Tuesday, June 23

Today we docked in Waenmunde, Germany, positioned to visit Berlin. I had found a private city tour separate from ship excursions and for a 1/3 the price. Up at 4:45 am and off the ship by 6:10. We  were met just outside the terminal area and we hopped on our bus. This plan for using a bus for both getting to Berlin and touring the city turned out to be a very good idea. As we got closer to the city (it's a 3 hour ride) the clouds rolled in and a steady

rain started. But, most of the tour was going to be on the bus.

It was a cold, cloudy day. Linda had brought Joke's yellow sweater and she can't imagine how she would have survived without it. 

Thank you, thank you.

We picked up our tour guide along a curb. Rob 

was from Norfolk, England and had been living inBerlin for about seven years. Great

guide with a dry sense of humor. We drove aroundsome of the historical sites including the 

Bradenburg Gate, the Reichstag, a 

couple of cathedrals, Hitler's bunker (just a 

parking lot - by design), and Checkpoint Charlie. Most of Berlin was destroyed during the war so everything is new 

or newly restored. We got out a couple of times in the rain and 

stood under trees or building overhangs.

Lunch was at a beer hall named the Lowenbrau. 

Just the right thing to do in Berlin. Linda had a half pork knuckle 

and I had jagerschnitizel and we both had a dark beer. Linda drank all of hers. Who would have guessed that? 

This is what 1/2 of a  pork knuckle looks like. Taste good.

One of the more interesting dishes was this 19 inch long sausage 

that Heidi ordered. She gave me a bite - very nice.

Sorry - I can't figure out how to orient it correctly.

One last
stop at the Jewish memorial to all who 

died in WW II. There are other 

memorials for other groups around town.This one takes up an entire city block 

and is composed of concrete blocks of 

different sizes. They range from almost 

flat to over 3 meters high. They are 

painted with a special black paint which allows graffiti to be easily washed off. 

Along the way driving through town we saw this sign:

Love, Sex, and Dreams

After about 2/3 of the way back to the ship, the sky got brighter andthe sun came out. Linda and I hit the jacuzzi and even though the 

ship was serving a special German-themed dinner none of us were
hungry because of our large lunch. We watched a movie in our 

room.