So the final day of Berlin before moving on. We were severely low on energy at this point, so we didn't accomplish much. We were kicked out of the apartment at 3pm by a crazy German cleaner who was very expressive with his hands. He wasn't too happy with the state we had left it in.
So leave we did. We hung out in yet another cool area of Berlin. Again the architecture was splendid, though Jon and I were more interesting in the ampelmann shop. Everything you can think of with an ampelmann twist. But soon the sun was setting on our Berlin adventure, and we headed to the train station.
Jon and Arth were going home - they have jobs after all. As I have no such problem occupying my time, I was never going to leave my continental sojourn at this juncture. Remember me mentioning that Kristina was from Austria? Well she's from Vienna, and that's where I went. Places are always better, and the experience is always richer, if you have a local friend to guide you to the hidden gems that a given place has to offer. So a 12 hour train ride awaited the two of us. With the ridiculous trains I have done in the previous year, this didn't phase me in the slightest.
We needed food, however, and I had my eye on one final Berlin tourist experience - the currywurst. A curried sausage, and something of a Berlin phenomenon. You can get them in other places in Germany (and Austria, it turns out), but this is where to sample a true currywurst. It was...well...the curry taste was strong. Overly strong, you might say. Not really worth the hype, but I took my time eating it nonetheless. To the point where we forgot the time and came close to missing the train.
It was quite a quiet train, enabling us to have our own compartment and stop any strange people from entering. Like the one creepy Czech guy (we're guessing the nationality, as he hovered particularly as we passed through that country) who kept walking by our door and looking in. No curtains on this train. He resembled a very ugly Santa Claus, whose beard was a bit on the grey side and needed a bit of Daz to spruce it up. The quiet aspect of the train was occasionally interrupted by the wailing of a crying baby from the next carriage, which prevented me from getting more than a couple hours of sleep. Again.
A little after 6am, and we disembark into a cold, dark, Austrian world. I've been to Vienna once before, but this would be a very different experience to being here for the 2008 European Championships. No crazy Turks dancing on cars, no beating Germans in a penalty shoot-out to get free entrance for Schonbrunn, no feelings of being a sardine in a fanpark under the Rathaus. Hopefully not repeating the experience of leaving my big backpack in the train station and then sprinting back to retrieve it, either. I liked this city last time, and was happy to be back.
Naptime was essential before attacking the city, which is something I will do in my next blog. As for Berlin? Great city, fantastic atmosphere to it, and a lot of fun. Just tone down the techno music a little bit and I'll consider moving there, OK?
Love you all
Matt
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