prices in most restaurants here - I had a large plate of yummy spaghetti (I couldn't even finish it) tonight and it was only 4,60 Euro or about six Canadian dollars.

 The Jewish Memorial 

 Brandenburg Gate 

 Jewish Memorial 

 Bundestag (the parliament building)

 An old palace that is now the president's home 

 The Victory Tower 

 The Euromall 

The Parliament (again) 

Now we are in our hotel and will go to bed shortly. Although I could spend the next two weeks exploring Berlin and would enjoy every second, I am still really glad that I got to come here during my trip and see some of the famous landmarks of what used to be part of East Germany. Albeit the short time frame, Berlin has been absolutely amazing and I am very excited to watch the hockey tomorrow and to go to Prague!!

Hockey Update: The Canadian Explorers and their chaperones toured around Prague today, then played another exhibition game just outside of Prague this evening. They won 5-0 and tomorrow will start their final tournament in Most.