Berlin - Friday
I jumped on the train in Utrecht and settled in for the ride to Berlin. I had to change in Duisberg (but, alas, didn't see Herr Lipp) and then had another four hours in the train. I sat in the wrong seat for a bit, but at a later station an old man with two grandchildren(?) in tow said I was sitting in his seat. He directed me to the next carriage; it turned out that he had worked for Krupp in Melbourne building trains many years ago.
When I got to Berlin Zoo station I wandered out to grab a cab -- it would have been easier if I'd carried on to Berlin Ostbahnhof, for reasons which will soon become obvious. The cab seemed to be taking me the long way, until the driver explained that this Sunday is the running of the Berlin Marathon. The penny finally dropped as to why I had so much trouble getting a room this weekend. The route from Zoo to the hotel had to avoid all the roads which had already been closed off; getting off at Ostbahnhof would have been much easier.
The hotel is way out east; sort of like being in a hotel in West Footscray (not that there's anything wrong with that). It just takes a little while to get into where the action and the museums are. I soon got my bearings and rang Lindy at her hotel, she wasn't in but rang me about an hour later.
I went to their hotel on Friday evening for a drink before their conference dinner and we arranged to meet up on Saturday morning. Then I had quite a nice (and not too expensive) Italian meal in Oranienstraße before returning to the hotel and falling stunned.
I jumped on the train in Utrecht and settled in for the ride to Berlin. I had to change in Duisberg (but, alas, didn't see Herr Lipp) and then had another four hours in the train. I sat in the wrong seat for a bit, but at a later station an old man with two grandchildren(?) in tow said I was sitting in his seat. He directed me to the next carriage; it turned out that he had worked for Krupp in Melbourne building trains many years ago.
When I got to Berlin Zoo station I wandered out to grab a cab -- it would have been easier if I'd carried on to Berlin Ostbahnhof, for reasons which will soon become obvious. The cab seemed to be taking me the long way, until the driver explained that this Sunday is the running of the Berlin Marathon. The penny finally dropped as to why I had so much trouble getting a room this weekend. The route from Zoo to the hotel had to avoid all the roads which had already been closed off; getting off at Ostbahnhof would have been much easier.
The hotel is way out east; sort of like being in a hotel in West Footscray (not that there's anything wrong with that). It just takes a little while to get into where the action and the museums are. I soon got my bearings and rang Lindy at her hotel, she wasn't in but rang me about an hour later.
I went to their hotel on Friday evening for a drink before their conference dinner and we arranged to meet up on Saturday morning. Then I had quite a nice (and not too expensive) Italian meal in Oranienstraße before returning to the hotel and falling stunned.
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