Today we weren’t exactly sure what to do – we’d researched a few options the night before but in the end just decided to ‘wander’, as we do. This meant a lazy sleep in and an easy check out around 10.30am, followed by a chilled breakfast in the hostel courtyard.
And then we headed back into the city to basically do a backwards version of our tour yesterday. We started at Alexander Platz, with half a mind to go up the TV tower before we saw the long line for tickets. We wandered back past the museums and sat outside on on the grass, reading our books for a bit. This was lovely. Next back past a famous chocolate shop which we popped into. Here I wanted to eat everything, including their giant sculptures made of chocolate and their exquisite looking cakes. Instead we just bought a sample pack of nougat chocolates, which we nibbled at across the course of the day.
Back then to Checkpoint Charlie where we ate a kebab at the ‘pop up beach’ there. Strange. And then on to the wall to see the exhibition there and pop into the ‘terror’ museum – lots more reading that we didn’t feel up to but we wandered around briefly and looked at the pictures. Then back to the hostel via the Brandenburger Tor once more.
Soon we had grabbed our bags and were off to the airport, via the subway, train and then lots of walking. I can’t say I was particularly sad to leave Berlin. It does not strike me as a very pretty city, full of construction and modern city buildings. Yes, it does have some impressive old architecture (mostly rebuilt after the war) but there are not too many squares that really drew me to sit down and just enjoy. The appeal in this city lies in its history and in its modern, progressive culture. The first I feel we got more than enough of and the second I think we saw too little. My favourite memory of Berlin is still that first night seeing all the random modern bars and perhaps to have truly fallen in love with the city we needed to do a pub crawl or an ‘alternative Berlin’ underground scene tour. We had looked at both but neither ended up happening – perhaps our experience here was poorer for it.
Anyway! The flight to Amsterdam was relatively uneventful, as was our transfer to our hostel. Already Amsterdam seems very clean, organised and efficient. We arrive at our hostel ‘The Flying Pig’ around 9pm, to find that the reception is pretty much a bar – which probably sets the scene for our stay here nicely. Our room is full of 8 double bed bunks and we have a bottom one in the corner, kind of like sleeping in a cave.
After settling in we head out for a little walk. I have been here before in 2005, during the day and with an 8 and 10 year old for company. As such I have never really experienced what Amsterdam is famous for. And it certainly is interesting! Of course, lots of coffee shops, a persistent smell of weed and lots of pastries on display (no doubt to tempt those drunk and high later in the evening). The Red Light District is something else, windows upon windows of women standing and beckoning, wearing not very much at all. And then of course the ads for sex shows, live porn etc. Fun times.
Tonight we were back in the hostel around midnight, deciding to make a proper go off the nightlife here tomorrow night. We will see what happens!
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