Leaving Koln on the InterCity Express (ICE) at 1027 saw us arrive into Berlin Hauptbahnhof at around 1540 and with our train to Kiev due to depart at 2100 there was a little bit of time in our itinerary for some sightseeing. You can not afford to waste a minute!

Having dropped our bags in the left luggage lockers at the impressive station there was time for a currywurst (a fabulous combination) before we walked around parts of Berlin seeing some of the 'top sights' including passing the Reichstag, the Brandenburg Gate, the Berliner Dom (Cathedral) and the TV Tower in Alexanderplatz.

Given our train from Berlin to Kiev had no restaurant car and it was a twenty three hour journey (although with the extra hour on the clock as we crossed into Ukraine the train was booked to arrive at Kiev at 2105 local time), we decided on having a good meal before leaving Berlin in the evening so, in typical German style, there was the opportunity to sample some pork products and a beer!

After loading up with snacks at the supermarket at the main station it was time to board train 445, departing at 2105 to Kiev Pass. The compartment which was to be our home for the next twenty four hours had enough space for luggage storage, there was a second bed that folded down to make bunk beds for the night and we had a wash basin (toilets were at the end of the coach). A samovar was also provided giving unlimited boiling hot water for tea and coffee throughout the journey plus it was useful for the packets of noodles we had with us - it pays to be prepared.

En-route to Kiev we stopped at the Ukrainian border to change bogies (wheelsets) on the train as the track gauge is different from that of Poland and the rest of western Europe. It was quite interesting staying on the train as they jacked it up, removed the old bogies and then wheeled in the new ones for the remainder of the trip to Kiev.