We had a slightly later start to our day and managed to have showers and get everything packed by 9.30am. The dining room looked busy, and we were glad we hadn't paid for breakfast over the three mornings. Not only was breakfast expensive at the hotel, but we didn't want the usual scrum!
We left our suitcases in our rooms and ventured out into the fresh air and sunshine. Yesterday's cloud and mist had disappeared, leaving a beautifully cold day. We ambled towards Wall Street, where we had originally booked to stay and found a busy café. We asked about one of the breakfast platters, but we were told there weren't any croissants, although I'm sure we saw some in the counter display. Sophie said she felt overwhelmed by the whole place and the noise, so we left.
We knew there was a bakery on the street near our usual hotel, the Grosser Kurfuerst, so we walked in that direction. As we neared the Wall Street Plaza Hotel, we were surprised to see it fully closed down. This was obviously the reason why they had cancelled our reservation. Was it closed for good? Or for renovations?
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| I wouldn't mind one of these apartments! |
As we passed the underground station for Märkisches Museum, we saw the bakery on the corner, and it appeared to be open for breakfast. Keith found a table, and Sophie and I ordered two "Paris" breakfasts, a "Berlin" breakfast, as well as two coffees and a tea. I wasn't so needy this morning, as I'd managed to have a decent cup of instant with the milk we'd bought yesterday.
Our drinks were ready before our breakfasts, and the coffee was delicious. When our breakfasts arrived, we were astounded! Keith and I had the "Paris", and it consisted of three different cheeses, a boiled egg, banana slices, raspberries, apple, salad (yes, really!), jam and a croissant. Keith wasn't that happy as he only wanted a croissant, but the description on the blackboard never mentioned all the extras we were given! Sophie's "Berlin" breakfast was ham, cheeses, fruit, numerous bread rolls, and an egg! Oh, and she had salad as well!
We tucked in, and we each tried to do justice to the meal! Sophie and I had a second coffee, and we were well and truly stuffed when we finished!
Homeward bound
Because of our full tummies, we took a slow walk back to the Novotel, walking along Märkisches Ufer and having a look at the barges tied up on the canal.
When we arrived back at the hotel, Sophie couldn't get into her room; the key refused to let her in, so we had to go back down to reception and speak to a member of staff. This was an annoyance, coupled with the difficulty we had using her card in the lift to operate it. I am certain we won't be returning to this hotel in the future! It had been a comfortable stay, but there were a lot of niggles that affected our enjoyment!
The receptionist gave Sophie another card, and I returned to find Keith ready to go. Our room had been cleaned and prepared for the next guests, even though we'd left our luggage, and checkout was 12pm! Sophie ordered an Uber, and it turned up within five minutes. The driver didn't utter a word to us the whole way, which was fine, but it was a very quiet journey!
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| Scene from an Uber |
We were able to check in straightaway, and Sophie was correct: they wanted us to check in our cabin bags as the flight was full. We went to security, and both Sophie and I fell foul of the guards! Sophie, because of her asthma medication, and I, because I'd forgotten I'd put my tablet in our one cabin bag. When we flew out from Heathrow, we hadn't had to take out our liquids, so it was all very confusing!
The airport was hot, and we couldn't immediately see any comfortable seats, so we briefly toyed with the idea of going into a lounge. However, when we walked a little further, we came across rows of lovely seats overlooking the apron. I spotted a woman carrying a cat on a lead and showed Sophie, who was amazed! The cat seemed perfectly relaxed and enjoyed watching the planes land in the distance! I can only think she must have been taking the cat on flights since it was a kitten, because I couldn't imagine our two doing it!
We sat and read and waited for our gate to be called, which didn't take long. We had a little wait, and then we boarded, with me taking the window seat again. I suspected that they had crammed more rows of seats in, as we seemed to have a lot less room than on the way out. I felt like my knees were up under my chin! However, the row in front of us was empty, and I was able to hang my coat and bag on the seat by the window, giving me a little extra room.
Once the crew came past with the trolley, Sophie and I enjoyed a couple of drinks. My daughter chose a "Winter Sunset" - vodka and blood orange Fever Tree soda, while I stuck with Prosecco. With a bag of nibbly rice and Pringles, the flight was suddenly much more enjoyable!
Back at Heathrow, we had to collect our bags, which was a pain, especially as two Berlin flights were arriving! We went to the wrong carousel, but Keith realised, and he found our bags. Sophie kindly told a few passengers who had been on our flight and were waiting like us.
We were soon through and had a lengthy wait for the bus to take us to Purple Parking. When we got into the car, and Sophie programmed our house address into Google Maps, I was dismayed to see we wouldn't have enough charge to get us home... Yet, we had taken Olive when we flew from Heathrow to Vienna in March, and we'd had more than enough for the journey. It was highly annoying!
The M25 was busy, and we decided to stop at Toddington Services to charge up Olive a bit. The electric charging points were busy, but we found one and paid £10 to start the charge. Once at 45%, we tried to unplug the car and had a real job taking out the charger. By now, we were fed up, tired and cold and just wanted to be at home!
We eventually arrived home, and the house was utterly freezing! All the surfaces felt cold, and the temperature in the kitchen was 45 °c! Both cats were out, but Gomez did appear shortly after we got home, which thrilled Sophie. Luckily, Mooney came in shortly afterwards!
We ordered a Chinese takeaway and then collapsed on the sofa to relax and watch the Christmas Special of Death in Paradise. Phew! It had been a long day!
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