About the German people, Lonely Planet suggests that "Germans ... go about life in such an orderly, systematic fashion, or conduct conversations in such a serious manner even in social settings (Germans don't tend to engage in small talk)". So it was with Rafael, Aachen University student who was in the same train compartment with us. Most of the time he would be working on his computer, but then he let his guard down and by the time he got off the train, we had conversed and found out that he'd just wasted a train ticket into Berlin to get a visa for his forthcoming internship in Beijing. The Chinese Embassy was closed! They were still celebrating the Chinese New Year after all.
There were still signs of winter as we traveled past the countryside covered with snow. But it was deemed a very mild winter and already there are signs of an early spring.
It is said that Berlin/Germany has some of the best street/graffiti art. All along the fences of train stations, on bridges and some buildings, we spotted much graffiti.
We arrive at the Berlin Hbf, and found its many levels quite fascinating. In fact there are five levels with trains running on two. The other levels are for access and shops. In Germany, most other shops close on Sundays, so some do their shopping in the train stations. This main train station of Berlin was opened in 2006.
... and we spotted our first Berlin Buddy Bear at the Hbf. (From here on, we spotted them all around the city, sometimes in surprising locations). These bears were painted in 2001 and placed in public domains, 'as decorative elements in the streets of Berlin'. Later they were auctioned off in aid of child relief organisations. So now they are on private premises, in front of hotels and embassies and the foyers of some office buildings. Also in this Hbf, obviously.
From the train station, we decided to take a taxi to our hotel in Mitte. During this ride, we noted lots of construction going on, and also distinct blue (and pink) pipes along some streets. As our lady taxi driver explained, these pipes carrying water and electric cables are temporary until the constructions are finished.
Maria also informed us that she is one of only 50 female taxi drivers in Berlin. There are 7000 taxi drivers in all. Although according to Lonely Planet again, 'Germans fall within the mental topography of northern Europe and are sometimes described as culturally 'low context'. That means Germans like to pack what they mean right into the words they use rather than hint or suggest. ...", we found Maria quite 'chummy'. She also obliged when asked to pose for our camera. But we did find that most Germans seem curt and mean 'no nonsense'. Btw, every other German speaks some English, so getting about the country is pretty easy.
We stayed at the Ibis Berlin Mitte, where "Your towels plant trees".
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