Slater Family Europe Trip 2016: Day 1: Berlin

After a long flight via Franfurt, we arrived at Berlin Tegel airport and met our host Detlev, Rehbein. Once we picked up our Berlin welcome passes we took a bus and train to Alexanderplatz to put our suitcases in lockers. Finding them all full, we he found lockers at the Ubanhof train station. Now free from cumbersome suitcases, we headed out to tour Alexanderplatz.

To orient ourselves Detlev suggested viewing the city from the observation deck of the TV tower. The TV tower is built in East Berlin as was referred to as the "Propaganda Aspargus" prior to the wall coming down. Here's some of the views:

View of Berlin Rathaus

View of Tiergarten in the distance

The River Spree runs through Berlin

Many new buildings are visible

Afterwards we had lunch at a German pub. We had good German beer and bratwurst or bockwurst and bread. The pub was in an area close to Alexanderplatz.

Richard defends his beer choice

Marilyn leaves the Berlin Pub

Cobblestoned street near Alexanderplatz

TV tower

Streams of sunlight at to the ambiance

Refreshed, we returned to the Hauptbanhof to get our suitcases and took the train to our apartment. We were a little late meeting Petra who showed us around the apartment in Prenzlaurberg.

Richard, Detlev and Carl relax in the living room

After a rest we set out to visit Detlev's neighbour Herr Bausdorf in Kaulsdorf. Herr Bausdorf, who is 95, was a German soldier in Rommel's Afrika Corp. He was captured by the British in Libya and sent to Canada as a prisoner of war. He worked in logging camps in Lethbridge AB and Manitoba. His journey to Canada was on the Queen Elisabeth liner and via train for 4 days! At the end of the war he was sent back to Britain and was not returned to Germany until 1947. He told us that the years in Canada were one of the best of his life!