The Owl & The Pussycat: Berlin Bound...And Beyond

After an incredible few days in Wachtberg we throw ourselves straight back into camper van life. After 154 km we arrive at our first stop, Seige. We have no gas or electricity which makes for a long cold night. Our next stop is 258 km away in Hofgeismar. We spend the night in a quiet carpark in the centre of the small town alongside two other campers. We stock up on yet more blankets from a discount textile store in the village before moving on once again.

Hofgeismar, Germany

We drive 80 km East to Einbeck. The drive is beautiful, quiet country roads lined with huge trees the leaves are brown to gold and every colour in between. We count hundreds of discreet hides camouflaged in trees lining the the fields around us used to hunt deer. After driving for two hours in the beautiful countryside we reach our stop. We are staying in a carpark next to a swimming pool and are one of two campers. We head out for a leg stretch with Oscar and search for the town centre when we pass a very excitable dog and his owner. We get talking to the lady and she kindly invites us along with her on a dog walk. She tells us all about her dog Chief who she rescued from America last year. Her story was heart breaking, she found him on the side of the highway chasing cars and took him to a shelter where she was told to take him back to the highway because the shelter was too full and they would only have to put him down in a few days. By now she'd grown attached to him and obviously wasn't prepared to leave him by the side of the road. She had him flown back to Germany for a grand total of $2000. She explained that he is hard work at times but he looked so happy and grateful of some love and attention. Just the cutest story. So whilst we quizzed his owner on the village and surrounding areas Chief and Oscar spent the walk chasing each other in and out of the river and across muddy fields. The walk takes an hour or so and afterwards the lady walks us into the city centre to show us around. This place is unbelievably beautiful. A famous beer producing city, dating back to prehistoric times. The entire place was almost completely destroyed by fire in 1540. The fire was started by an arsonist, Heinrich Diek who was convicted and died in an iron cage which is now on display in the town hall. We spend the morning wandering around before setting off again.

Einbeck, Germany

We travel 582 km east making a stop in Klosterberg before arriving in Berlin. After attempting to check into three different campsites to no avail we finally find a camper parking site in Kopenick 20 minutes outside Berlin city centre. After a busy day we wander into the town and stare in awe through all the shop windows shivering in our inadequate winter coats. An hour later Jac and I are the proud owners of new, very practical winter coats. Feeling guilty after blowing our budget we wander back and settle in the van to watch a couple of episodes of Dexter before getting an early night ready to meet my cousin Aaron at Schonefeld airport the following morning.

Today is November 14th, we've been away 29 weeks and are overly excited about seeing a familiar face. We catch the train from Kopenick to Ostkreuz (Central) then onto the airport. We wait anxiously in the arrival lounge, our eyes lighting up every time the double doors open to reveal another passenger. After what seems like an age Aaron finally appears and we briefly catch up outside in the bitterness. We are about to head back to the train station when the doors open once again and to my shock/horror/surprise........my dad and uncle Tony walk through, suitcases in tow.

Best. Surprise. Ever.

By this point I'm bounding around like an overexcited puppy and nobody can get a word of sense out of me. We spend the whole train journey gabbling like a flock of geese before dropping their cases in the hotel and heading out for some food. We enjoy a marathon catch up over steak, burgers and beer at 'Ribs & More' and spend the rest of the night in cocktail bar.

So excited to see my Dad

Jac, Aaron, Uncle Tony & Dad at Ribs & More

The following morning we are nursing our hangovers like bears with sore heads, we struggle to shower and dress ourselves before meeting Aaron, Dad and Uncle Tony at their hotel. We try and fail miserably at finding something that resembles an English breakfast before giving in and consuming a mountain of eggs and fruit. Feeling slightly more human we head, on the train to Oranienburg where we walk 2 km to Sachenhausen Concentration Camp. This is the third camp Jac and I have visited so whilst the others take a look around we educate ourselves in the library and warm up with a hot chocolate. Later that afternoon we head to the Brandenburg Gate, built as a triumphal arch city gate in 1791. Next we head to the Reichstag, the 19th century home of the German Parliament, remodelled in 1999 by Norman Foster when an impressive glass cupola was added. This now serves as a huge tourist attraction with a restaurant affording views over the new government quarter that has developed around the Reichstag available to visit by appointment only. Next on the list is the Holocaust Memorial, officially known as the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. A moving arrangement of 2711 upright concrete slabs of varying height designed by Peter Eisenman and Buro Happold. The memorial took 20 months to construct at a cost of 25 million Euros. There is also an underground information centre holding the names of all known Jewish Holocaust victims. We head back through the Brandenburg Gate and stop in an Italian restaurant near Pariser Platz for dinner. We walk back to the hotel with the others and enjoy a couple of drinks in the hotel bar. Jac and I leave around midnight to head back to the camper.

My Dad and Jac at breakfast

Sachenhausen Concentration Camp, Berlin

Berlin, Germany

Brandenburg Gate, Berlin

The Reichstag, Berlin

The Holocaust Memorial

These four in their 'Boy Band' pose

The following morning we meet at the underground station to head out for another day of sightseeing. All three of them (Dad, Aaron and Uncle Tony) look shattered and are struggling. It doesn't take them long to confess that they managed to run up a 150 Euro bill in the bar last night. We get the tube to Prinzenstrasse where we visit Checkpoint Charlie the best known Berlin Wall crossing point between East and West Berlin during the Cold War. None of them are particularly chatty until they get a McDonalds breakfast (or two) inside them. After breakfast we head to the Berlin Wall open air display where we learn about the construction, failed and successful escape attempts and are able to see a portion of the wall. We follow a trail which takes us along the former course of the wall until we reach Friedrichstrasse where a large part of the wall still stands. Here we are also able to see parts of the former Gestapo and SS Headquarters which now houses a huge photography exhibition named Topography of Terror. After a morning of sightseeing in the rain the others head back to the city centre to do some shopping whilst Jac and I head back to the Brandenburg Gate for a hot chocolate. We meet at the hotel where the guys are printing bording passes and getting ready to fly home early the following morning. We head out for dinner and a few drinks to celebrate a great weekend and say goodbye before heading back to the camper in Kopernick. An amazing action packed 3 days has left us exhausted so we spend the following day relaxing before leaving Berlin.