Graptolite - Then We Take Berlin

Graptolite's Sailing Log
Martyn Pickup & Heike Richter
Tue 18 May 2010 18:05
Graptolite is at 36:49.20N 028:18.56E in Turkey and the skipper is in
Berlin, Tuesday 18th May 2010

Friends, Mike and Jacqui, came over for a visit to Berlin last Thursday. As
usual Heike went into Hyperactive Tour-Guide mode and we drove straight from
Tegel Flughafn into the thick of the nightlife of the Friedrichstrasse area
with champagne in hand.

Friday we took a look at the old Tempelhof Airport and peered down at Berlin
from the Funkturm. We strolled the Unter Den Linden and had lunch in the
swanky Hotel Adlon then 'Kaffe und Kuchen' in the Potsdamer Yacht Club. In
the evening we did the Reichstag tour to see British architecture at it's
finest.

Saturday saw us checking out the low points of the city in WW2 bunkers and
Checkpoint Charlie. I think there may have been a visit to a hunting,
fishing and dirndl shop nearby but I've blanked it out. Lunch was in the
'Zur Letzten Instanz' for highly traditional, and huge, plates of German
food.

On Sunday we trekked out to Potsdam for a fine lunch on Schnitzel and
Spargel in the 'Kleines Schloss'. It is the white asparagus season here
(Spargelzeit) and many restaurants have special menus for the stuff. We then
exchanged some Cold War spies on the 'Bridge of Unity' or 'Glienicke Brucke'
nearby. Some of us also did a bit of tango on the bridge which may have been
appropriate, or possibly not. We then went on to stroll through the grounds
of Sansouci Palace. Heike had to go to the US on business that evening so it
was a dash to Tegel then back to Schulzendorf for the rest of us to amuse
ourselves.

Monday we got up late as there was nobody to organize us then we went on a
leisurely cruise up and down the river Spree, as us old and tired people do.
Then on to Tegel Flughafn again for goodbyes.

Tuesday, I slept like the dead.

M