The 12 hour air trip from Singapore to Frankfurt passed slowly as we ate gluggy food and tried to sleep (Qantas food was much better) - then it was all rush to pass through German security and passport control to catch the flight to Berlin with only minutes to spare. What a relief to have our luggage appear on the conveyor belt and Merryle and Margaret beaming welcome at the gate.
Our hotel is Arcotel JohnF and it's in what used to be East Berlin quite near to the famous street Unter den Linden. First impression is - what a lot of building is going on: there is scaffolding, huge cranes, holes in the ground and everywhere a bustle and feeling of energy. It's not only new buildings: a lot of money is being spent refurbishing old buildings and the amount of gilt is dazzling. David liked walking around the cathedral looking at where they've patched up the bullet holes.
We are free until group dinner at the hotel tonight and decide to wander in the surrounding area for a coffee then a canal trip on the River Spree which takes us several miles upstream and is a popular tourist thing. Once we get access to our room and have a shower it's important to have a coffee at a place we spotted this morning, which we manage but get thoroughly lost getting back to the hotel. Google maps is good BUT the whole issue of wi-fi access is very fraught and I could throw Sony Xperia Z in the River Spree. It does take good photos though...
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