I had another patchy night's sleep and woke a bit bleary this morning, but at least I didn't have a sore throat! After a coffee with lovely fresh milk (for a room that could sleep three, we were given two miserly cartons of UHT milk) I felt a lot better and joined Keith in some people-watching again!
We showered and packed and were ready for the off at about 10am. The hotel stored our suitcases for us and we still had about three hours on our 24-hour train tickets from yesterday. There was a small bicker-fest about the best way to get to Hackescher Markt, and I suggested the bus which we could catch just up the road from the hotel.
Outside, it was drizzling and grey again and people were scurrying past holding umbrellas. We walked to the bus stop to find it wasn't in use with all the roadworks going on, so we had to walk back to the U-Bahn station and take the U2 to Alexanderplatz again! No matter how hard we try and avoid this station, we're lured back time and time again!
The train was packed and when we alighted at Alexanderplatz, we took a lift up to the surface. This brought us out by a tram station and I suggested taking one rather than walking, which takes about twenty minutes. We caught the next one, which dropped us off in the heart of the bustling area and only minutes from the restaurant where we'd wanted to have breakfast.
We took a table by the window and perused the menu, only wanting something light because of our plan to have lunch at Zum Nussbaum later. We were feeling a bit dismal this morning, and the weather certainly wasn't helping! As we sat and waited for our breakfast, the rain started to become heavy and we looked at each other in dismay!
Sophie chose a croissant with a hot chocolate for breakfast, while Keith and I opted for the "French" breakfast - a croissant and a stodgy, warm raisin cake. I ordered a large coffee, and of course, it came without milk so I nicked most of Keith's that came with his tea! I should have known to have asked for it "mit milch"!
We didn't fancy wandering around Hackescher Markt, and it was way too early to visit our weird little bar, so we made the decision to return to the Nikolaiviertal and have a look in the shops again before an early lunch.
Walking back to the tram, I noticed that Berlin on this trip looked a lot scruffier than it had on previous visits. Maybe it was the time of year and the weather, but leaves and litter were lining the roads, the people looked hunched and unhappy, and everything looked grey and dirty. I know Berlin can be a very "gritty" city, but on this trip, I seemed to notice it a lot more. Has our love affair with Berlin ended? Dare I say it, but if this had been our first visit to the city, I doubt I'd return. Maybe it's time for a visit in the Spring or late summer when the weather is better and things look more cheerful!
More sausage!
We caught the tram back to Alexanderplatz and then rode the U5 line to Rotes Rathaus, a brand-new station. Emerging into the daylight, we could see the construction of the large Christmas market taking place, which is usually one of our favourites, with a Ferris wheel and skating rink.
We made our way to the Nikolai Quarter and Zum Nussbaum:
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| Sophie's smoked sausage with sauerkraut and potato salad |
Sitting and chatting, we agreed that we didn't have a lot of time left as our flight was scheduled to leave at 5.30pm, and we had to be at the airport a couple of hours before that. Plans to take the train back to the airport were abandoned and we decided to use an Uber instead.
We had a lovely lunch in the old pub and the staff were friendly and hospitable. In fact, everyone we met on this trip has been lovely, from chatty Uber drivers to warm and welcoming waiters. We paid the bill, left our last few euros as a tip and made our way back to the hotel.
Homeward bound
Sophie ordered an Uber and we had a great driver take us back to the airport. His driving was smooth and efficient and I'm sure I nodded off at one point! British Airways had sent Sophie an email asking if we could volunteer our cabin cases to go in the hold, so we dropped them off and went through security, which was quick and efficient.
We didn't have enough time to justify going into the lounge so we sat by Duty Free and whiled away a couple of hours reading or people-watching. When our gate was called, we made our way over and discovered that we were going to be delayed by about half an hour.
Our flight was only half full so as soon as the seatbelt signs went off, Keith moved to a row all by himself. I treated us all to a drink and a snack and we had a very enjoyable, smooth flight.
After another huge trek, we made it to passport control and we went through smoothly and without any hassle. We had a long walk to our bus stop and after a short wait, we were boarding the shuttle back to the car park.
It was about 7.30pm, but the M25 was manic, and the M1 wasn't much better! We made it home at 9pm, after stopping to buy some sandwiches at the Waitrose garage in Moulton. Isla had sent us a message this morning to say that the cats had somehow worked out how to use the locked catflap and had disappeared when she went around to feed them this morning. Mooney was waiting for us in the garden and gave us many kisses, and Gomez appeared before we went to bed a little later. The house was freezing cold, as usual!
Sophie is back to work tomorrow but I'm off, thank goodness! I think I will be busy!
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