Cruise line reviews of our vacation on Holland America's Oosterdam

Oosterdam Cruise - Day 5 - Berlin

Our ship docked in Warnemunde Germany at 6:00 a.m.. We had booked an excursion to see Berlin by bus, and at around 6:30 we left the ship and walked a few hundred yards to a train chartered for our tour. Kathy and I were 10 years old when the Berlin wall was put up, so we were quite excited to have a chance to see for ourselves check-point Charlie, and what was left of the wall.

We had a two and a half hour train ride to Berlin. The train cars were arraigned in compartments, each compartment holding 6 persons. I had planned on taking lots of pictures of the German country side, but the window was very dirty, and the train seemed to spend a great deal of time between either dirt levies or dense forest, so very few pictures of the country side were taken.

The train had a kind of diner car where you could order a beer or coffee, and you could smoke there too. Kathy and I made a few trips to the diner car for a smoke and a beer.

We had a guide named Birte who got us from the ship to Berlin and back. We thought Birte was wonderful. She had an adorable personality and we enjoyed talking to her on the train.

Berlin was quite a revelation and our tour guide was very very good. She always kept us informed if we were in the old East Berlin or the old West Berlin. Everything that was new since "Re-unifications" was pointed out and it is absolutely amazing how much they have accomplished.

We had lunch at the Speignbergen Hotel and it was quite nice and then had some time to stroll the Kurfustendam and window shop since it was Sunday and everything was closed.

A long day but a really interesting one .. Here are a few pictures

The "Ugly Tower" or the central TV Tower.
Boarding the train for Berlin.
The Bar/Coffee/Smoking car.

The train station in Berlin.
Briete - our escort what a sweetie.
Apartments in Berlin.

A church .. there were so many I will have to look up the name later.
Canals were all over town.

More of the canals.
French Church in Berlin.
Gendamarket Square.

Bill - One leg in the east one in the west.
The Checkpoint Charlie marker - looking from West Berlin.
The sign at checkpoint charlie - no firearms past this point.

Kathy at the guardhouse at Checkpoint Charlie.
Bill at the other end of the Guardhouse.
The Brandenburg Gate - with a giant soccer ball .. promoting the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

Peace goddess above Brandenburg Gate.
Brandenburg Gate.
Hotel Where Michael Jackson dangled the kid from the balcony.

"Buddy Bears" 123 nations painted a bear each .. will tour for Unicef.
Kathy the the US Liberty Bear.
Bill with the Einstein Bear.

German China town?
This church was damaged and stands as a memorial.
Another view of the damaged church.

Street scene - Berlin.
People really drive these cars.
Birte again.

The final piece of the wall that still stands.
Lots of gold on the steeples.
Reichstag Building - now the German Parliament.

Above ground pipes - to drain away ground water.
Charlotte's Palace.
New buildings since re-unification.

Part of new city - built since re-unification.
McDonalds in the old East Berlin.
Waiting for a train.

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