We had a good long wait for our flight but after several coffees, some dodgy looking airport food and a few episodes of Seinfeld on the laptop, we were finally boarding and on our way. We flew with Easyjet - a very cheap airline that charges a bit more for checked luggage. They were ok but the seats are not designated so we had a hard time trying to get a seat together as everyone poured in. It wasn't a very long flight, though we joked that the pilot was a bit of a cowboy as we spent much of the flight flying at strange angles, shuddering through pockets of turbulence and the landing was pretty bumpy. We made our way from Schoenefeld Airport to Markisches Museum after a few line changes on the metro, and checked in to the accommodation we had really been looking forward to - 3 nights at the Novotel Berlin Mitte. Filling out the forms, David wrote our reason for stay as 'honeymoon' and was promptly given a note for two free cocktails at the bar by the general manager of the hotel. Score! When we went into our beautiful room with a view of the city we found another surprise - a letter of congratulations, some beer and bottled water, and a platter or fruit, chocolates and cheesecake. Wow! They really made us feel special.
In the evening we walked to a fabulous area recommended by the manager for a night out. There were a few bars and pubs in a pretty square and over to the side was a park lined on one side with restaurants and on the other with a canal. It felt like Venice again! There were deckchairs and fairy lights and soft electro music was playing - the staple music of Germany. We shared one meal to be frugal and it was enormous! Weiner schnitzel with potato salad and greens - quite traditional food.
On Friday we went on an excellent walking tour to see the city and learn a bit of history. The guide worked on tips and asked only to be paid what we felt the tour was worth to us. Some gave a few coins, some gave several notes. We went for somewhere in the middle! The tour took us past a section of the Berlin wall, the museum island, the Holocaust memorial, the Lustgarten, and some amazing buildings of political and religious importance as well as the fuhrerbunker where Hitler is said to have commited suicide - this is now simply a carpark with no real significance so as not to glorify or make a shrine of the area.
In the evening we went on a search for a cool nightclub as Berlin is well known for its nightlife as well as its history. We passed by Club 25 which had a huge line and a cover charge to match, and couldn't find the trendy Kiki Blowfeld we had set out to find. Finally we ended up at a tiny outdoor bar chatting with some very amusing French tourists and later, some German punks who repeatedly burst into chanting metal songs but were very funny and friendly.
On Saturday we went to Berlin's gallery of modern art. It is in an old converted railway station and we thought it had some of the most interesting contemporary art we had seen on the trip (along with some very weird and extreme post modern "art"!). David was especially taken with the enormous Andy Warhols.
In the evening we went to the coolest club we had ever seen. It was called 'Tresor' and was held in a giant warehouse with a very industrial, construction site look. The music was more electro of course, leaning towards the techno progressive side. Downstairs was the hardest, most thumping music I've ever heard in what appeared to be a cave with a blinding strobe light. It was certainly an experience but we didn't stay in that room for very long! Upstairs was more melodic and had a really impressive set up of lights suspended from the ceiling and imbedded in the floor. We couldn't believe how long it took for the club to get full and the music to get interesting. In Germany the party only really starts at about 3am! On our way out we had the interesting and amusing experience of a misunderstanding that showed how naive we were. A funky looking guy in bright yellow glasses asked to speak to David. David gave a friendly reply with a detailed explanation of how to get to the downstairs toilet. Apparently that was not what he was after! After some discussion we realised drugs were the topic and not a wee. We said we were sorry but we don't have any drugs. Finally it was made clear that the guy was offering US drugs! Feeling quite stupid we politely declined and quickly left to go home to bed. A unique experience to end the night and our stay in Berlin!
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