Berlin
Flynn Marr 22 July 2026
The Amsterdam Cruise Ship Terminal as we approached on the M.S. Eurodam. This was the end of our Baltic cruise which had been wonderful. But it was time we travelled on to Berlin.
We arrived back in Amsterdam in the early morning. The city had not awoken and everything was quiet. As we apprached the dock it was as if we were in a slow motion video. Before disembarking we had time to have our breakfast and pack our bags. It was sad leaving the Eurodam after having so many enjoyable hours on the ship. On all of our cruises I have found the mood at the end to be one of melancholy.
We were assigned a time to go down to the gang plank and we did not actually leave the Eurodam until about 10:00 am. Our luggage was off loaded to the pier where we searched through a thousand
bags to find ours. By the time we found them it was about noon and getting late for our train to Berlin.
The cruise ship terminal is not far from Amsterdam Centrale, the train station, so we took our bags and began walking. It was only a few minutes and we were in the station looking for a train to Berlin. We found an express train and bought our tickets. This train was to depart from a satelite station in Hilversum, a town about 25km from Amsterdam proper, so we first had to take a local commuter train before we boarded our express ride.
This is the commuter train we took to Hilversum where we were to board the express to Berlin. It is still in Amsterdam Centrale.
Like most commuter transportation it was pretty basic accomodation much like a city bus.
This is Susan waiting on the platform in Hilversum. You can see we are travelling with a suitcase each plus a”carry-on”. Knowing that we will be handling our own luggage on a long trip we tried to keep it simple.
The “Express” train was much more luxurious with compartments that could close sliding doors to the outside passageway.
Each compartment had a large window which gave a wonderful view of the beautiful German countryside we were passing through.
Our trip was over five hours but we were able to walk to this delightful cafeteria where we could purchase surprisingly good food and drink.
The country we passed through was mainly rish farmland and small villages. This picture I took through the train window shows how beautiful this part of Germany is.
Once we settled into our express coach we were looking at about a five hour trip. But, compared to air travel, it was a delight. Through large windows we watched beautiful countryside slide past. Seats were large and we had all the leg room we could want. And of course we could get up and walk around and forward to the bar car where we could buy food and beer. The time passed as quickly as the scenery outside the car.
We arrived in Berlin in the early evening at the main train station, the Berlin Hauptbahnhof. As train stations go, this one had to be the most amazing I had ever seen. But more of that later. It was so impressive we decided to come back and explore.
We had no hotel reservation so we found our way to the Housing Office which European stations have and they found us a hotel room not far from the station at the Hotel Adina.
The Adina was not much to look at outside but the room we had was exceptional. It was large, bright and had a
small kitchenette in one corner. And it was very central to the historic downtown of old Berlin. It has been my experience that the best hotels are the small family run ones where the people behind the front desk are the owners or related to them. The big international chains are usually expensive and they don’t reflect the local customs and color of the local people.
Susan is standing just outside the hotel entrance beside this colorful bear.
The Hotel Adina from across the street. Notice the bear outside the entrance.
Susan inside our room at the Hotel Adina. I would recommend this hotel to everyone!
By the time we were settled into our hotel it was dark but, with the excitement of this new city to explore, we were not ready for bed. We had no idea where we were going but we went for a walk and found the Unter den Linden Boulevard which boasts so many of Berlin’s interesting stops. We walked along this famous street and ended up at the Brandenburg Gate, one of Germany’s most recognizable sites.
This colossal structure was built in the 1700’s on the site of the gate in the wall of old Berlin that led to the road to the town of Brandenburg. Over the years it has been damaged, repaired, damaged, repaired, until today it is literally a symbol of Germany.
We found a small coffee shop near the Gate and had a latte and apple strudel and enjoyed our surroundings. I think we were suffering a little travel shock after being pampered at sea for 12 days. It does spoil one!
I don’t know what I expected when we arrived in Berlin.
The Brandenburg Gate on our walk our first night in Berlin.
Growing up with my combat veteran father I knew more about the second world war than most people of my generation. And I knew that Berlin had been pulverised by the end of the war: utterly destroyed. But what we found was a vibrant, beautiful city with amazing buildings and construction cranes evrywhere. It was impressive!
We were to be in Berlin for two full days but the second day I had some work related business to attend to so really it was a day and a half at most. Not enough time to see very much in such an historically rich city.
We returned to the Brandenburg Gate the next day and then walked through the Gate into the park beyond. The two men with the flags, one in a US uniform and the other in an East Germany (comunist) uniform are there offering a photo op for tourists. The uniforms are ill fitting and only approximately correct.
Through the Brandenburg Gate a short walk into the park beyond is a Russian War Memorial to the Russian dead in the seige and connquest of Berlin in 1945.
I love the Hop-On Hop-Off bus. When you have little time it is a wonderful way to see as much as possible. And you can get off anywhere and back on any time all day.
At one time, during the cold war, Berlin was divided between East and West. A gate between them was called Check Point Charlie. When the barrier was taken down the checkpoint was kept as a reminder of more bitter days.
As we came down from the upper deck to get off I snapped this picture of the Reichstag through the bus window.
The Berliner Dom is on museum island in the River Spree and it is surrounded by parks and museums. It is very impressive as you can see.
Near the Berliner Dom is the National Gallery. Susan is on the stairs to the Gallery with the Cathedral in the background.
The top deck of the bus is the best seating. You are above traffic and can see over everyone’s head. It is a great platform for taking pictures.
As we have done in so many cities, in the morning we found the Hop-On Hop-Off bus. It was not crowded and we were able to sit on the top in the open air and we had a great tour of the city for very little money.
When we came to the Reichstag we got off the bus to walk around the building. The history of this building is amazing and well worth reading.
Here I am standing on the grass in front of the Reichstag building.
Back on the bus we stopped at the Berlin Cathedral, the Berliner Dom where we got off again. This is a major Protestant Church built in the late 19th century by order of the Kaiser William II. It is the largest Protestant church in Germany.
It was damaged in the Second World War and the Communist East German government was in no hurry to repair it. However, restoration began in 1975 and today it is beautifully restored.
We walked around the church and then went in to marvel at its beauty. We then walked to the bacony around the base of the great dome from where we could look out over the city.
Susan is standing on the grass in the park in front of the Berliner Dom.
The park in front of the Berliner Dom is a very popular place to gather and enjoy the outdoors. It is a lovely spot to stop and relax.
The body of the church is concentrated under the dome. Across the interior is the beautiful organ.
This glorious pipe organ survived Allied bombing during the war and has been completely restored.
Looking up in the body of the church you look into the famous dome, rebuild after being damaged in the war.
Susan on the stairs up to the balustrade around the base of the dome on the Berliner Dom. From there one can see the city surrounding the cathedral, the River Spree, and most of the island in the river that is home to this church and various museums and art galleries.
On the walkway around the dome. In the backgrount is the Berliner Fernsehturm, a TV transmission tower with an observation deck and revolving restaurant in the ball near the top.
Susan on the walkway around the base of the Berlin Cathedral’s dome.
A view of the River Spree and in the left edge of the picture is the National Gallery.
I am usually not in the pictures but Susan took this picture of me on the Berliner Dom.
The Berliner Dom is on an island in the River Spree refered to as the Museum Island because there are several museums and galleries clustered on it. After we left the cathedral we walked over to the National Gallery. The building is actually only one of the buildings housing the National Gallery but it is the oldest of them and is refered to as the Alte Nationalgalerie, the Old National Gallery. Built in the years between 1862 and 1876 on instruction of King Frederick William IV of Prussia, it is set in beautiful grounds and gardens with several impressive artworks on display.
With so little time in Berlin we did not go into the Gallery but we walked around the grounds and enjoyed the gardens and sculptures. It was truly a beautiful place.
The German National Gallery is on the same island as the Berliner Dom.
Susan with the 1879 marble statue Prometheous Bound by Eduard Muller
Susan in the steps of the National Gallery on Museum Island in the River Spree
The colonnade along side the National Gallery.
The Bogenspannerin is a full sized cast copy of a statue by Ferdinand Lepcke
Don’t forget to take pictures of small details. Case in point: this very ornate manhole cover.
Back on the Hop-On Hop-Off we wanted to go back and look at the train station, the Hauptbahnhof, in the daylight. (I am not really sure I have all the Hop-Offs in the correct order.) This has to be the most amazing train station I have ever seen. The tracks were on more than one level and it was as if a train station was constructed in a shopping mall. Shops, escalators, train tracks, fast food counters all mixed together.
We walked onto the main platform which was under a huge glass roof. It was immense and everything was so clean. Then we walked through several stores and looked at the amazing food one could buy for their trip.
I would have liked to leave Berlin through this station but it was not to be. I had business in a town outside Berlin and we had decided to drive there which meant we were going to rent a car and drive out of town. The company I worked for in Vancouver had a sales dealership for a company in Korbach and I was on my way to see their plant and meet with their sales team.
The front of the Hauptbahnhof is this amazing glass wall.
The main platform in the Hauptbahnhof was immense.
This station is like a mall with train tracks.
That’s me in front of the Konzerthaus in Berlin, the home of the Konzerthausorchester of Berlin
In front of the Konzerthaus is a statue of Friedrich Schiller surrounded by four muses representing the areas of his contributions to the arts. They are History, Poetry, Philosophy and Tragedy. This one represents History.
At the left is the representation of History and on the right is Philosophy sitting beneath the statue of Friedrich Schiller
Stopping for Coffee and Apple Strudel at the Einstein Kaffehaus
The apple strudel came hot with ice cream and it was really nice.
Later we stopped for lunch and a beer. And no, Susan does not drink beer. It’s mine.
And one final photo lesson in Berlin. Shops often have displays outside in the street that are great photo opportunities. Don’t pass them by!
And that was our day in Berlin. We actually had two days but on the second day I had to go out to Oranienburg, a suburb of Berlin, to tour a plant and meet with their research team. So we really had only one day to tour. We were really impressed with the city. The buildings and parks were beautiful. Everything was so clean and well kept. Really impressive.
Something that really impressed us was the amount of construction going on everywhere. The skyline was alive with construction cranes. It was if the Germans were building a new capital for Europe!
I don’t know what we expected in Germany but our whole stay in the country totally changed our attitudes. We came to love the people and the country. You could not stop in the street without someone asking if they could help you. People in the shops and restaurants were wonderful and they couldn’t do enough for you.
One day is not enough in any city. In that time one cannot really get to know a place. One should take in some museums, visit some famous buildings, and above all, sit
in the coffee shops for hours drinking the coffee and watching the people. Only after several days of this will you begin to understand a place and its people. If we only had the time!
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