After two days of grueling lessons, we were all ready to embark on our trip to Berlin, the capital of Germany! In our previous trip, to Vienna, insufficient preparations were made, and so it was a rather unmemorable experience for me.
This time, we were well prepared. We did ample research on the history of Berlin as well as her many places of interest! At about two in the afternoon, we grabbed our backpacks and headed to Florenc where our bus towards Germany awaited us! And as usual, we had our Nutella sandwiches with us, it made the five-hour bus ride a hell lot easier!
It was already nightfall when we arrived in Berlin, approximately 8p.m. We then went to the nearest metro and bought our CityTour passes at 15.90 euro a person. It was recommended by wikitravel :)) these passes were really worth it because we got discounts the many attractions that we later visited! Awesomeness! Thank u wikitravel!
At the same station, we just couldn't resist the German chocolates that lined the vending machines!
I was bone tired by the time we checked into our hostel! Just ask JC and and JY! I would probably rate our hostel as the worst part of my Berlin experience! We had to share our bathrooms and WC with the rest of the kids on our floor. Yes, you heard me, we were staying with a bunch of noisy Spanish teenagers! Oh, what a racket they made! Some boys even tried to scare us when we were showering! :( Immature kids!
Still bleary-eyed from the lack of sleep, we trudged on to the metro. There, a nice German gentleman helped us with our directions! :))
The German metro was quite a challenge! Check out its map online and you'll see what I mean! But we eventually found our way to the Reichstag building at approximately eight in the morning. The audio guides loaned to us for free were absolutely amazing! It was detailed in the history and was also clear in its explanations :)) Two thumbs up!
"The Reichstag building is a historical edifice in Berlin, Germany, constructed to house the Reichstag, parliament of the German Empire. It was opened in 1894 and housed the Reichstag until 1933, when it was severely damaged in a fire supposedly set by Dutch communist Marinus van der Lubbe." - a quote from wiki
A paranomic view of Berlin!
Taking the elevator down towards the ground floor with a whole bunch of tourists! We were the only Asians in the elevator! I'm getting used to the curious gazes already :)
As we left, we were shocked by the crowd gathering to enter the Reichstag! Many thanks to JC who woke us up early in the morning to avoid the crowds! :D
"In 1916 the iconic words "Dem Deutschen Volke" ("To the German people") were carved above the main façade of the building, much to the displeasure of Wilhelm II who had tried to block the adding of the inscription for its democratic significance."
No comments:
Post a Comment