On the next stage of our trip we met up with some fantastic people in Dusseldorf, namely our good pals Rob and Sarah. We were there for 2 days, and there is not really all that much to see in Dusseldorf, so instead of being super touristy, we spent the two days chilling out and getting our drink on. We arrived at about 7pm or so to find Rob and Sarah chilling in one of the common rooms with some other people they had met, which included a Newfoundlander, a New Zealander, and a fella from Essex in Britain. So, we hung out with that crew and had some drinks in the common room, then eventuallz made our way to the Aldstadt (Old Town), which is a notable part of Dusseldorf for its Altbier, which is a special, dark and crisp beer served in almost every bar and restaurant in Dusseldorf, in its tiny .2L cups.
The next day, we slept in a little bit, then got up, had breakfast, and hung around for some more time (there was a lot of hanging out going on in Dusseldorf). By this time we had lost the Newfoundlander and the fellow from Essex, but gained an Edmontonian by the name of Max. So, the group of us went to the grocery store and picked up a bunch of fixings for a picnic, and went to a park in Dusseldorf to enjoy a few hours in the sun. That night we again went to the Altstadt for a lengthier evening of drinks. The next morning we sadly had to say our goodbyes, and we moved on to Hamburg, while Rob and Sarah went on to Bruges.
Hamburg was interesting. We got there, and after having quite a time figuring out the transit system and finding our hostel, we chilled out for a bit, then went to get some supper with an American guy we met. We went our separate ways, as he intended to see what the Red Light District was like, and we wanted to get to bed so that we could go see some sights the next day. However, we didn't have our hostel booked for the next night, and for the life of us we could not find a single hostel or hotel in town that had a vacant room. Not having anywhere to stay, we decided to go to Berlin early, which meant we had to leave the next day without seeing any sights. Not wanting to leave Hamburg empty-handed, we decided to check out the redlight district as well. It was interesting enough, skin bars and regular bars were interspersed with adult video and accessory shops. After having a curious walk around outside we decided to go into one of the normal bars to get out of the rain for a bit and have a drink. It was getting pretty late by this point so we decided to get to bed.
Next day, Berlin! We spent our first night drinking a few beers and other drinks with a couple of German engineering students we met. The next day, we started off by going to the Berliner Dom, a massive, opulent cathedral that is pretty impressive. I haven't been to see that many cathedrals, but I was certainly taken aback, especially at the detail on some of the sarcophagi that decorated the main area of the church. After that, we went across the river to the GDR museum, a hands-on, eclectic, and tiny museum that was devoted to portraying life under the Communist GDR (German Democratic Republic). It was incredibly interesting to see how Communism changed Germany and how the Berlin Wall affected the world. After that, we relaxed on a boat tour along the river, from which we got to see the National Art Gallery, the Haptbaunohf (main train station), the Reichstag (parliament building), and other things.
That night at around nine we went to go check out the Brandenburg Gate, formerly a sign of peace built by a Prussian king, it also served as a backdrop to the fall of the Berlin Wall, and is one of the most recognizable parts of Berlin. Nearby is the Reichstag, the parliament building that was burnt down by Hitler's party, then subsequently blamed on the Communists so that they could declare a state of emergency and claim power. The building was completely rebuilt and a glass dome was built onto the top, which visitors can go into to get a fantastic view of the city. This is exactly what we did, and not only was the city very pretty, but we also got a fantastic view of a faraway lightning storm for our troubles.
So far, Berlin has been amazing, and I have only told you about one of our days here. Coming up are our museum, zoo, and music adventures! But now I am leaving you so I can email someone positively awesome.
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