Berlin

has been HOT! Summer decided to arrive on the first of July. Even in the shade it has been hot. Today is drizzling. trying not to complain, because at least it is cooler.

We are staying with a French guy, Tibo who Byrdie met through ´Warm Showers´ an online cycling network. A flat of four but fortunately for us, one of them pretty much lives with his girlfriend, sparing up a room for us...

Our first day we went on a free walking tour. Our guide was American and spoke very fast. This in combination with the heat and tons of history made it difficult to focus the whole time... The guides make their money purely from tips at the end. One of his collegues was doing a tour in german and came over dispondent that he had made -8 euro (they have to pay the company for each tour they do)... poor guy... working and walking hours in the heat and it cost him!

Berlin is an interesting place. Buildings that initially were made to look older than they were in the early 1900s. then destroyed in the war. then rebuilt. a real mix of buildings. many rebuilt in their original style. Lots of students, artists... relaxed place.

Yesterday I went to the ´Checkpoint Charlie museum´, one of the checkpoints of the Berlin Wall for people crossing between east and west Berlin. Was overpriced for a disorganised, non-airconditioned museum. but had interesting and moving stories about people escaping from east Berlin...

Today we are taking a train to Potsdam, about 25 minutes away. Today, being fourth of July and the American embassy is opening... there looks to be a huge festival. The flat we are staying in are having an American themed BBQ (weather dependent).

Tommorrow we train across the country just east of Frankfurt, where we will start cycling touring again! We have been pretty much city hopping the last 3 weeks with trains... hopefully haven´t lost too much fitness for those swiss alps we are heading towards...