We were up early and queuing for the ferry by 6.45am. It was still pleasantly cool which made a change from the heat we've been experiencing over the last couple of days!
By 7.15am we were boarded and queuing for breakfast, along with every other passenger on board! However, the wait was worth it because the full English was delicious and plentiful - in fact it kept us going all day! After eating our fill we wandered about and did a bit of shopping before taking up residence on some seats next to the large windows which gave us a lovely view as we came into Calais. There were a big crowd of German students congregated there as well so although it was a bit noisy and rowdy, there was a great atmosphere.
After what seemed like a very short crossing we were back in the car and waiting for the off. I was a bit nervous about the journey but we had Gladys who proved to be invaluable. We sped through France and then spent a fair amount of time in Belgium before crossing into the Netherlands. Here, although we were only in the country for a very short time, we managed to spend over 50 euros when we filled up with diesel.
The weather was pleasantly warm and sunny and the temperature wasn't too high at all! Before long we had entered our fifth country of the day and the gentle relaxed pace on the motorway changed to a very high speed journey indeed. On certain sections of the German Autobahn there are no speed limits and the drivers turn into crazed idiots. I have never, in all my years of driving abroad and in the US, seen speed like it to be honest. To venture out into the outside lane to overtake was like entering the lions den as, despite the road behind me being clear, a car would suddenly loom up wanting me to get out of the way. And I'm not talking about big Audis, Mercedes or BMWs, either. Just normal family cars would zoom past at well over 100 miles an hour and I shuddered to think what would happen if someone pulled out without realising they were there.
It meant that super concentration was needed with both of us looking over our shoulder to make sure there was nothing coming up fast. I have to admit to succumbing to this urgency as well as at one point I realised I was doing 100mph myself, in the slow lane! And I wasn't gaining on anyone either!
It was with a huge sense of relief that we finally made it to Berlin and the relative calm of the autobahn around the city. Gladys directed us to our hotel without a single problem and I was extremely relieved when we parked my little car in a street opposite the hotel.
To our amazement the temperature was 35c and our room on the 7th floor was uncomfortably hot. There didn't seem to be any air-conditioning and unpacking and getting ready to go out was a sweaty, sticky experience.
We walked the short distance to the Nikolai Quarter and had dinner at Reinhard's. It was much quieter than I'd imagined with not one person sitting inside the restaurant at all. We had a lovely dinner but the heat was unbearable and even the waiters looked hot and bothered!
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