Berlin day 2

This morning we walked and trained to the main railway station of Berlin. We leave from this station next Tuesday at the crack of dawn for Munich and didnot want any suprises. It is an interesting modern building, but with all the usual noise , bustle and shops of a major railway station.

From there we took a bus to the main art gallery of old masters. Lots and lots of interesting paintings.  The layout of the gallery was annoying. Small pokey rooms off other pokey rooms. Easy to miss a room and a 5 star painting.

We had lunch there, gathered our wits and set off again on another train to look at a part of the wall. We watched a 30 minute film about the history and then wandered around an area where you could see the outer wall, the inner wall and the 'death zone' in between.  For us, the right mix of information, not too much sentimentality but still compassionate and moving.

Another train and walk to a coffee and wool shop, but their coffee machine was broken. Luckily over the road was an excellent deli like place which sold good coffee and a delicious piece of kuchen.   The German scholar sat on a park bench studying his german book with his eyes closed while I browsed in the shop. Amongst other interesting wool they had some yak wool,   some wool from English border leister sheep and some wool from the same supplier on the Shetland Islands as the wool I brought. I bought some cable needles with notches  so the stitches do not slip off,  but will the stitches come off easily when you want them to?

 I have not been firing on all cylinders for a few days now and so this evening we took the easy option of going to a place around the corner we went to the other day. They do not have any red from Germany on their Weincarte , so we had a Spanish rioja and a french merlot.  At least I persuaded the German scholar not to have a De Bortoli.  Speaking of which , we have learnt an important word - trocken - dry as in wine.