Helsinki to Berlin

We said good-bye to Helsinki this morning. We walked to the Central Station to catch a train out to the airport for our flight to Berlin with Finnair, arriving with plenty of time (as if there would be any doubt!). The check-in process was so easy and straightforward, as was our flight to Berlin. Once we were through customs (what customs? - we haven’t had to show our passports since we left the UK). We found our way to the bus service that would take us to Central Station, where we would catch a taxi to our apartment. We purchased our tickets, validated them and then waited for the bus to pull up, and everyone just surged forward, pushing and shoving with suitcases, to get on. We all made it on, but we were packed in like sardines and there wasn’t much to hold onto, and the bus driver broke suddenly on a number of occasions which made it difficult to remain upright and hold onto a suitcase! I am surprised that there wasn’t an orderly queue and clear instructions, but that wasn’t the case. We then found a taxi and made it to our home for the next four days.

The host of our Airbnb was away, and so he arranged for his housekeeper Alla to let us in and show us how everything works. After unpacking we headed out for a late lunch, a walk around the neighbourhood, and also went to a supermarket for some essentials. Then back to the apartment to chill for a while before heading out for dinner around 7pm. We have noticed a couple of major differences form Helsinki to Berlin - Berlin is much, much, much bigger, there are so many more people, everything is a lot cheaper here, and the sun sets and there is darkness after about 9.30 pm.

We had dinner at a nice Italian restaurant “Café Belluno” where the boys had pizza and I had pasta, and we shared a huge salad. After dinner we went to the ice cream store next door and had a scoop, and then we went for more of a wander like the Europeans do to assist with digestion.

Tomorrow morning my second cousin Folké Bulda will meet up with, us and he has graciously offered to be our guide around Berlin for the next three days. He will also meet up with us in Hamburg for the weekend, and we will meet his family and catch up with his folks. He has a full itinerary planned to make sure we see as much as possible over the next few days.Read more