Berlin

After the conference in Hamburg, we headed for Berlin where we spent a very hot sunny day walking about town.

This was the train we took from Hamburg to Berlin - very nice interior.

The weather was lovely and was told that its not usually this hot at this time of year.

Arrival at Berlin station where we dropped off our luggage, grabbed a bite to eat and then headed for town.

The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. The church has been left half destroyed as a reminder of the war.

And ths is what the church used to look like.

Shopping/eating district near the church.

I've never been this hot since last summer in Japan. The heat is scorching and the sun very bright. For some reason, the sun in Tokyo is not so bright that one needs sunglasses.

Catching up on project progress with my developers over IM outside the Victory Column. Berlin (and Hamburg) was covered with Wifi everywhere - not free though.

Am using Hector's MacBook Air at the moment since my MBP is dead. Fell in love with the portability of the machine and decided to get one when I get back to JP - will wait for the second generation one though. This damn machine needs a firewire socket.

Unfortunately, the Victory Column is covered in graffiti. Its sad to see a symbol of history treated in this way. While Hamburg and Berlin have lovely scenery, I do notice quite a bit of graffiti here and there and reminded me of living back in the UK where it was everywhere.

Does your region have graffiti all over the place? In your eyes, is graffiti art or vandalism? Some graffiti looks nice but I think there are places for it and especially not on historical objects.

A view from the column.

Relaxing by some river.

Recharging our HP with some Hagen daz and catching up on some more mail.

East Berlin.

This is Brandenburg Gate - a former city gate and one of the main symbols of Berlin.

A bicycle for seven.

On the move again.

Remains of the Berlin Wall. The wall separated East Berlin and West Berlin for 28 years, from the day construction began on August 13, 1961 until it was dismantled in 1989. More from Wikipedia.

The Sony Plaza where we wanted to catch Iron Man but didn't have enough time. Have to wait until bloody September when it comes out in Japan.

Sorry - forgot the name of this place - its near Berlin station.

"Berlin Hauptbahnhof" is Berlin Central Station where we catch a train to Fussen.

The train is the 10:14PM to Munich where we will catch another two trains.

First time on a sleeper train and it was a fun experience. Each room is about 2 meters sq and comes with its own shower, toilet, towels etc. The hot water pressure is good too.

Breakfast is served on the train at 5AM.

We watch the sun rise over coffee.

Corridors on the train.

And this is where we are right now. Off for more lakes, mountains and trekking around castles today.