Joy and Les: Europe 2024-2025

Europe 2024-2025 --- Blog 01 --- 08 Dec 24 to 16 Dec 24

Sunday 8^th & Monday 9^th December 2024 Bathurst to Sydney and Flying to Berlin

Up at 6:00 am and down to the station for a 7:40 train to Sydney.

Kids all excited about the trip!!!

Arrived at Central about 5/10 minutes late. Dropped suitcases at the luggage storage place and caught the train to Wynyard and walked to Bungalow 8 at Darling Harbour to have lunch with friends.

Back to Central Station, collected our suitcases and took the train to the airport. We had about 6 hours before our flight was due to depart so we just sat on the chairs and waited as other people started to arrive and line up, even though they had no idea when the check-in would open or which line they should be in. Got to the stage they had completely blocked the walkway – usually the line would bend around to snake along the wall, but for some reason there was confusion and once the line couldn’t go any further people just milled around in chaos.

Got through check-in and through security with no issues unlike previous times when Joy would have to go through scanning, drug detection, etc. These days we did not even have to take liquids and laptop out of backpacks. We did however find out at check-in that our powerbank MUST be in carry-on luggage, so once we had taken it out of the checked in luggage, we were all good to go. We each did some individual short walks around as we still have 1.5 hours before boarding. Les is organised as he has a plastic bag with the things he wants/needs for the flight, so he does not have to search through his backpack!!

We departed on time and settled in for a 15 hour or so flight, but we must have had favourable conditions as we made it in 14hrs something (cannot remember the exact timing!). We both tried to get some sleep by mostly failed. Arrived in Doha at about 4:00 am and worked our way through the transit system which included another security but again no issues. We learnt last time in Doha not to go into the ‘boarding rooms’ as they do not have access to toilets. We went for a walk to the far end of the terminal which is about 1km each way (could have taken a train!) and visited ‘The Orchard’, which is a patch of greenery with waterfalls, etc but is also a spot people like to sleep. There are even a few wooden teepees that people were using.

The Orchard, Doha Airport

Doha Airport. Waiting to depart and taken from the camera mounted on the front of the plane. Obviously, he got bored and decided to have he's banana!

There is nowhere to fill water bottles in Doha Airport, so we had to buy a juice and water which was much cheaper than we thought (less than $7.00 AUD) but you have to show your boarding pass to buy anything! Entered the ‘boarding room’, where they put you in 5 zones! 1st/business class and 4 zones of economy. You board based on what zones they call out and it seemed to work for the first 2 economy zones but then it was a free for all! People not listening to the requests. Some people decided they had waited long enough and started queuing anyway. Once that started, there was no stopping it, so we joined in too. Anyway we got on board and settled in for another 6 hr something flight.

We arrived in Berlin about 10 minutes early and the temperature has changed at 4 degrees!! The next process was getting through passport control. They have an automated system for EU (European Union) but the rest have to do it manually with a passport control officer. There were over 100 people and only 2 passport officers! A few people in front of us had been asked how long they were staying, purpose of visit, proof they had the funds to cover their trip, etc but they just checked our photos and let us go through. They probably did this just because we had the return tickets and details of funds already out and ready to show!!!

After we collected our bags, which only took a few minutes as we had endured the delay at the passport control, we headed downstairs to the railway station, purchased some tickets and caught the next train to Berlin City Station. We arrived just as it started raining so umbrella and raincoat came out. About a 600m walk to the apartment and booked in. Part of the deal was a free bottle of wine. In Germany we thought we’d get a bottle of German wine, but no, a bottle of “Captain Cook” wine from South East Australia. The apartment has 3 pictures and one of them is a set of 3 aboriginal prints. The art in the hallway is aboriginal prints. Talk about trying to make us feel at home!!

Wine in Berlin Accommodation!!

We changed to more suitable clothes and headed to the supermarket for food for the night and breakfast the next morning. Only did a small shop as neither of us is thinking straight after effectively 40 something hours without suitable sleep. We did find Les’ favourite lemon tea from last holiday! In bed by 9:00 pm.

Joy's coffee at the local Cafe!!

Tuesday 10th December 2024 Berlin

After about 11 hours of sleep we woke a bit more refreshed and normal (if that is possible) – well at least a bit more human. After breakfast we headed out and found a café just 100 metres down the road. They do not speak English, so Joy had to work hard to remember her German. Les has been doing German online for 153 days but not much has stuck! So we did a lot of pointing. Fortunately, they had “warm milk” for Les. We then headed to a different supermarket (it’s bigger) than the one we’d been to last night to do the shopping for the rest of the time we are in Berlin, including another box of Les’ favourite tea. We are not planning to run out this trip!! We had lunch in the apartment before heading out for our first bit of sightseeing.

We walked to the Berlin Wall Memorial. It is interesting how the wall was built. It started as a fence of barbed wire but eventually the barrier ended up between 50 and 100 metres wide with several fences and trenches, etc. There are several places where parts of the walk remain. Also a photo walk of the people that died trying to cross the wall.

Where the wall originally went.

From here we wandered through various parts of the city arriving at the “Museum Otto Weidt Workshop for the Blind”. This is a little hard to find but a very interesting place to visit. Otto Weidt had a broom and brush factory where he employed blind, impaired and deaf Jews to make the brooms and brushes. When the war was on he managed to bribe the Nazis to allow them to be ‘protected citizens’ as they made brushes which was considered part of the war effort! Assume it was to keep the soldier’s boots clean. They also had a hiding spot where they were able to hide some people. Think Anne Frank but the hiding spot had no windows!!

From here (and it was now after 4:00pm so it was dark as the sun had already set) we wandered past the Jewish Cemetery and the statue in honour of the Jewish people and what happened to them. Then walked back to the apartment.

Jewish Statue outside of Jewish Cemetry.

Wednesday 11th December 2024 Berlin

Another day exploring Berlin and our first Christmas Markets!!

First, we headed back to the station and caught public transport. We took the bus we were told to by Google Maps and it worked out fine but only about 50% was on the same route as Google Maps said!! Arrived at the correct location and walked to the Berlin Story Bunker. This is a fascinating building and you do a self-guided tour with audio machine. It tells the story of the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, exploring how and why it could happen. The bunker was close to a railway station that was deemed to be the ‘government railway station’ and there was a tunnel between the station and the bunker. We did about 1.5 hours and had only covered 25% of the tour but we had to give up at that stage as we were foot sore and Les’ back was sore – and a bit hungry. The web site says the tour normally takes 2/3 hours!! We must be slow, but then Joy had noticed the same people around us as we were going through, so we weren’t the only ones.

Berlin Story Bunker. No Photos allowed inside.

From here we headed to Topography of Terror which is an outdoor memorial next to a part of the Berlin Wall. It shows some of the remains of the SS, Gestapo and Reich headquarters at this place. It also describes how this place was dealt with after 1945, and what it was like for the people of Berlin. Many of the pictures we have seen in the bunker. On to Checkpoint Charlie which is rather a letdown. Next to it is a McDonalds store and just around the corner a KFC.

Checkpoint Charlie

We then found some lunch at the “Little Green Rabbit” – had baked potatoes with toppings (their specialty) and an orange juice (freshly squeezed). Next we headed into the city centre and the “Winter World on Potsdamer Platz” which was a slippery dip using donut things to slide on, and maybe 20 Christmas market stalls. Very disappointing. So headed to the Christmas Market Berlin City Alexanderplatz, which was a bit better but still not as big as we expected. As it was getting close to afternoon tea we stopped at a café and had cappuccino, warm milk and the special apple strudel (means with cream and ice cream). Yummy.

Special Apple Strudel and drinks!!

Opposite the café was the Berlin Rathaus (Town Hall) Christmas Markets which was much more like what we were expecting with probably 100 stalls or more.

The things you can buy in Berlin Christmas Markets!!

After this and the sun having set, we headed for home via the Underground railway and walk to the apartment. Les is not feeling well and has either a sore throat or bad heartburn (difficult to tell them apart nowadays). After we got back Les had a lie down and stayed there until the next morning having skipped tea. Joy was also very tired, so she had an early night but not as early as Les.

Thursday 12th December 2024 Berlin

Another day in Berlin itself. Out of bed just after 8:00 and Les is feeling a bit better but still not 100%. Maybe we are both still suffering from jetlag, which did not happen last time.

Headed out after morning tea to walk to the station and caught the train to Kaiser Wilhem Church and Christmas Markets. The church was almost completely destroyed during the war, but they have done a great job restoring it although there is still work to be done. It probably won’t be fully restored, though, as it serves as a reminder for what happened during WWII. They raised a lot of money for the restoration and building a new church. The new church is right next door and is very modern – a complete contrast to the original church.

Kaiser Whilem Memorial Church

There is also a memorial to the people who were killed in a terrorist attack here on 19 Dec 2016. The memorial is presented as a crack filled with a gold-coloured alloy running through part of the ground on Breitscheidplatz. An inscription placed on the front of the steps in front of the Memorial Church reads: "In memory of the victims of the terrorist attack on 19 December 2016. For peaceful coexistence of all people." Thirteen people died because of the terrorist attack.

Very sobering memorial.
The people's names are listed in the 'riser' part of the steps
and there are many white roses left there.

We then walked through the Tiergarten, past the Zoo to the Victory Column and on down the straight street to the Brandenburg Tor (Gate). It was a long walk but luckily was flat.

Victory Column

Brandenburg Gate, Berlin

After passing through the gate, we noticed a high level of police presence. There would always be some police at the gate but there were about a dozen police vehicles and maybe 2 dozen police officers and they had cordoned off the area around the Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin (found out later there was an economic summit about liquified gas and police arrested 120 people).

We kept walking and eventually found a café to have some lunch. Les had gouda and lettuce bagel with hot milk and Joy had toasted ham and cheese croissant with hot chocolate. Next we headed to the Christmas Market on Gendarmenmarkt (which due to construction work was on Bebelplatz). We had to pay a 2-euro fee each to enter the markets. The first time we have ever had to do so. This is Christmas Markets gone posh. Large, heated pavilions and several restaurants which would have felt like being a fish in a fishbowl. Wandered around for a while and then got the U Bahn back to the main station and walked home.

One of the "Fancy Christmas Markets" Marques

Friday 13th December 2024 Berlin

Part of Berlin Main Train Station

Today we headed a bit out of Berlin to Potsdam. It is about 30 min train ride and we had sunshine with some cloud to start the day. We had a relaxing morning and arrived in Potsdam at about 11:am and headed to the Tourist Information Centre and bought a map for 1 euro. Even though it was partly sunny it was windy and very cold.

They take bike security very seriously in Potsdam!!

Headed down the main road and then to Brandenburg Gate (not the one in Berlin, much smaller and different shape).

Brandenburg Gate, Potsdam

From here we went through parts of the gardens of Schlosspark Sanssouci, having a look at the Church of Peace, and the gardens in front of the palace. It all looks a bit weird as 95% of the statues have been covered up with wooden boxes – maybe for protection or something? – anyway, it looks really strange.

Church of Peace

Sanssouci Palace, Potsdam

Sanssouci Palace, Potsdam. Note the little buildings covering the statues.

Headed back into town to visit the markets.

As we were getting hungry, we decided to find a café for lunch. Easier said than done. The first one Joy had found was closed (even though Google said it should be open). Tried checking out several cafes in the main shopping street but they were either closed, too fancy or only took cash, and we didn’t have much of that. We eventually found Cafe Extrablatt (which according to Google means ‘Cafe extra sheet’. Not sure why they picked that name!) We thought it was just a small café but was actually quite large and very busy. We had to wait for a table to become free but that only took a few minutes. Did I mention it was busy in town? All these tourists!! Anyway, we both had tomato soup with little potato bread rolls. Very nice. We finished at about 3:00 and any sunshine had now gone. While having lunch, ‘Downunder’ by Men at Work was playing on the sound system!!

Yes we are in Germany!!

We then wandered around the markets for a while before wandering through the ‘Dutch Quarter’ before heading back to the railway station and the train back home.

Dutch Quarter, Potsdam

Saturday 14^th December 2024 Dresden

Our first ‘move on day’ today. Our train had changed as we were due to catch a train from Berlin Main Station to Dresden Main Station however, they changed so we had to get a train from Berlin Main Station to Berlin Ostkreuz, which is a suburban station, and catch our normal train from there. As we did not know how to move between the platforms, we left with plenty of time and ended up waiting at the Ostkreuz station for about 45 minutes. During this time, we noticed several police officers dressed in the riot squad type clothing with the hard hats, etc. Found out later there was to be a protest in town that day so obviously they were expecting trouble.

On to our train to Dresden which we had booked seats so no issues with us getting our seats. You don’t always need to reserve seats but we have found it worth it on the days we take our luggage on the trains.

Arrived in Dresden at about 12:30 pm and walked to the accommodation. Unfortunately, the route we took included cobble stones so it was a bit slow dragging the suitcases – and always aware of the toll this takes on the wheels as we don’t want them to break! When we leave, we will take the main road which is smoother even if it is 100 metres further. Next we headed to the nearby supermarket. This supermarket is probably the biggest we have shopped at in Europe either last time or this time so far. The supermarkets in Europe use the ‘Aldi’ checkout system where you have to pack your own stuff so one person loads onto the conveyor, the staff scans it and the other packs stuff back into the trolley. You then take the trolley to the bench and pack your bags! Very quick but not much good if a large shop and/or by yourself.

Relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. It’s quite tiring doing groceries when everything looks different and you don’t know the words for everything.

Sunday 15^th December 2024 Meissen Day Trip

Headed out this morning to Meissen which is a 35-minute train ride. While the trains in Europe are generally good, a day ticket for 2 costs about $45. When we arrived in Meissen the sun was out and there was a beautiful blue sky but it was windy and still cold. From memory it was about 9 degrees but felt like 4 degrees. Has been worse but still cold. From the station we headed towards the old town and ended up next to the river which is flowing very well. Headed back into the old town and found a very small café. It would seat about 16 people inside. Had a cuppa and a very nice pastry thing with hazelnut and cinnamon (we think, but no chocolate). After this we headed further into town and found some markets that Les had not known about. Probably only about 20 stalls so did not take long to walk through. The stalls were interesting, though, as they had different stuff to what we’d seen before, more like local stuff rather than mass-produced stuff. Walked past the Church of Our Lady, Meißen (closed). Next was the walk up the hill to Meissen Cathedral (outside look again as closed). From here we decided to walk to the Porcelain Factory as it was only 1.5km and most was downhill.

Meissen. Note the spiral staircase.

Meissen Cathedral

Arrived at the Meissen Porcelain Factory at about 1:00 pm so had lunch in the café. Not many people in there and the menu was very limited with only 3 or 4 options. Les had potato soup and kinderpunch and Joy had ‘mediterranem gemuse flammkuchen’ and cappuccino. Effectively Joy’s lunch was a crepe type thing with diced mediterranean vegetables on top. This might be the only time we ever get to eat a meal on Meissen crockery. Just to buy a keep cup (yes, Meissen make them) costs about 300AUD!!!

After lunch we did the tour where they have live actual people making the porcelain stuff by hand. They showed making the individual pieces, joining various pieces eg arms, legs, even individual fingers! adding the glaze, etc. Each step is done by a different person. It was very interesting to see the amount of work that goes into each piece. No wonder they are expensive. As is often the case with these tours some people just like to hog the best spots and stand in front of others!! ☹

After the tour had a look at some of the stuff they have for sale and the prices varied from 5 euros (not much at this price) to 440,000 Euros which is about $734,000 Australian Dollars!! Naturally we did not buy anything.

About 3/4 Million Australia Dollars price tage!

Forever Coffee Cups for about $300 AUD each

I'm sure we are in Europe!!!

Next we headed back to the station. There are two stations in Meissen – one is 900 metres from the Porcelain Factory, the other is 700 metres. As we had arrived at the main station and it was the closer we headed to that one. We had a 25 min wait for the train and the platform was getting very busy so when the train arrived going to the end of the line (only the next station along) we jumped on this and rode to the end of the line where it then heads back to Dresden meaning we had the pick of the seats. When it arrived back at the main station 5 minutes later the crowds piled on and the carriage was almost full. Glad we did get on when we did. Also by the time we left the Porcelain factory it was grey, overcast, windy and cold. Walked home and relaxed. Joy has started the Australian wine she got in Berlin.

By the end of the day, after several attempts at using it, we have found out that Joy’s Qantas Money Card is not working anymore. As a result Les is having to pay for everything, but it also means Joy has to stick with Les (or steal his card)!!

Monday 16^th December 2024 Saxony and Bohemia Switzerland National Park

Today was the first of our day Guided Tours heading to Saxony and Bohemia Switzerland National Park. We were to be collected at our accommodation between 8:00 and 8:30 so we were out the front waiting at 7:55. The tour was for a maximum 14 people and the day before had said only 3 tickets left so we expected a mid size coach type vehicle but at 8:40 a people mover arrived to collect us and only had 1 other passenger as well as the guide and the driver.

Headed out of Dresden with the first stop Basteibrücke which is still in Germany (the National Park straddles the border) which has lots of rock formations. At this point we met up with the rest of the tour group who had come from Prague. There was a real mix of nationalities – one guy from the Netherlands who is originally from Aruba, two women from Latvia, one from New York, one from Malaysia, and the rest I don’t know.

The weather is dull, overcast, windy and cold with occasional light showers. Did a walk around parts of the formations including a stone bridge built in the 1800s after the wooden one burnt down. The views across the river are spectacular even if the weather is overcast. When we go by train from Dresden to Prague we will follow the river and pass the formations so hope we are on the left hand side of the train to get the view.

River Elbe

Next was a 45 minute drive to the Czech Republic and a restaurant called “Pension U Johnů” which is a building basically in the middle of nowhere but they have a good setup and served some good food.

It seemed that as soon as we crossed the border (no checking of passports, or even having to slow down the car, although there was a long queue of traffic getting checked going the other way), the grass was no longer green! Found out why a short time later, as we saw snow on the ground!!

At the restaurant, Joy had a traditional Czech spicy goulash with dumplings, egg and horseradish and a 0.5 litre Czech beer, and Les had chicken, bacon and egg and a Fanta (ordered Lemonade but got Fanta, probably language communication issue).Next was a 45 minute drive to the Czech Republic and a restaurant called “Pension U Johnů” which is a building basically in the middle of nowhere but they have a good setup and served some good food.

Czech Beer with lunch.

Chicken, Bacon, Egg and some greenery!

Goulash, Egg, Dumpling and Horseradish

Looking left!!!

Pension U Johnu

Looking right!!

After lunch we went to Tiské stěny near a town called Tisa. This has more of the same style of rock formations and we did a walk around the top of the ridge and then down and around the base of the formations. The walk was quite long, across the top of the rock formations, then down and in amongst them. The formations are really quite amazing, and with the snow on the ground, it was really pretty. Mind you, it meant that it was pretty slippery in lots of places where the snow had turned to ice. This area is famous as being a location for the movie ‘Narnia’ which neither of us had seen. It is also well known as a destination for climbers, and a number of the formations, especially the pillars, have boxes on the top of them with books in them where the climbers can sign when they reach the top.