Eurail to the rescue? We´ll see... 7/13/2008

Wallet: Day 7
Jeans & Sweatshirt: Day 9

So after a memorable stay in Amsterdam we are off to Berlin for a few days. The train to Berlin runs through a nearby town, called Amersfoot, so we need to get there first and then transfer trains. Once we finished eating breakfast we decided to check out one more place on our map, the De Gooyer Windmill. We walked over there and very quickly realized how huge this thing was. I mean it is MASSIVE! Loyd was wondering if it still spun and just as we arrived it began spinning slowly. That slow spin became faster within a minute or so, it was crazy to see this very old Windmill still work.

It was around 10:30 by the time we finished up at the windmill so I suggested we go to the train station to pick up our train tickets a few hours before we left. We really had no idea how these Eurail passes worked so we thought we should get someone to explain them to us. It turned out to be the best decision we have made in a while as when we arrived at the Centraal Station, the place was in absolute disarray. The average wait time to pick up tickets was over an hour and a half. We got a ticket at the kiosk for people trying to leave on trains in the next hour, we had no intention of waiting an hour and a half to have our questions answered. The wait was on 30 minutes, luckily. The customer service rep wasn´t exactly helpful but she was able to tell us what platform to go to and validated our passes so they were usable. We asked about reserving seats and she brushed us off with 'it will cost you extra, just go!'...Thanks lady I thought.

We headed back to our hostel and grabbed our bags, what an ordeal that was. At the Bulldog there was a large room where everyone had room to put down their bags. At the Y Hotel (not recommended under any circumstances), it was a singular closet. We were lucky because our bags were near the top but there was a guy with us who was trying to get his bag out, there were about 30 bags on top of his. Poor bloke. We tried to help but in the end he just needed space in the small hallway to set other people´s bags down.

Once we got out of that place we headed to the station to try to grab an earlier train. Our energy level was close to zero at this point, Amsterdam completely drained us. I had serious trouble staying awake once I down anywhere. In the end, we took an early train to Amersfoot and we finally got to see our Eurail tickets in action, it was mesmerizing. Not. I couldn´t believe my eyes when I saw the scrutiny that they put these passes through, ZERO! The conductor checked Loyd´s pass by glancing at it for about half a second and just saw the cover of mine and walked on.

The trip on the train itself was pretty easy, we rotated naps and got up every few hours to walk around. I must have snapped close to 70 pictures along the way, the countryside was amazing. The changes in landscape and scenery was a sight to see. Being out of the city, with the rural and wild nature is such a nice break, I think we really needed it.

About 5 hours into the 7 hour train ride a man came over to us and in his best English he asked if we were touring Germany. I was skeptical of why he was asking at first but still said yes. He got incredibly excited at my answer and said there was a big monument coming upon the side of the mountain we were coasting next to. The monument is called Porta West Falica and he was right, it really was incredible. After we passed it, I said thank you nicely to him and he answered ENJOY GERMANY! People amaze me with their outgoing nature around here.

We arrived in Berlin just as the sun was setting. The colors in the sky were stunning. I kept snapping away pictures as the train rolled in. My first reaction to Berlin was that the city is absolutely stunning. We found our way to our hostel by train (we didn't purchase tickets for the train out of ignorance but it was no problem, their system is bizarre - I will explain later).

Our hostel is located in Southern Berlin in a pretty hoppin' neighborhood. We dropped our stuff off in our room after we checked without paying or even providing any identification. Bizarre again. The Germans are incredibly trusting people, apparently. In our room we met a British couple from Manchester and they gave us a few tips of things to do in Berlin, specifically a bike tour that leaves from the Big TV tower by Alexanderplatz. It is a monument you can see from anywhere in the city. We decided that we would absolutely check it out.

I then realized I hadn´t eaten a solid meal all day. So we headed out into the city streets to find a restaurant that was open at 1 AM. After getting some directional assistance from some Copenhageners (sp?) staying at our hostel we found a Mexican joint. Perfect, right? First night in Germany and we are eating some enchiladas and drinking Coronas...Oh, Globalization.

We both absolutely housed our food (scarfed it down). The second we finished we realized just how exhausted we were and decided to call it an early night. We had big plans for the following day so we strolled back and passed out as soon as we got in.

Cheers from Berlin, tomorrow is shaping up to be a huge day!