Satellite
  • Day 19

    Berlin to Hamburg

    July 13, 2018 in Belgium ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Today we leave for Hamburg, but we have a few hours before we head to the central train station to catch our train. We had put off going up to the top of the TV tower - Berliner Fernsehturm - as it had been cloudy and wet yesterday, so this morning we were there at 9am. It is 368 metres high, and is the tallest building in Berlin. The viewing platform is at 203 metres and you get great views across Berlin - there is also a rotating restaurant, Sphere. We will try to go there for a meal next time we visit Berlin. This tower was built by the East German government to signify the triumph of their capital East Berlin.

    We then purchased a few mementos of Berlin from a souvenir shop, and went to the Ampelmann store, before heading back to the apartment to grab our luggage and make our way to the central station to catch our train to Hamburg. We found our platform, grabbed some lunch and waited for our train to arrive, and then it was a big scramble to get onboard and find our seats and somewhere to store our luggage. Once we settled into our seats we realised we had some Aussies sitting behind us, and we started chatting. It turns out the guy used to work with Ros Hore, who I knew when she worked for CSIRO - what a small world it is.

    The trip to Hamburg was pretty quick, and once we arrived we grabbed a taxi and headed to our Airbnb. Thomas, our host, was waiting for us and helped get us settled into the apartment, which was so lovely and in a very good part of town. What a host he is - the fridge was packed with goodies, as was the pantry, including a large bowl of fresh fruit. After unpacking and having a drink and snack, we headed out to scope out the neighbourhood and find somewhere to eat.
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