From Prague to Berlin

Ok so it doesn’t work at well as “From Paris to Berlin,” but it does describe my day. I got up really early and got around. I went down and did a final check out and received my 1000 Kc deposit back. Varie, Iain, and I went and had breakfast in the Menza (my last meal there) and then headed upstairs to get my stuff. Wow it looks like I have so little with it all setting in the room, but it is a lot and I thought what am I going to do when I get to Berlin and I have to get to the hotel all by myself. Well I guess there isn’t anything I should worry about now, I don’t even know where I arrive at in Berlin, so I guess I’ll figure it out on the way. We headed down and waited for my flatmate Nastiya to come down, she told me last night she wanted to join us to go to the train station. We headed to the tram stop and waited for the tram. It seemed like the longest ride I have ever been on, and during it I caught my last glimpse of Prague Castle. We arrived at the train station and I transferred my final Czech crowns to Euros so I would have money when I arrived in Berlin, one last thing to worry about. We went up to the platform and waited for my train to come. When it did we loaded my stuff on the train and said our goodbyes. It was one of the hardest things for me to do here, it was easy saying goodbye to Prague. I had a great day yesterday wandering around Prague, but saying goodbye to my friends was hard. It’s not forever goodbye, we all have msn, e-mail, and I’ll come visit and vice versa, but it’s going to be a while before I see everyone again. Varie and I were both in tears and we texted each other back and forth a few times after they left for about an hour after my train left.

Me and Varie (Scottish)

Me and Iain (Scottish)

Me and Nastyia (Russian)

Prague's Main Train Station on the Platform

My Train

Me on the Train

The train ride started off ok. I read a bit of my Czechs in a Nutshell book and then I decided I would eat my food I brought with me. We stopped a few times to let people on and off the train. When we left Decin (a Czech town) we had passport control come through and I received a new stamp in my Passport! I don’t have that many, but it made me excited. Shortly after crossing into Germany we lost the cooling power in our car. There must have been some problem, because I overheard an English speaking person that the other cars were cool. So I had to put my hair up in bunches (that’s for Varie…pigtails) to try to help with the heat. The train ride was really beautiful, I’m glad I got to travel like this, we don’t get it that often in America. I finally heard where our final stop was on the train and I found a pamphlet that talked about all the stops in the pocket in the seat in front of me.

Castle along the way.

A suspension bridge that I liked.

Last Czech town.

First German town.

So I started to devise a plan to where I was going to get off in Berlin and how I was going to get to the hotel. There were three stops in Berlin, and after looking at the maps, I decided it would be best to just go to the final stop and get off there. I would have to take the metro one stop (this is where my hotel I’ll be staying at on Thursday night) and then switch to another and take it several stops to a stop that I hoped would be close to my hotel. After feeling pretty confident in my decision, I situated my stuff and went back to reading my book. When we got to the stop before mine, most people got off since it was the main train station in Berlin (I’ll go take pictures of it, sometime this week, it’s brand new and really interesting) and I gathered my stuff up towards the doorway and got myself ready to get off in two trips. I arrived at my train station and I dropped half my bags on the train platform and went back in for my big suitcase.

After getting off I looked around. Where to now I thought? I had no clue. I was used to trying to understand Czech signs and everything was in German here. So I thought maybe if I headed up to the surface I could look for signs and try to figure out where to go. I found up on the top a machine that did transportation passes, but they didn’t have the 7 day option, so I did a 120 min option so I could have enough time to make it to my hotel. I took an elevator down and tried to figure out if I was on the right platform. There were several to choose from and I wanted to make sure I went the right direction. Well it turned out I didn’t pick the right one, but with the help of a kind stranger I figured out where to go and went and waited. I hopped on the metro and got off the next stop. I then had no clue where to go. So I did what anyone else would do in a new city, ask someone (and I picked someone young hoping their English would be ok). The girl told me to go up to the street level and then cross the road and go up the elevator to the platform. So I did so and made it just in time for a metro. I road the metro several stops and finally arrived at my stop. I got off and then looked right and left. I had no clue which way to go. So I walked to one end and found a map on the wall. I found out I walked the wrong way, but I took a picture of the map so I could look at it (my map in my book just cut off before the street my hotel was on). I went to the other end and then started the treck up the stairs. I first took my smaller bag up to the landing then went back for my other suitcase. A nice older gentleman asked if he could help, but it was way too heavy and I told him thank you, danke (in German) and went on up to the top. I turned around to go get my other bag, and a younger man was walking up with it in hand. I said thank you, danke and he smiled and went on his way. Wow, I have never meet so many nice strangers before. In Prague everyone is pushy and in a hurry and wouldn’t really stop twice to help someone, but here I have received help from people even if I didn’t ask for it. So I grabbed my bags and started to walk towards my hotel. I realized I didn’t know where it was, so I asked someone on a bike at a crosswalk to see if they could help me. They didn’t speak a lot of English, but they could tell me how to get to my hotel. It turned out that I was pretty much looking at it; I just didn’t see the entrance.

A map to help me find my hotel.

My Hotel for most of the week.

So I arrived and checked in. Wow was I tired and hot! I received my room key (I’m on the sixth floor) and then the lady at the counter asked if I wanted a salty or sweet snack and I decided that sweet would be the way to go, then she asked if I needed help with my bags. I said yeah with the bigger one and I headed up with everything else. A few minutes after I walked in a man was at my door with my suitcase and I was all settled. I then started to shift through things and a few minutes later a lady was at the door with my snack and two bottles of water. Water! I really was thirsty and I was so happy to see it. Then I asked her about the internet. She said that there was a plug in and a cable in the wardrobe. She told me I had one hour free and then I could pay 15 Euros for the rest of the day. Oh boy, I’m going to have to cut my time down to one hour a day on the net and feel pretty disconnected to everyone this week. I was really hoping for free internet like at many hotels I’ve stayed at in America. So I decided I’ll just have to write blogs before I get on at night and then just post the text so I can do other things as well on the net. I started to get hungry so I packed up my purse and headed downstairs to the front desk to find out about a grocery store, or a restaurant nearby.

I went to the front desk and asked about a grocery store. She pointed one out on the map and then I asked about an area that might have several restaurants to choose from. She showed me three areas, with one being within walking distance. I said thank you and headed out to go towards the grocery store. I thought that I would try to cut down on eating out too much and just grabbing some sandwich stuff at a grocery store for my dinners during the week. Well when I arrived at the grocery store I found out that it closed on Sundays at 4pm (2 hours ago) so I said oh well, I’m just glad I asked about restaurants. So I continued on and crossed the road and arrived at a square. It was beautiful! It had three older buildings in it, and I took some pictures thinking I’ll have to look up what they are later. I walked down one side of the square stopping at the little restaurants along the way looking at prices on the menus that were setting on little tables outside the restaurants. I didn’t see prices I liked too much, most of them costing over 10 Euros for food and I’d still have to get a drink. So I continued on until I got to the last corner of the square. There was a little restaurant on the corner and I thought the prices looked good, so I headed in and asked if they were serving food and if I could seat myself. The waitress said yes and to choose a table, so I picked a table outside on the portico and looked through the menu more closely. I decided on a dish that had chicken, rice and vegetables and ordered a cola light (yep cola is cheaper then beer in Berlin). It was delicious, full of flavor and mixed veggies. I was so happy to seem them! I finished and the waitress came and cleared my plate. After I finished my drink, I went in to pay. My meal ended up being 9.10 Euros, and I rounded up to 10 Euros (I read in a book it’s polite to round up to the nearest Euro for a tip) and left.

Where I ate dinner.

I walked around the square taking a few pictures and headed back to the hotel so I could relax for the evening.

Buildings in the square.

Street performers.

When I saw this pigeon it made me think of Varie (who absolutely loves them!).

Well I should get this posted, call my parents, and look up some information for tomorrow, I only have an hour, but I do promise to add pictures after I get home (so you’ll have to check back after next weekend to see my pictures). Bis morgen (until tomorrow in German).

My room.

View from my window.