In Berlin, Day One

Well, as you know from my last post, I got into Berlin at around 4PM Friday night, 9/23. It took me almost two hours to get to my hotel, and about three miles of walking. I'm a stubborn guy, you see, and I just couldn't find the U-Bahn or S-Bahn at the Berlin Hauptbahnhof because the signage isn't that great (uncharacteristically of the other places I'd been so far) so I figured I'd just start walking in the right general direction, see some of Berlin, and just stumble on a station. I started to follow several groups of people leaving the Hbf (abbreviation for Hauptbahnhof, which I'll use from now on to save typing time) but, doggone it, it didn't work. No stations to be found. Finally I stumbled across a couple of Politzisten, neither of whom spoke any English. They laughed at me, but kindly mimed the directions I should follow to a station.

I finally found my hotel, which is one street over from the Kurfurstendamm, the major shopping boulevard in old West Berlin.

Very decent room, but a whole lot of perks -- a full tub, not just a tiny shower stall, soap was provided, and a mini fridge with food/drink you could buy. Looking at my watch I realized that I couldn't do too much touristy stuff (most attractions close at 6:00 or 7:00), so instead I turned practical.

First stop was a supermarket where I bought myself some food for dinner, for breakfast the next morning, and for lunch while on the prowl Saturday.

Here is a sampling of what I bought. Some beer, yogurt (beer and yogurt go together, I think), babybel cheese, rolls called fussball brotchen because they're vaguely shaped like American footballs, a Braeburn apple (I know my Grandmother will appreciate that) and a sausage in a red casing that looks like kielbasa but which has a milder flavor. I stocked the mini fridge with my stuff and took out the hotel stuff that wouldn't go bad without refrigeration (ie Coke, candy bars).

Next stop was laundry. I only brought carryon luggage so the number of outfits I have is limited. I had planned on at least one laundry day, and my two night stay in Berlin is the perfect opportunity to let things dry. Plus, how could I waste having a perfectly good bathtub?

Here you can see some shirts in the sink with the detergent, while some socks are rinsing/steeping in the tub. On the rack above the sink you'll note, from right to left, the packet of Tide detergent for hand washing, latex gloves to protect my manicure, and, of course, my beer.

I also took the time to finish the second Hamburg blog which I posted Saturday morning, local time.

I'm a little disappointed that I couldn't get in any real sightseeing today. I thought I had left early enough from Hamburg, but in retrospect I could have seen more there, left later, and not have lost anything in Berlin. Oh, well, constructive knowledge for my next trip!!

Location:Xantener Straße,Berlin,Germany