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Hi everyone,
Today I travelled to Berlin from Amsterdam via Easy jet. I was a bit worried before leaving Australia that I would miss my flight altogether but I had a nap at about 4.30pm ish yesterday afternoon and work up at 4am this morning and thought that would be a good opportunity to write my first entry. The tablet kept crashing so I had to type the entry using my mobile. Took me forever!
I started to get ready at about 6am which consisted of straighting my hair, applying some makeup and packing my suitcase. I figured if I got to the airport early enough I could have a nice real food breakfast at one of the cafés. I got to the airport at around 9am. I took some photos of the Iamsterdam statue with my cameras. A guy came up to me and offered to take a picture but I declined and thanked him for the offer. It's one of the worst things about travelling by yourself. I'm scared to get someone to take a picture of me and they run off with my belongings. Crazy overprotective person I am.
I went inside and had a look on the board displaying the flights and times. I couldn't find my flight and instantly freaked out with multiple questions going through my mind: Has my flight been cancelled, was it moved to a different time, did I book the right actual flight and was I even at the right airport?? A Instant sickening feeling in my stomach appeared. So I went to the flight information desk with my boarding pass and ask the gentleman to check if my flight wasn't cancelled and that I was at the correct airport. Instant relief that everything was ok as I feared a re do of my trip to Fraser Island was happening all over again expect I couldn't call my dad to come and save me.
After getting directions of which check in gate I needed to go to I went to try and find some breakfast. I came to a café and the whole menu was I'm guessing written in Dutch because one I couldn't read it and two I googled the official language for Amsterdam. Smart chicken I am!! So I had no idea what I wanted because I wasn't sure what was actually on offer. There was only a few words I could read purely because they were written in English. I felt like an idiot asking do you sell bacon and eggs here. So I ended up with a Latte and a ham and cheese croissant. I leant something new today 'kaas' is dutch for cheese, well I guessed it as the menu said croissant ham kaas.
After eating my croissant and drinking my latte there was also a small biscuit that came with my latte. I took a bite and it was the most horrible taste I've ever tasted in my life and I couldn't pin point what it reminded me of.. After a short while with the taste remaining in my mouth I finally figured it out. It tasted exactly like that horrible pink medicine we all used to have every time we got sick when we were little. In my opinion that's the WORST biscuit ever made. Maybe dutch people like the taste of pick medicine.. All I can say is that I didn't finish eating that biscuit that's for sure!!
After finishing eating I made my way upstairs to check my luggage in. This was at about 10am. The lady at the counter told me I needed to come back at 11.55. So I was a good 3 hours early for my flight. At least I wasn't late :-) So I past the time reading that book I couldn't get into on the flight over. Like all books once you read the first few chapters it gets better. I also had a bit to eat before the fight as well. Good old Burger King which by the way their meals meals are HUGE over here. I didn't want to imagine what their large meals looked like and they also give you tomato sauce and mayo with every meal free of charge, none of this companion products going on to make the most profit possible. I've asked myself so many times already since arriving why don't we call it Burger King back home and not Hungry Jack's?? Will have to Google that one later!
I went to check my baggage in again and I was one of the first people that arrived but there was a bit of a hold up because a group of teenage girls couldn't weigh their bags properly before arriving and had to divide their luggage between themselves. My luggage hadn't changed since leaving home so I could check in both my bags as the wouldn't allow me to take my handbag and carry on luggage due to the limited space of the small aircraft.
I headed down to the terminal and stopped off to buy myself a duty free waterproof camera to take with me for my Greek Island hopping tour. It felt like I was waiting forever for the plane to arrive and turns out our flight was delayed an extra half an hour. I didn't mind but my only thought was that the driver picking me up at the airport wasn't going to leave me stranded and having to find my own way to my hotel.
The flight to Berlin was very rough. It was a much smaller plane to the other previous planes I've travelled in so far. I've pin pointed why I don't like to fly very much and to think I wanted to be a flight attendant. It's the same reason I don't like going over hills to fast in cars or going on scarey rides at theme parks. That dropping feeling you get in your stomach I dislike with a passion!
I arrived safe and sound in Berlin. It was about 3.45pm and it felt like midday because the sun was so high up in the sky and it was sooo hot. A high 33 degrees. The heat and slight motion sickness was taking it's tool. I didn't feel very well at all. The airport was very hot with no air conditioning and having to wait for both my bags to arrive was a mission in itself.
After finally collecting both my bags I made my way outside hoping that when I walked out there would be a driver holding up a sign with my name on it. To much relief I've never been more glad to see my name on a piece of paper!
On the way to the hotel I was amazed at how the traffic light system works. It's like ours back home: the green, orange then red lights but Berlin also have another orange light in between red and green transition. I guess that's the same as having a 3 second pause between the red and green lights back home. The only thing that worried me was when the second orange light appeared the cars would start the drive.
Once arriving at my hotel. I collect my room key, unlock my door. The room was so stuffy with I'm guessing the smell of the carpet cleaner, so I opened the windows. Still not feeling the best I layed on the floor hoping the nausea feeling would pass. At that point I was missing home a bit but snapped myself out of my sad mood, jumped into the shower to freshen up and went for a walk to find something to eat as dinner time was fast approaching.
I was wondering as I was walking down the street to head towards the city none of the shops were open then I finally realised that it was a Sunday and there is no Sunday trading for shops. No Sunday trading is a distant memory back home. The only places that were open were fast food (McDonalds, KFC & Burger King) and only a few restaurants. I didn't want to eat anymore fast food so I wanted to try and find a café or restaurant to eat some normal food. They only issue was that I couldn't read the menus again. So I kept walking to find a place with a menu I could read... I couldn't find anyway so I made my way back to my hotel. I was almost back at the hotel when I saw an Indian restaurant with a English menus board. WINNING I will go with that! The waiter picked up almost instantly and asked if I was from Australia. I ordered the mango chicken with a sparkling water. Delicious!!
After dinner I made my way back upstairs, had a nice warm bubbled bath and hit the hay early. It was I think 9pm and it looked like dusk outside. Thank god for block out curtains!!
So far from what I've seen, Berlin is a beautiful place. There is lots of high rise buildings, lots of construction underway and modernising (if that's even a word) but the thing I like most about this place it the really old buildings that have history and a story to tell. The other part I'm also enjoying looking at is the architecture involved with this city. A city that's old and has a history and a story to tell and a city that's creating new stories to tell.
Anyway I'm to the zoo tomorrow which I'm pretty bloody excited about and it's only down the street :-) If I have enough time I will see if I can visit the Berlin Wall.
Hope all is well back home.
Auf Wiedersehen for now (Don't ask me how to say it because I have NO idea whatsoever. But it means Goodbye. Goggle is a marvellous invention!!)
Take care! Love you all!
Over and out
JB Xox
- comments
Tiff Try and get yourself to a beirgarten for a pork knuckle and a stein of the best beer you'll ever taste!! (Try the Hofbrauhaus). If you dont like beer all that much you could get a radler instead (shandy). Not as good as Munich, but still fabulous in Berlin. X
Monica Bate I love reading about your adventure so far. Miss ya and love ya co
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