On my way to Berlin:
I splurged on my trip and upgraded my seat and it was definitely worth it! I was in the plane for a 9 hour jaunt over to Amsterdam and the extra leg room and slightly wider seat made all the difference! I flew with KLM and was impressed with their friendliness and perks that come complimentary with my flight. I sat down to a pillow and blanket on my seat, a hot towel when the flight commenced, a drink and dinner (all alcoholic beverages are free), free new released movies, lights off, a hot towel before breakfast, and a hot breakfast! I would recommend KLM for any long distance flight.
My layover was in Amsterdam, which is where I bought my first two Starbucks mugs, was easy to navigate as Amsterdam is an English friendly city. From here I hopped on the KLM city hopper plane, which is a little older and smaller, but all you need for the 1 hour flight to Berlin.
Day 1:
Berlin is so pretty, the buildings are so old and historic and the streets are lined with cobblestone sidewalks. It is exactly what I pictured in my head of Germany; keeping in mind I have only seen Berlin thus far. My bestie, Kristina, and her fiancee, Konrad, have been so welcoming and it has been a lot of fun to be around both of them.
We then took the train (S-bahn U-bahn) to the electronics store to find a sim card for my phone, HA, we still haven't figured out how to use it outside the apartment, all in due time. And then we headed over to Kristina's Mother-In-Law's house for some coffee and to pick up a bike. As you can see from the above pictures, bike riding didn't go to well for me! I begged and pleaded with Kristina and told her I didn't know how to ride a bike, but she didn't believe and no one does. EVER. So now, I hold this picture as proof, that I cannot ride a bike. After the wonderful bike ride we came home and napped. Now I keep saying that I'm not jet lagged and that I would be tired even if I was home but I think I have to face the truth that it is indeed jet lag. I am tired. When 2pm hits here I'm exhausted and it takes all my being to keep on going, so taking a nap helps and then I sleep through the night. Only a few more days and I think I will have it covered.
Day 2:
Today we went shopping and man did we shop, 6 hours had come and gone before we made our way home! It's 6pm here and it feels like midnight, but I think because I didn't take a nap I am even more exhausted. Or it could be after a full day of walking everywhere we had to climb up 5 flights of stairs to get home. That's right, Kristina's apartment doesn't have an elevator, so each day we climb 5 flights of daunting stairs! A good cardio workout for the day! In a city so rich in history I am definitely getting my exercise in with all the walking we do!
It is definitely a different world over here and I must say that Canadians really, truly are the friendliest people because a lot of the people here are rude. They stare you up and down when you walk by, they don't help you in the stores, and most, when asked a question sigh as if it's a huge inconvenience, this makes me miss home. I like friendly people and I am scared to think what the rest of my trip will be like in terms of friendliness as I have heard Paris isn't too friendly either. Oh well kindness doesn't hurt me so I will be as kind as possible. AND BONUS, Konrad speaks French so I don't need to worry about butchering the French language in France
Tomorrow we are off to conquer the multiple lists Kristina has going for us and visit the East-Side Gallery, so stay tuned my friends!
Haben Sie einen großen Tag meine Freunde
(Have a great day my friends)
