Berlin. Europe.

After a 6 hour train journey we arrived in Berlin and booked in to 4 dorm hostel, our first shared room since Oz, so as you can imagine it took a little getting used to. As we didn't arrive till late, we just checked in and then headed out for a bite to eat. having found a lovely restraurant, we couldn't believe how cheap it was, apparently it was the same throughout Berlin due to its struggling econemy, which was good news as our funds were becoming increasingly low, a 3 course meal plus a few alcoholic drinks came to the large sum of £12 - wow. On our first full day we headed off for a free tour of Berlin, which we had heard about in the hostel, its simple the guide takes you on a 3 and a half hour tour of all the major sites while taking in its history and all the guide asks is that if you think he's any good then give him a tip at the end and if you thought he was crap then give him nothing. I have to say the tour was fantastic, we were taken to all the sights starting at the Brandenberg Gate then moving along to the Reichstag (Germany's House of Parliament), Checkpoint Charlie and the Berlin Wall, we were also shown where Hitlers Bunker was and was told all about the Cities history. It was a very interesting tour especially for free (we did tip him by the way) The afternoon was spent at the museum underneath the Holocaust Memorial which heartbreaking when reading the full extent of what happened during the reign of the Nazi's. The night was spent at another cheap restruarant and a few beers in a local pub watching a bit of footy. The following day we went on another tour, this time we caught the train to a place called Sachsenhausen which was where the so called "Model Concentration Camp" was located, a place where the others were modelled on and where all the staff were trained, again it was a heartbreaking experience knowing what went on here and how something like that could ever have happened. The night was he same as the previous two. Our final full day was spent going to see the East Side Gallery which is where the murials are painted on part of the Berlin Wall that is still left, we also visited The Olympic Stadium where the 1936 Olympics were held as well as the 2006 World Cup Final. That was that, no sooner had we begun to get comfortable in Berlin it was time to move on. Berlin though is fantastic city with plenty to do and see and cheap!!!!!

Lee