Nov 2008

We didn’t realise just how much we needed a good night sleep and some down-time until we awoke. Rising at the dignified hour of 9am, which impressed us given our exhaustion, we were escorted into the Gruner’s sunroom, where Hilde had set up a beautiful table filled with bretzels, fresh jam from the garden berries and steaming hot coffee. We chatted and ate, and planned to go into the town in the afternoon for a wander around.

The rest of the morning was spent catching up on writing this thing, while Josh was content to nap. As we’d been so late the night before, lunch was a chance to share the delicious meal Hilde had prepared for us, and we were sighing with exuberant gratefulness at the effort they had gone to. It was the closest we’d come to feeling like home in a long time, and made us sigh with content. An entrée of salads and smoked meats was followed by a mouth-watering meal of German treats. When Hilde and Fritz wouldn’t take our full-faced no’s as an answer, we all devoured fresh fruit salad and delicious ice-cream until we couldn’t eat any more. It felt like a Christmas lunch.

We then drove to the centre of Biberach, a small, quaint area, perfectly maintained. After relaxing with a coffee in the square with the Gruners, we went our separate ways to wander the old town. The sun streamed around the white, bold buildings, contrasting with the red flowerpots suspended from their windows. We had decided that we would bake the Gruners some Anzac biscuits, and found all the ingredients we needed (even some form of golden syrup…), and then ended up strolling in and out of shops until we made our way home.

After our huge lunch, we had a small dinner, which I struggled with, as I was still so full! Afterwards, we gathered around to show them through some of our travel photos over the biscuits. Soon we were off to bed, knowing tomorrow was the day we were arriving in our new home city.

We packed up our gear and made our way to the train station with the hope of a small line at the glass dome to finally climb it, but after we carried all our gear there and discovered the line was longer than we’d seen yet, we lugged everything back to the station. Now, sitting outside a café by the train station, reality began to sink in. It was the end of this road, and a new one was about to start. One that didn’t include a different hostel bed every night, eating wherever and whenever we could, and lugging our lives around on our backs. It did, however mean the holiday was nearly over. It would soon be back to the reality of work, routine and a (somewhat) normal daily life.

We ate a last bite together of paninis and sweet treats, and bid farewell to Andy, off to catch a plane back to London. It was sad and strange to wave goodbye to our travelling companion of seven weeks. It felt like we were leaving something behind… Josh and I made our way to the train platform, Josh elated that he would finally get to ride a high-speed sparkling new ICE train. We were heading to southern Germany to stay with friends of Josh’s family, in a small town called Biberach. It would be a few days calm before the foreseeable storm of Amsterdam. Waiting at the platform, we were glad to see the train arrive on time, but it didn’t look like the ICE trains we’d seen before. Boarding the train through the old, tired doors, and glancing down a rundown passage with faded compartment seats, we were a bit confused.

Grasping our seat reservations, we entered what we thought was our cabin to see our seats occupied, and angry passengers saying that since the ICE train hadn’t turned up, everyone’s reservations were void. So much for paying for a reservation… We scrambled to the next available seat so at least we could sit down for the journey, which was with four middle-aged Germans. As all of the announcements were in German, and German only, the gentleman of the group became our translator. The story was that after problems with the ICE, a normal train was sent (the one we were enjoying the un-comfort of as they spoke), and since it couldn’t run at high-speed, we would be 90 minutes late. Josh and I were going to miss our connecting trains, and weren’t sure how we could make it to Biberach.

Everyone is the cabin was clearly peeved off, as we were. The ticket officer arrived at our cabin, and her explanation of what was going on was translated by our new-found train friends, and scribbling over our ticket, the officer rewrote our entire journey plan. We could still get to Biberach that night, although it would be a bit later than our original arrival of 7.30pm. Passing around our bags of lollies, we listened to German cursing about the way the day had turned out. Our hosts, Fritz and Hilde Gruner, didn’t have a cellphone number to reach them on, but we managed to contact their son, Patrick, who we’d visited in Munich. He passed on the message that at this rate, we would hopefully get there by 9.30pm.

Jumping on a different connection, we finally made it onto an ICE train in Ulm, which is incredibly fast to ride on. The train tilts as you speed around corners at almost 200km/h. We had beautiful seats in first class (thanking those winning train tickets again!), and it was surely a step up from the first part of the journey. I grabbed a bite to eat at the onboard café while Josh looked after our gear, and a lovely German woman struck up conversation about our travels and how far we’d come. I still couldn’t believe we were at the end of this phase as I rattled off country after country that we’d visited. The food was pretty good for a train meal as well…

Looking at the time now, it appeared that our new ICE train was running a bit slow. Typical. We still had one more connection to make in Ulm, about half an hour from Biberach. Josh hailed down one of the train staff to see whether we would get there on time, and after to-ing and fro-ing, and checking and re-checking, he informed us that no, the connection couldn’t wait, and we would have to wait another hour or so for the next train. Back on the phone to Patrick, and our hearts sunk as we arrived to hear the whistle of the conductors and our train pull out of the station. Another round of waiting… and finally, at 11pm, we pulled into Biberach station. Exhausted and red-eyed, we could see the Gruner’s waiting patiently with open arms. We drove back to their place, and were so grateful to be nearing a proper bed. After a quiet drink with them before bed, they insisted we sleep in as long as we liked the next morning, and that we would all share breakfast together when we rose. Basically already asleep at the table, we crawled into bed.

Our day began with a trip to the Turkish markets in Kreuzberg – a very short walk from Zach’s place. Tucking into spinach and feta parcels, we strolled through the stalls, searching for the ingredients to cook our hosts a classic brunch (minus the bacon since Jesse is vegetarian). Complete with bread, eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes, avocado and cabbage (for bubble and squeak…), we made our way back to the flat to start cooking.

Zach and Jesse had never seen bubble and squeak before, and Zach decided ‘squiddly po’ was a much better name. We devoured the delicious brunch, and were introduced to a friend of theirs, as well as another couchsurfer, Kate, who had turned up to take our place. We were staying at a hostel that night, as my sister Sarah and her boyfriend Mike were due to arrive for the night the following day. The day passed very quickly, and before we knew it, it was time to move our gear and check into the hostel quite a way across town. We decided to go back to Zach and Jesse’s that night for drinks, as Kreuzberg was the place to go, and Josh and Andrew were very excited at the prospect of 50c swap-a-crate beer that was actually decent to drink.

We had a quick dinner at the Chinese restaurant by our hostel, and ventured back across the city to Zach’s. Many drinks followed, and the boys enjoyed some apple-flavoured tobacco from Zach’s Turkish pipe. Kate, the new couchsurfer, was studying to be a vet and introduced us to the pure magic of slug sex through the power of you tube, which has to be seen to be believed…

After a boogie and a sip of the Polish vodka we were still carting around with us, we made our way to a bar called ‘ä’ down the road from the flat. Kate had a 7am train the next morning, but with some not so gentle persuasion, we managed to drag her out, although she did manage a nap at the table… It was a great night out, followed by a very, very long metro ride home (thankfully they run all night), and we eventually crawled into bed.

After sleeping in, and waking feeling a little worse for wear, we made our way to the train station to book our tickets for the next day. Leaving Berlin for Biberach in southern Germany for two nights with Josh’s family friends. We thought we would check out the line again to climb the glass dome, but a standing queue was still winding its way beyond the doors and down the steps, so again, we moved on.

We asked for directions to a flea market, which we found a few metro stops away in Tiergarten. Hundreds of stalls filled with gems awaited, but most of the gems were sadly too difficult to relocate to Amsterdam! Old retro and antique furniture, books, jewellery, clothes, hats, old camera equipment… We managed to find a perfect hat for each of us, so we did get to take something away with us.

Very hungry by this stage, we weren’t sure which area to venture into for food, but saw a beer sign lit up on a lamppost, a sign that food may be near, but not appearing to lead anywhere. It turned out to be a restaurant in a boat on the river, hidden far from sight, but filled with what looked like many happy customers – always a good sign! We sat up on the deck, all of us choosing amazing fish dishes; something we hadn’t had in a while.

From there, we walked through the park to the Victory Tower Memorial, which we decided to conquer the steps of to get a great view. Our late night was creeping up on me, and with the prospect of another one ahead, we headed back to the hostel afterwards so I could attempt a nap before Sarah arrived. I think I managed a few winks before a phone call came to say that they sadly wouldn’t be making it…

We decided to go out for one last German meal as a party of three on our last night of travels together on the journey. A place around the corner from the hostel was recommended to us, but we arrived to find a private 50th birthday party well underway. The back up plan was one the beer garden by the zoo, so we jumped on the metro to make our way there. After a traditional German meal and a lovely beer, we ended up heading back to Zach and Jesse’s for one last night with these two seriously awesome dudes.

After a drink a their flat, we decided to check out another spot in the Kreuzberg bar scene. In the pouring rain. We had been amazingly lucky with weather on the trip, until we hit Berlin… Passing by so many little ‘hole in the wall’ bars jammed full of people, we found a spare booth in a retro bar. Fantastic music kept us bopping along all night with a drink or two. All pretty exhausted, it was actually nice to have a very low-key night to send us off. We loved that people off the street come around the bars selling bretzels and nice hot food…

When things wound down, we made our way home in the rain, kindly escorted to the metro station by a friendly Australian who had just moved to Berlin, and we met while walking in the wrong direction to the station… After a million changes to get across town and over an hour on the metro, we crawled into bed for our last night’s sleep in Berlin.

So... we're actually missing a day (the one I spent in bed), but we figured you were overdue for an update, or rather a backdate... so that will come in due time. By now, the boys shaped beards were in full force and at their peak; ready to be 'moulded into magic...', we were exhausted and just about ready to settle somewhere for a while, and our money was whittling away to a mere memory...

The last morning in Dresden was spent packing up Christine’s flat and drowning ourselves in coffee before dropping our gear at the station. We had a few hours to spare before we were due for that day’s appointment – a tour of the VW Assembly Factory. Many of you may think that this would be one of the last things I would want to do, but the building itself, which we had driven past a few times, is absolutely incredible. So, the boys would get their technology fix, and I would get to see how it was all housed in an amazing glass structure.

We sat outside the Hygiene Museum (yes, Dresden has one, and it had been the subject of a running joke during our stay) for a coffee, and then we wandered through the extensive gardens by the factory before venturing in for our tour. Sheets of glass make up the exterior, so everything is visible and on display. Car frames are stacked up the height of the building, creating a curtain of glass and metal that is constantly being emptied and refilled. All the workmen wear white, emphasizing just how clean and pristine everything is. This is the site where they assemble their luxury Phaeton series to order. Customers come and watch their car being put together, and push buttons for some of the automated processes themselves. Amazing mechanical processes run through the building; magnetic floors guide man-less trolleys to their stations – all very high-tech. We got shown one of the assembled cars, feeling like we were at an open home for some luxury apartment we couldn’t afford, before taking a virtual test-drive. Josh picked a route through the Alps – a bad move, which left us queasy for the afternoon. It was then off to the station to catch our train to Berlin.

Our arrival at the brand new glass dome of the Berlin Hauptbanhof sheltered us from the heavy rain outside. This huge station covers three levels, and we arrived at the bottom floor, below a level of shopping, and more trains arriving on the top. A glorified shopping mall with a train station in there somewhere sits underneath 1.2 million kilograms of glass. Now there was yet another metro system to navigate, as well as Berlin’s S-Bahn inner city rail system. We had posted a message on the Berlin couchsurfing board as we’d had no luck finding a place, and were offered beds by Zach. He and his brother had moved to Berlin from California in the Kreuzberg area, which was filled with many of the great bars and places to go out in Berlin.

It was dark now, and we found our way to Zach’s just as the rain started to get heavier, and arrived to their fantastic place they had taken over from friends. Strangely enough, our last couch surfing experience for this trip had led us to our first couch surfing experience not staying with the country’s natives. It was our first experience of communicating with hosts in a European city that share our first language, although Jesse was doing pretty well with the German, and they had Spanish down, so we were a few behind… After a beer, we strolled down to their favourite neighbourhood Kebab store (and we had read in the Lonely Planet that Kebab’s are Berlin’s famous food, and the first Doner-style Kebab was from Kreuzberg itself…). We had to admit they were very tasty. It was getting quite late, and the rain wasn’t going anywhere, but Zach went out to meet a friend for a drink with Josh and Andrew in tow, while Jesse and I called it a night.

We awoke to a treat of fresh pancakes with Canadian maple syrup cooked by Zach (delish!) for breakfast, preparing us for a day of sightseeing. After a brief encounter with a handmade chocolate shop for coffees and tastings, we stepped into the lobby of a hotel on the same street, with a towering fish tank wrapped around a glass elevator of the entrance. Mesmerized, we watched guests descending though a translucent wall of fish before we decided we’d move on.

Now we were across from the book-burning memorial – a sealed room beneath the ground lined with empty bookshelves you view through a glass window from above. Discovering the area on foot, we made our way to the Brandenburg Gate, and our first glimpse of the outline of the Berlin wall marked on the roads throughout the city. Nearby, the Reichstag building with its unique climbable glass dome ceiling awaited, although after seeing the line, we decided that could wait for another day.

We walked through Tiergarten to the Soviet Statue, and then on to the Jewish Holocaust Memorial, where thousands of concrete blocks of varying heights on undulating ground create a grey and harsh ‘cemetery’; rows and rows of endless ‘graves’ just waiting for you to get lost amongst. The museum lies beneath, and you have to enter from a certain point to even see it, but upon discovering the space, we decided to subject ourselves to more astonishingly devastating recounts of life during the Holocaust. Reading notes salvaged from the time were probably some of the most shocking things to read, the truth striking a real chord. It was exhausting to be down there, and a while later, we emerged from underground.

Surfacing in completely the wrong area for food, we paced the streets, back and forth, until we finally found a deli and ate sandwiches at a leaner outside, realising later we should have definitely sat down. More walking led us to Potsdamer Platz, where remnants of the wall remain, as the temperature really started to drop. We followed the footprint of the wall towards Checkpoint Charlie, the crossing point from East to West Berlin during the war. Arriving via the temporary exhibition on the war being reconstructed to be permanent, by the time we got there we’d had a complete overload of information so late in the day. Checkpoint Charlie even had a place where you could get your passport stamped… come on…

Andrew and I decided that we had spent enough of our trip engrossed in the war and communism, and planned to avoid anything else related to either for the rest of our Berlin days. We were meeting Zach that night to go to the free Museum night, so we started to make our way towards the area, before discovering he was running late just as the cold rain began to pour. Taking shelter in a nearby café with a hot drink until Zach arrived, we then visited the Alte Gallery, housing 18th and 19th Century paintings (the boys were happy they had heard of some of the artists, including Monet, Manet, Cezanne, Degas…). We ended up heading back to Zach’s for an early night with a few quiet drinks.

Further apologies for the fact that this blog thing still isn't finished... More hiccups with the internet, and the next entry after this one requires a bit of writing from Josh since I was unwell, so I apologise in advance if that one is delayed... not that there would be any reason it would be... hmmmm... well, back to the last week or so of the trip...

After some breakfast from the bakery on the corner of Christine’s street, we ventured into Dresden under a coat of grey rainclouds. We started in the old town (which is actually newer than the ‘new town’ now that they’ve rebuilt it), and Josh and Andy were immediately taken with the 1-euro wurst stand, and after some awful coffees (Andy poured his town a drain in the town square), we decided to start our sightseeing.

We started outside the architecturally grand Opera House before entering the expansive grounds of the Zwinger, which housed an incredible sculptural fountain, and a porcelain glockenspiel that began to chime just as the rain began to fall. Ducking for cover, we took shelter in the Lady Church, which has only recently finished being reconstructed to the original style and plans. Remnants of the original building stand outside as a constant reminder of its bullet-riddled history. We wandered towards the river past a porcelain mural, over 50 metres in length.

Across the bridge was the ‘new town’ and we walked back towards Neustadt where we’d eaten the night before and found a café for lunch. The food was tasty, although over here they tend to drown everything in dressing… We trolled through second-hand stores; I was tempted by a hat, but held off for a better one. The plan was to meet Christine for a drink after her exam before she left for her parents, but when we didn’t hear from her, we eventually went back to her place. Sadly, we found a postcard saying she hadn’t heard from us, and she hadn’t received our messages and she’d had to leave. Such a pity, as that was the last we got to see of her. We ended up having a quiet night in from the rain, which suited me quite fine, as I wasn’t feeling that fantastic and wanted to be back on form for our upcoming trip to Berlin, the last destination before we parted ways!

The next morning I decided to catch up on sleep and have a day around the house, leaving Josh and Andrew to do a bit of exploring without me. Josh will have to fill you in on that day though...