While Im Putting the world to rights...

Today,  we were up and at it as quickly as we could get out of bed.  

So that was like 10. H a ha 

We  had a lovely breakfast except for the purple stuff which I thought  looked very interesting, but I ended up doing the Tom Hank's  from Big thing where I had to scrape it off my tongue. 

Then it was out for a walk "only a few metres" he said,  3000 steps later we were at the Hop on Hop Off bus stop.  Which could have been reached on the Tram which wouldn't have cost us anything. 

We jumped on the bus, and enjoyed looking at the city from above in termperatures of 26 degrees.  I had my factor 50 liberally splattered. 

We couldn't follow the map. Turns out I had a map for a different bus tour.   But it was fine we got another one,   We both got very excited when  we saw the Wall.   Brandenburg Gate ....  Victory Lady.... Berlin Dom,  University,  Book Burning.  But to see the actual wall. 

And we jumped off the bus, right at CheckPoint Charlie.  

This is where my education began. 

I always had it in  my head, that Berlin was exactly in the middle of Germany, and the division of Berlin came about because they split Germany in half.   

I do not know how this came in to my head.     Si was telling me about air lifts and 300 miles long train journeys to stock Berlin, and I was just  utterly confused. 

Then  we went to Assisi Pergamon Exhibtion which is a 360 depiction of the wall.    There was loads of information in the first room - hundreds upon hundreds  of pictures showing life in and around the wall.  And then, stories explaining building the wall around West Berlin.  Cue even more confused.  Why was Berlin defended, wasn't it the free zone?   

Thank gawd I have Si to explain things to me.   

I was very moved by the 360 - and from the viewing platform looking down and listening, I found myself getting quite emotional, and when I realised the whole scenario, I was completely and utterly stunned.  

My head still can't quite get round my mis-conception  of what was happening.  I WATChed the dismantelling of the wall.  I saw David Hasselhoff claim he helped bring it down. hmmm  I knew that wasn't right. 

Any hoo. I know now, and I am even more in awe of the people of Berlin. 

Si here, stood in front of Checkpoint charlie.   everyone was queued up.  Just as if they were actually waiting to pass through.    We had a nice coffee just along the road and people watched.   Then we wandered along the streets, taking in Berlin and spend a long while browsing the Topography of Terror Museum.  

Oh my god.   What a place to have lived.  I felt quite ill. 

Then we wandered some more with the intent of catching the hop on hop off, but we couldn't work out the stops and the men had all disaappeared. 
So we jumped a buss, they are all free to us. and we recognised AlexandreStasse and jumped.  from there we people watched in the square, and walked around the restaurants and shops which surrounded it. 

We found a nice restaurant and settled ourselves for food.   It was delish as was the Gin.  The waiter got Si's order mixed up and he ended up with the wrong burger, but it was whisked away and the correct one arrived, very quickly. 

Then we bimbled to another tram stop and got our tram back to the hotel. 

Another couple of drinks i n the bar, and it was bed time again  with 13, 000 steps between us.