BERLIN IS BUZZING

APOLOGIES HERE FOR THE LACK OF PARAGRAPH SPACING. NO MATTER HOW IT LOOKS ON THE DRAFT,IT AIN´T APPEARING THAT WAY IN THE PUBLISHED BLOG...SUGGESTIONS WELCOME :) PART TWO – FRIEDRICHSHAIN, EAST BERLIN So from a quiet country toytown to a scruffy East Berlin district…I like variety! First impressions were wary. Old, badly in need of reforming, ‘soviet’ looking apartment blocks next door to newly refurbished ones. Loads of reforming work going on. This is an up and coming area and I feel that in 5 years time it would be unrecognizable to me. No lift and a three floor climb on linoleum clad stairs to my second German ´home´. It was like stepping back in time with faded, mottled flaking painted walls and ancient, but nice, wooden doors. Inside the small flat had a narrow kitchen, small bathroom, owner’s bedroom and a large living room with my guest bed in a corner. No TV but as I didn´t miss one last week, I didn´t miss it this week…except that Murray was playing in Wimbledon finals! There was a tiny balcony off the lounge which I made brief visits to between heavy downpours. An exploratory wander around the area showed an incredible amount of eateries, bars and small one-off shops. And how lucky am I….a superb health food supermarket a stone´s throw away….no I didn´t throw one… really. Then nearby Boxhager park was full of young folk chilling out with mates. And the whole area was just full of life. I´m definitely in the senior citizen’s league here. As the week went on it really grew on me. I felt safe and enjoyed the atmosphere. And there’s a lot of greenery to break up the blocks of flats. It lies between two railway stations, Ostkreutz and Warshauer Strasse so a choice of two interesting daily walks and access to all of Berlin and further afield. One stop to the east and I was in a beautiful Treptower Park with its monument to Russian war victims. Good use was made of my railpass. And hours were spent wandering around the centre too. East Side Gallery is the name given to a remaining stretch of the Berlin Wall which has been painted over by artists from many countries with the theme being their reflections on the Wall. It´s free to view, unlike many places and worth finding near to Ostbahn station. Some Berlin facts…3.5 million inhabitants, 175 museums, 4650 restaurants, 55 bridges over the River Spree and 900 bars. No I didn´t manage to get around all of the latter but did find the recommended Hops and Barley, a quaint tiled bar and brewery. A small beer, at 2.10 euros, seated outside, was welcome. To see some of the aforementioned bridges, I recommend taking one of the numerous boat trips on offer. A one hour trip at around 11euros allows you to view this fascinating city from a different perspective. They really have made excellent use of their waterways with lovely, almost countryside looking riverside walks. Wedding party boats were in abundance.. a lovely idea….for good weather! Berlin is simply full of touristy ideas so no need to be bored here. However a day trip out side is worth doing, especially to Potsdam. This was referred to as The Forbidden Town during war times. There was so much to see that a two day stay would have been better. A guided tour costing 27 euros covered some of the main sights. The Tudor influenced Cecilienhof Palace, where Churchill, Truman and Stalin thrashed out how to control a post war Germany; The Russian Colony (this town was at the centre of the Cold war and the KGB HQ was sighted here until 1994; the Glienicker Bridge where captured spies were traded; the communist military quarters are now beautiful residential homes; the Dutch quarter with wooden houses and orchards; and the stunning, elaborate rooms within `Frederick The Great´s´ Sanssouci Palace. What a man he was...a philosopher, linguist, musician, lover of the arts and a reluctant military leader. Oh he only saw his wife every 2 years, died childless, buried beside his favourite dogs and Voltaire lived with him…errmmmm no comments there…. There is also a branch of the supermarket ALDI. So why mention that? Well it’s the only ALDI in Germany with a yacht landing pier for customers! Potsdam is one very rich looking and attractive town with an exceedingly dark past.