Day 4, the Jewish museum, the journey home and just in time. Berlin to Bristol.

It was time for breakfast, we'd packed, checked out and stowed our kit in reception. Today we were heading for the Jewish museum so we headed south from the hotel, stopping in the cafe we visited on the first morning before continuing past Checkpoint Charlie and further towards the southern end of Friedrichstrasse, we were well wrapped up today as even though the sun was out and was warming on the face the air temperature was still down around the freezing mark and if you stepped into the shade, you knew it.
 As we walked we found ourselves behind a group of 5 Americans, I listened to their conversation as we walked, it was at this point we were stopped by a couple walking in the opposite direction, the man asked me in an eastern European accent, "Where is the Berlin wall please ?". At first I was a little taken aback by the question and I immediately blurted, "Its gone, got knocked down in '89", it was then that it hit me that I had paid no thought for the barriers present, he may well have meant, the checkpoint or the section of wall that stands across the road from it or he may of meant "Do you know where the wall used to be?", I recovered a little kindness and offered, "The checkpoint is back that way and there is a bit of the wall there". He looked a little confused and moved on, I prayed that he hadn't made a pilgrimage from some distant eastern land hoping to see the mighty Soviet construction only to have his dreams dashed by my instant rebuttal. Surely that couldn't be the case? This was a thought that puzzled me for a few days.
 We arrived at the Jewish museum, it was surprisingly busy, we put our coats in another free cloakroom and
donned our audio guides, the first section was bizarre, several zigzagging corridors with dark displays and barely legible display boards, the second section was long winded and far too in depth about Jewish ancient history but the latter sections regarding more modern history were very good, obviously this is only my humble opinion and probably reflect what I went there wanting to know rather than the quality of the museum. There were some very interesting and clever sections of the museum that the architect referred to as "voids" these included an empty, unfinished 30 foot high concrete room that is completely black other than a small opening in the roof that lets in a small beam of light and a little noise from the outside world, a garden with high concrete pillars and a large, high ceilinged room with several thousand hand cut metal plate faces on the floor. It is called "Fallen leaves" you are encouraged to walk across it and the noise it makes alone is haunting enough without looking down at the screaming faces, layer upon layer, each different, some looking like crying children and some like heartbroken mothers compounded by the realisation that they each represent thousands of lives terminated in one of mankind's darkest hours. If the museum had to be only one exhibit, this should be it, the room could be a standalone monument and will stay with me for a long time.

We returned to the hotel, collected our bags and soon found ourselves back on the retro train to Schonefeld, upon arrival we discovered our flight was to be delayed, it's a small airport and by the time we'd had some food, something to drink and a look around the limited shops we were soon kicking our heels. It came to me that we were in an airport, surrounded by Germans over the Christmas holidays.....it could easily have been the set of a Die Hard movie. All the shops packed up early because it was New Year's Eve, leaving even less to do, eventually we were called to the gate and boarded the plane, Bruce Willis never did arrive.
 As we flew over Berlin and subsequently the rest of Germany we were waved off by display upon display of fireworks, premature in terms of the celebrations to come but perfectly timed to usher us home, I have never seen fireworks from above before, it was a nice parting gift.

Bristol felt almost muggy as we arrived in the rain, we were out swiftly and on the road back home, we made good time and were in Instow to see in the New Year with a drink in hand and surrounded by friends, there were more fireworks but they just weren't the same.
 I found Berlin to be a very interesting city that I would certainly urge people to visit, there are some things that stuck in my mind though, all the interest in the wall and the cold war are encouraged but there is an almost embarrassed veil over anything to do with WW2 or the Nazis, I guess this is understandable but needless, lets face it, they weren't the choices of modern day Berlin and it is a part of history that needs to be remembered so that it is not repeated. I was a little disappointed that everybody speaks English and most signs are repeated in English, it was helpful, sure, but I almost enjoy the idea of getting lost or having to scramble your way through a conversation with the language barrier firmly intact. The city seems to be 20 years behind other major cities, I can only surmise that post war reparations and communist involvement are to blame for this, it's not a bad thing, just an observation. None of these things detract from the visit, almost the opposite, the add to the experience, I found Berlin to be friendly and clean despite the drab concrete and bleakness that can be the first impression. It's a city that suits winter perfectly.

There is a sting in the tail to this travel diary, as I said it would be my first with a girl and sadly it will be my last, certainly with this particular girl, we'd been friends for years and maybe we are better off as friends, intuitive as ever she spotted this before I did and we split only a couple of days after returning from Germany, I refuse to say anything bad about her and I refuse to let it spoil the memories I have of either us or Berlin, I only have myself to blame and besides, she always was too good for me.

So that leaves Bergen, the next trip, coming up in only a few weeks, what was to be a romantic trip to the Norwegian fjords for Valentines day in a superior double room with a romantic balcony view has now turned into a boys weekend away in a superior twin room with romantic balcony view and drinking sessions in the world's most expensive country for alcohol consumption and a local night spot called "Klubb Kok".

I nearly forgot to mention the latest book.....I've just finished "Travels with Charlie" by John Steinbeck, everybody should read it, however it has done nothing to help settle a man with a dog that enjoys writing about his journeys, the summer is suddenly wide open and plans building, the only guarantee is that at least the Badger will miss me.