Berlin Denouement
After settling into Schlafmeile Hostel, we made our way to the Hauptbahnhoff (Main Train Station) to organise our tickets for the trip to the home town of Madzia’s Grandparents, Koszalin, Poland. We initially decided on staying in Berlin for four days, however after an extremely busy week travelling and our proximity to Madzia’s family, we changed our plans. Surprise, surprise :) So, we arranged tickets for travel the next day, which is fairly straight forward if you are prepared to travel on Regional Trains rather than Inter City or International trains, which require reservations and booking well ahead of time.
The neighbourhood of our Hostel in Friedrichshein was extremely pleasant, broad tree lined streets with small parks scattered throughout, young families out for their evening stroll and picnic in the park, people everywhere yet no hustle and bustle.
There is a sense of melancholy to the city, yet this is offset by a youthful exuberance that shines through. The mixture of Gothic and Imperial era architecture interspersed with uber-modern renovations, rebuilding and developments reflects the mood of this emotionally scarred city.
Our taxi trip to the Hauptbahnhoff in the morning was a mini tour, taking us past remnants of the Berlin Wall, the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag. One memory I will always keep of this city is the taxi driver pointing to a wall pockmarked with bullet holes “ping, ping, ping”.
Our sojourn in Berlin was memorable, albeit brief, and it was a great introduction to Europe for Zofia and myself. We are looking forward to returning and exploring this city of juxtapositions further.
