Day 55! (16th August)

Well today was a loooooong day!! Im back on German keyboards so forgive me if i get my y and zs muddled up a bit and a few other minor mistakes :S.

Anyway, after the last blog entry which I made lateish last night I just kinda hung out in the lounge with Kate, Brandon, and one of their flatties Andy for a while too. Andy headed off, and by about 11.30 or so I guess Brandon did too. I had to be at the liverpool street station by three which ment leaving the house at like 2.. so I figured there wasnt much point having a sleep by then. But Kate stayed up the whole time and had a chat with me which was really nice of her! In the background was also a dreepy real life CSI show. Finally 2 rolled around and I said goodbye, which was weird after only really saying hello.. but I was really glad I stayed there!

I got to Liverpool Street with heapsa time to spare.. but when the bus turned up it was already almost full! I guess people wanted to get in early cozza all the delays etc! I was stressing a little but not too bad.. and actually managed to get a seat! But then the bus just sat there for 30 minutes so I was starting to get a bit stretched for time. I was already dog tired.. and kinda felt like collapsing.. but the bus seat was way too uncomfy and small to sleep and I had so much more to do.

At the terminal I lined up for like an hour and then for some weird reason they said I had to check my baggage into oversized.. (crazy!!). I was poushed for time and having to join an additional 30 minute line for oversized baggage before the big security check was not what I needed. With about 25 minutes before my flight left (It said to report to the gate 30 min before or the plane would go without you..) I started the line for security which I only got to the end of with 2 minutes to spare.. I sprinted around.. then had to wait for a transfer train thing.. then busted it up to the gate and they let me in (a few secs to spare..) PHEW!! Although they did wait around a bit longer after I got on for a few others.. but still!! Man Im glad I dont have many more Ryanair flights (especially outta London!!).

I woulda loved to sleep on the plane.. but it didnt happen which was dumb.. but anyway.. around 9.20 I arrived in Berlin. It was kinda weird, coz I knew the language so Its quite different than being in France or Italy! I caught a train then another train, then another (coz I got on in the wrong direction) and then finally got to my hostel which is a REALLY nice place, great location, and cheaper than most the places ive been staying in too.

It was great becuase they let me check in.. and so I went up to my room and had a shower (ahhh!), altho in the process realised I ledt my ipod charger and converter (which I need for camera charger too) at Kates which was stupid of me!!! Anyhow.. I was out on my feet, but thought id go into Berlin anyway and catch a free 4 hopur walking tour. Everytime I sat down my eyes would uncontrollably close and Id kinda start swaying.. it was really freaky!! Dunno why I was so tired! But I seemed to finally perk up later.

The tour was great, the guide was interesting and friendly, and we went around alot of big sites in Berlin. Berlins a really interesting and constantly evolving city.. It was a great tour! There are some incredible buildings around! And it looks like alot of fantastic museums and churches too. Ontop of this was rich history of the Nazi regeime and the communist occupation (east and west Berlin and Germany) which was all really fascinating and cool!! One of my novel favourites was this incredible chocolate shop. The stuff they sold was divine!! And in the windows they had chocolate sculptures of the Brandenburger Tor, Titanic, A famous church here in Berlin, and one other thing.. Amazing!!

At the end of the tour I saw some russian people (well foreign and russian sounding) doing that ball under a cup thing where there are 3 cups and they mix them all up and you have to say which one the balls under.. but it was obvious was totally rigged and you couldnt win, and they would take you for 50 EUROS A POP!!! They always had 3 or 4 others standing around who were obviously in cahoots who would always play and loose then win and scold the other when they chose wrong.. They were vultures ay! They would try suck someone in, and one they played one would get in their ear and stuff, and they would hold you there and block your path if you tried to leave!! People would loose their 50 and be peeved, and wanna leave, but the frustration of loosing the 50 and waning to win it back was all they needed to work on and man it was terrible. I felt sick watching them rob naive touristrs blind.. Oh well...

After this I got an icecream and a delicious Johannesberry slice, then wandered around a little before going to the main train station to book my train to Hamburg. This cost 47 Euro which was quite alot!! But arr well.. After that I headed back to the hostel and got in around 7ish. Unfortunately nowhere nearby had money exchanges so I went on a 2 hour mission to exchange some money into euros. More than once today I got on the right train in the wrong direction. the labelling here in Berlin is really terrible!! But id always just ask someone. Just before I asked a girl who was in the 12th class who was really friendly. We had a cool chat in german about all kindsa stuff and i fully missed my stop ha ha shame.. But now Im here in the nearby cyber cafe (near the hostel are 3 good eating places - reasonable ones too, a big pool, a gym, a bank, a laundrette, a iunternet cafe, two supermarkets and a train station!) and its quarter past nine, and ive been awake for like 36 hours.. Im sure im gonna start going crazy soon so even tho I got half an hour of internet time left I might just call it a day ay! Im shattered, but looking forward to seeing some more Berlin sights tomorrow!!

Its weird being back at germany, I feel so at home, yet im doing the big city touristy thing like I have been in all the other places and it feels kinda odd.. hard to explain! I havent used any english yet tho which has been fun yet challenging at points :). man beds gonna be nice tonight!!

Nunnite!