There was more research again this morning. So many options. Finding out yesterday that we can get a special World Cup pass that covers all of Germany for one month for half the price we were expecting to pay switched things up again.
At first we thought we might have to lose Prague from our plans since there is plenty to enjoy in Germany. But then Alicia came up with the idea of pricing the trip from the closest train stop in Germany to Prague. It would cost another 77€ for both of us round trip. Not bad and still much cheaper than our original plan.
Now all we had to do was figure out what other places we wanted to visit and on what days. To do that, we gathered up the data and headed out for food.
As we went across Potsdamer Platz we realized we probably missed the Transformers 3 premiere. Our visit confirmed it. We just missed the stars going inside the theater. So I had us wait outside the backdoor, a trick my friend Jason taught me, to catch the stars coming out. They don't stay for the whole thing. But even then, we didn't see much of them. But Patrick Dempsy was within 100 feet of Alicia. I am certainly glad it wasn't closer.
However, a neat thing was happening all around Potsdamer Platz. The promotion and excitement of the women's World Cup. They had booths and games, and even the mobile Sony truck. If Alex had been there we would have gone in. But I did get a picture of me holding hands with a giant sackboy.
Germany has won the last two consecutive World Cups (spaced every four years). If they win this one, they will be the first team to ever win tree times, let alone win them consecutively. The experts say Germany, the US, and Spain all have equal chances of winning this year.
For lunch Alicia had a McDonalds hamburger and I had an Eisbein (boiled ham hock) sandwich. Wow was that some tender and tasty ham. I am sure by now you probably think that I like everything I have eaten in Germany and might be glossing over all the food with a Euro crush. That isn't quite true. I just haven't mentioned the marginal or not so good food.
For example we bought some chili lemon chips that I really thought were gross. There have been a couple wursts (pronounced vursts and mean sausages) that I thought were marginal. So far, I have only mentioned the good food experiences. Alicia told you about the cheese we have purchased so far. Wow were they gross. I couldn't even bring myself to try them. They would give Limburger cheese a run for the stinkiest cheese.
This time we went a little further on Friedrichstrasse, the Park Avenue (New York) or Magnificent Mile (Chicago) of Berlin. Friedrichstrasse has extremes. Before were have traveled the middle area with tourist shops and mid-priced boutiques. We also went to the other extreme where gambling halls and poverty were prevalent. Now we passed the Bentley dealership, Cartier, Yves St. Laurent, and other high-end shops. Restaurant prices started at 25€ (about $37). We kept walking.
Another place where we kept walking was near the Brandenburg Gate. We thought the pride parade was over, but they were making a night of it. Stupidly we went closer because we thought it was more of the World Cup festivities. Wow were we wrong.
Eventually we found ourselves tired physically and of looking at menus with obscene prices, that we decided to try some international cuisine. Mexican. Not my finest travel hour, but it would have to do. An interesting note is that Germans must not like their Mexican food with retried beans, lettuce, or tomatoes. There weren't any of these with the dishes. The meat was also seasoned with what seems to be a favorite Berlin curry. Below mediocre for me, but interesting none the less.
No comments:
Post a Comment