Category: Travel – Germany

I think everyone was quite glad to have an easy morning coming up, though it was an earlier start. I have to say I wasn’t really looking forward to be breakfast. Eating at this hostel hasn’t been a pleasant experience. It’s hustle and bustle to get your food, then noisy and crowded where you eat it.
We had a coach trip to the train station, which took a bit of time due to morning city traffic. We then assembled all our luggage on the platform before we went off to get some food supplies for the train.
At 9.50am we boarded the ICE train for the 5 hour trip to Nuremberg.

We were seated with Amy & Harriet and had a table so we were reasonably comfortable. We wanted to buy something from the lady that came through with a cart but she made no eye contact and didn’t stop, so I assume she didn’t actually want to sell anyone anything.

Luckily between the four of us we had enough supplies and we really enjoyed these choc chip cookies we’d bought at the station.

As we left the bigger cities behind we got to see some the gorgeous countryside that I much prefer. I spent my time catching up on blogs and then actually reading on my kindle for the first time this trip (though it was little hard with conversations and distractions all around).

For lunch we had the curried egg & salad wraps we’d bought earlier (Amy & Harriet went to the dining carriage). The wraps were REALLY good.

Finally around 3pm we arrived in Nuremberg.

It took the teachers a little while to work out how to get to the hostel but eventually we got there.

As usual there was more time waiting while we got checked in and rooms were all allocated.

This was a much nicer place than the one in Berlin (even though it’s the same franchise). Our room was slightly bigger.

After dropping off our luggage we headed into the main part of town. Lots of lovely buildings (made to look old), but the general business of a larger city.

There was more waiting as some of the German homestay kids were coming to meet the group. Eventually the teachers decided to let the kids who didn’t have kids coming to head out. Luckily as we only had 1.5 hours to explore the town. Amy joined us, along with 2 boys (the kids had to be in groups of 3) and we headed UP the hill to the castle.

It was quite the walk up but it was worth it to say we made it to the castle wall.

And there was a nice view as a reward.

It looked like a lovely castle and it would have been good to have time to explore it further.

We then headed back down into town. Kevin really wanted to see/learn more about the Nazi’s and the Nuremberg trials but when we asked at information we discovered we’d have to catch a train to get to that area. And we only had an hour left. Instead we did a bit of shopping and had some ice cream.

I tried to some orange ice cream but didn’t like it (so gave it to Amy).

We did buy some delicious homemade cookies that we got to sample.

And some delicious cheese that a lady was most insistent that we sample. It was really good and we would have bought some if we’d had access to a fridge.
I did get another ice-cream. Chocolate this time :-).

Then it was time to meet up again and head back to the hotel for dinner. My feet were REALLY sore today so I was glad to get off them. Dining here is a much nicer experience than Berlin. The staff are friendly, it’s quieter, you help yourself to ALL the food (in a room 3-4 times the size) and sit in nice, bright, roomy dining hall. Which even has a little play area for little kids.

Dinner was pretty much the same though. Fish for the others. Potato bake, rice and salad for me.

There was also choc mouse but knowing it would be an instant powdered mix I don’t want to eat it. Kevin said it was pretty good. After dinner I went to help Amy repack her bag (the others were meeting back up with their German homestay friends). I then played on my laptop and read for a bit before going to sleep around 10pm.

Tomorrow : A long bus ride to a salt mine, then on to Salzburg.

Another morning and another chance for bread rolls and cheese for breakfast. I hate to say it but I am in desperate need of a different breakfast. They do have cereal, and yoghurt here but I’m not a fan of either.

We met out guide for the day, Rob (who grew up in Australia) outside the hotel, split into two groups and headed off for a 3 hour walking tour to see graffiti and street art and learn about it’s origins, history and the people who make up this unique culture. And we came away with a different appreciation of all three. I took quite a bit of video today and as I can no longer remember hardly any of the details I’ll just share some of the photos. Kevin & I both decided we can appreciate and enjoy street art but are definitely not a fan of graffiti.

We also learnt about the different styles (like stencilling shown below) and how artists do the higher pieces. Most the of the larger, full wall pieces were actually commissioned by the the suburb.

My favourite place was this alley which used to be part of a factory owned by a Turkish man who helped people escape during WWII.

Nowaways there is an Anne Frank museum (though, of course, Anne Frank never lived or came here).

Another fascinating story involved this old house where a Turkish Muslim man still resides and is provided with water from the Catholic Church across the road.

Much to our relief there was a lunch stop at YAAM – which is a rather interesting Jamaican beach bar/area in the middle of the city.

This little birdie was singing along with the Jamaican music and was too cute.

Lunch was yummy. Kevin had jerk chicken and I have no idea what I had but it tasted pretty good.

After lunch Kevin set up a little charging station, as you do!

Then it was back on the streets to see the westside gallery – street art on the Berlin Wall.

This is apparently the most famous piece here and is of the two leaders of East and West Berlin who after shaking hands actually hugged and kissed each other full on the lips.

Kevin had actually been reluctant to come on this tour but he had lots of fun chatting with Rob, our guide. I bet Kevin never would have guessed his new best friend would be a graffiti artist :-). Kevin was really impressed with how knowledgable and well read Rob was.

In amongst all our walking we did catch a few trains, a bus and even the tram. There was more street art. This one is for Christy…

And one of Charles Manson, with a message about consumerism. As you can see many of the pieces are just amazing.

We were all starting to drag our feet by now and glad to get to our workshop. Even though it was in a rather shady looking buidling.

Here we got to choose and cut out a stencil. Boy was this fiddly.

Then we got to use spray paint. As you can see I wasn’t very adventurous but I’m happy with how it turned out. While I enjoy Art, I’ve never been very good it at!

We weren’t in Amy’s group today but she said she really enjoyed it, both the tour and the workshop. She’s keen to get some spray paints when we get home.

The kids also got to do a “tag” on the wall. Any guesses what Amy wrote? I guessed correctly.

There was more walking, a tram and two trains and we finally made it to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner.

I had the veggie burger (there is a patty hidden in there somewhere) and it was delicious.

We were also given ice-cream but I was too full to eat much of mine.

While the kids visited the shop, Kevin did some climbing…

to get a photo of the new Apple store which is opening in early May.

Then it was back onto the trains. I’m still surprised when I see a dog on board.

Finally after an incredibly long day of the walking (two of the teachers were in a serious amount of pain) we made it back to the hotel. Kevin estimates we walked about 25kms.
Kevin was kind enough to go and put on load of laundry for me – I only have 2 pairs of pants and wanted to get both of them washed. I did a bit of organising while we waited for it to be finished.

Then it was off to sleep at 10pm.

Tomorrow : A train trip to Nuremberg

The usual start to the morning. Sounds like Kevin and I got a much better sleep than most (though Kevin didn’t sleep that well) and we completely missed the excited of a fire at a nearby house at 11pm. There were lots of tired looking kids this morning at breakfast.
We set off for our day at 9am, walking to a (relatively) nearby train station. We find the continual waiting and getting organised somewhat tedious but are getting used to it. Kevin is having a much harder than I am even though I tried to warn him what it was going to be like.
After two trains and a walk we arrived at Charlottenburg Palace.

Inside was pretty grand, as you can imagine. Unfortunately we had been told we couldn’t take photos so I actually left my bag while we did our audio tour. Turns out we could have taken photos :-(. Once we realized (right at the end of the tour and after we’d done all the best rooms) Kevin took a few photos with his phone.

I wasn’t feeling the best while on this tour and my feet were very sore (I realized mid afternoon I’d forgotten to take my pain meds this morning 🙁 ). Afterwards we enjoyed an ice-cream while people visited the gift shop.

We then walked to another train station. It was lovely street we walked along, with a huge path up the middle and lots of lovely daffodils and tulips.

As we expected, the trees get greener and greener every day.

Finally we arrived in the shopping district, where we had lunch at KaDaWe – Europe’s largest department store.

We headed up to the rooftop eating area. I think I got some video here but I was a little overwhelmed and didn’t get any photos, which is a shame as it was a lovely place. There were lots of food choices (labelled in German) and things seemed rather expensive. I ended up choosing some vegetable dishes which was paid for by weight. Not a cheap lunch that’s for sure – this plate was 8 euro (around $12-$13). Some of the kids had plates piled high as it was not really explained to us how this all worked.

The food was lovely though. Kevin and I also shared some of the choc mousse.

I loved the method for clearing away the dishes. You just put your tray on the conveyor belt and it gets whisked away (actually now that I think about it I think IKEA does the same – but their’s doesn’t look quite so fancy).

By now we had worked out that this was a rather expensive department store – along the lines of Harrod’s. Kevin wanted to get a pillow to help him sleep. And 40 euros later he had one.

I also picked up a few items from L’Occintane. And was pleasantly surprised they gave Amy & I a free perfume sample each.

We then went to meet everyone outside. I can tell you it was nice to sit and be off my feet for a bit.

From here we walked up the street to view an old church ruin that had been bombed during WWII.

We then had 2 hours free time to do some shopping. Amy joined us and we visited Fossil – Kevin got a wallet and I got a bag. For all the Fossil bags I have, I believe it’s the first time I’ve bought one for full price at a retail store.
We also went to a pharmacy where I had fun buying some makeup. The brand Catrice had been recommended to me. **If anyone else has recommendations for German (or European) brands of makeup or skin care please let me know**. Someone did recommend some others but I can’t find where I kept the information.

We needed a break for our feet so headed to McCafe (2 McDonalds in 2 days – Crazy!!!). I had a yummy milka frappe, Amy had an oreo frappe and Kevin had a not-so-good coffee.

Feeling a little revived we went in search of some t-shirts for me (as the forecast is looking warm and I’ve only got one t-shirt with me). We didn’t find any so went back to the meeting spot.
We went via a lady we had passed earlier with two dogs to give her some money. She was asleep but woke up to say thanks when we dropped the money in the dog bowl.

And yes, that dog really does have a dummy in it’s mouth. So cute. I’ve never seen that before. Her other dog was beautiful too with one blue and one brown eye.

There really aren’t too many homeless people around here but the few we’ve seen seem to all have dogs.

I decided to head off one my own for one last try and lucked out with a H&M store, where I found a plus sized section and managed to get 3 short sleeve tops.

Then it was back on the train for 2 trips (luckily we were able to gets seats) and a walk back to the hotel where we were glad to collapse on our beds for a while before dinner. We weren’t the only ones complaining of sore feet today – I think everyone was.
Dinner tonight was a really nice veggie schnitzel, with some wedges and salad.

Back to our room to watch a True Blood and rest my feet some more.

Tomorrow : A different side of Berlin with 2 walking tours, an art workshop and dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe.

Despite the noise outside I had a pretty good nights sleep, but Kevin’s was just okay. Sounds like lots of people did not sleep well (depending on where their room was located). Breakfast was the same standard fare we’ve come to expect. Still not sick of bread and cheese yet … luckily. I’m craving a nice a nice veggie omelette or a green smoothie though :-).
At 9am we boarded a bus for a guided sightseeing tour around Berlin. Our first stop was Checkpoint Charlie. I think Amy must have missed us this last week because she (and her friends) actually hung around us most of the day.

Kevin bought himself a (heavy) piece of the wall and I bought a scarf :-).

Then it was on to the Holocost Memorial. We were seeing it on a nice sunny day but our guide said it’s a pretty eerie place on a grey foggy day, which you can well imagine.

From here we walked across to the Brandenburg Gate.

Here we were warned about the local gypsies who pretend not to be able hear and get you sign a petition and pay them some money. As soon as we got there we saw them, and were even approached later on. But you just shake your head and they move on. Definitely not threatening at all, just trying to take advantage.
After getting some photos we headed over to Starbucks (as you do). I got a chai tea latte and while I was looking for something to eat I did spot this lemon muffin that looked too good to leave in the shop. Oops, I broke it apart before remembering to take a photo. It was REALLY good too!

The bus then dropped us back the historical district where the teachers had a bit of trouble deciding what we should do. It seemed this afternoon was not the best organised but you just have to go with the flow when you’re in a group (and not in control).


We walked up to see where the Nazi’s had burned the books. There is a sculpture of an empty book case but it’s underground below glass and the glass was filthy so you couldn’t see it.

We then walked back to visit the German History Museum. We were all excited to visit here and Kevin got us all an audio guide but we were dissapointed with this museum too. Luckily Kevin knows so much and was able to impart LOTS of information on the girls.

We started with WWII, then had a break for some food. The cafe was really overpriced and a bit gourmet so most of us had a pretzel – which was really yummy as you expect.

After our break the girls and Kevin did some more of the museum, while I rested my feet. They said I didn’t miss much. Not sure if we’ve just been spoilt by other museums or if it’s because of the language or the way they set things up, but we usually love all museums (even the cheaper ones you don’t expect much of).
We then went to see about going into the church. It used to be free for students but is now 7 euro so we didn’t go in. While we were waiting here we saw these two dogs race for and jump into the fountain. Too cute. Not goldens but the next best thing today.

We then walked across the river to a shop just two doors up from our (first) hotel.

These are the walking signs from East Berlin, and are still used today (and have obviously become a beloved tourist attraction).

Do you want to see what our daughter bought herself? Only because of the Doctor Who reference, of course.

We then had a half hour break and one of the girls wanted McDonalds so that’s what we had. I haven’t had McDonald’s in years but Amy said they had really good Veggie Burgers and she was right. It was great.

Blurry photo as it was eaten on the way back to our meeting point.

We then caught the train back to our hotel and had a few hours free time before dinner. Kevin & I went to the teachers lounge so we could sit in comfort. Then it was time for dinner. Pasta with a tomato sauce tonight, alongside a salad and some fruit salad.

Back to our room for some TV and a good nights sleep (for me anyway, not for Kevin). Still battling sinus issues and hoping it clears up soon.

Tomorrow : A palace and some shopping