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This trip was very spontaneous. I had some days off in autumn - and suddenly I saw that DSB was selling pretty cheap train-tickets to Berlin. So off we go - cleaning the house must wait.

So off I went - one early monday morning by train to Hamburg and there changing for a train to Berlin. Pretty simple - in Berlin in the afternoon.

I had booked my hotel from back home. Hotel Bogota it was called - a little more than a mile fro Berlin Zoologischer Garten where the train arrived.

Funny hotel - plenty of sculptures around - and new age music from speakers hidden in the halls.

Goes for a walk in the evening - on Ku'damm - and around.

Back to the hotel - and do a little reading before turning in - I had made one mistake this time - no TV on the room - so no RTL og Sat1 on this trip.

Sunday 18. october

Now this was not supposed to be a long trip - so better get started by playing tourist. First stop Potsdammer Platz. This is a huge area, almost no-mans-land in the years Berlin were split, now changing at a considerable pace. High building shooting up all over - no matter where  you looked you would see cranes, cranes and more cranes.

From Potsdammer Platz a long walk through old eastern part of town - Checkpoint Charlie - which is now hard to find. Then Französicher Dom with a great view of the Berlin roofs and the Berlin cranes.

Back to "Unter Den Linden" and Brandenburger Tor. A huge amount of motorbikes passing by - down the road. Imagine that 10 years ago??

All over you could see what had happened for the last few years - everything new - everything renovated - and you can imagine how this place will be in a few years time. Something like Champs Elysee ??

In Oranienburger Strasse I find a very interesting photo-exhibition with pictures from Berlin before and after. Before and after the wall of course. Further down the road, and it changes character to some kind of autonom area. Less "nice" than "Unter Den Linden" - a little more fun in fact.

Im pretty tired after a long walk - I find the U-bahn - and back to Hotel Bogota.

In the evening im ok again - so its time for a nice stroll in and around Schöneberg.

Monday 19. october

First thing this day is Prenzlauer Berg - an old eastgerman workers-neighbourhood - now changing considerably

Prenzlauer Berg is a very interesting place - here you can imagine how Berlin will be - and how it has been - this part of course.

Plenty of renovated houses alongside old ones, that looks ready for demolition. But they dont do that - they restore them insted - and a lot of them very nice in fact.

And its not just you can see the changes - you can hear it as well. Hammering all over on a monday morning like this.

From Prenzlauer Berg I walk to the U-bahn station Eberswalder Strasse. I also take a short look at the old Berliner Prater - some kind of entertainmentarea with "wein, weiss und gesang"
 

Spend some hours in and around Kreuzberg - I get lost in the Viktoriapark. There was supposed to be a nice tower with a good view around - but of course - closed - restoring you know....

Tuesday 20. october

Last day (I told you - this was a short trip). Checking out - and takes my luggage to Berling Zoologischer Garten - then I was rid of that.

From here a walk through Tiergarten and to Brandenburger Tor - from the opposite side than last. But suddenly there are busses all over - and a lot of police. What is going on?. Well - the public workers are demonstrating for higher wages - so thats why the police are here - they are demonstrating - simple as that. From Brandenburger Tor - or as close as I could get - I turn to "The Reichstag" the new old prestigebuilding in Berlin, where the Bundestag has just moved in. Around it they build offices, embassies and other official buildings.

Now actually there was not much more to be done. Back to the railway-station. Finding the train to Hamburg. Get a nice chat on the train-trip with some mexican youngster travelling Europe. Changing train in Hamburg - then to Fredericia - where so close to home - I have to wait 45 min. before the last few miles back to Vejle is behind me.