I did sleep really well and was happy that I basically slept
nearly all night. I knew I needed to leave the hostel at a timely manner as I
wanted to make sure I was at the station waiting for the train to arrive. I had
to strip my bed and get my deposit back for my towel. Not sure if I would stay
where I am again unless it was a private room. The top bunk is high off the
ground and I have a blister on my little toe from my boots. Happens to be
on the base so unsure if it was rubbing
or just squeezed. This was the reason I bought bandaids, but you would think
they would hit your heels instead. I am not afraid of the area at all, but I am
wary of some of the people wandering around, but at no point was I feeling
unsafe.
I made it to the train station with heaps of time and happy
to wait where I thought I would be in the correct area. It didn’t happen to be
the correct area as I had to walk to the other end of the train. I boarded the
train and made my way to the other end getting a little confused, but by this
time it was moving and I was lucky in this respect. I found my seat and there
was a guy in a business suit sitting there keeping my seat warm for me. Without
a word, I showed him my booking on the phone and he did move without a
complaint. I had to put my main bag above my head, so we shall see if I can get
it out. I even had a coffee delivered to my seat and I had a museli bar for
breakfast that was in my bag since I left home. It was satisfying.
My phone data has come in very handy as I needed the maps to
get me to my next location even though I do post pictures online as I go, but
the maps are really helpful in getting around. Without then I would be stuck. I
am happy for my portable powerbank too as that keeps my phone charged for I
tend to take video and pictures where it hits 40% pretty fast. I have been transferring
my happy snaps onto my external hard drive and do turn my data off when in a
wifi zone like the hostel.
The funny thing about the ticket I have was that I I could
check in and the ticket said that I would not be checked. I was checked by a
conductor, although I think it was because I was in first class. It didn’t worry
me as I would later have another coffee and a curry wurst delivered to my seat
without having to go to the food carriage. That was really my lunch and that
was around an hour before I went into Berlin. The train went all the way into
my station, which was the end of the line for the Frankfurt line. The main
station is called the HBF and I know I have to go there on the day I go to
Frankfurt. I seen the main Berlin station and it was huge. I nearly went there
later on, but I ended up doing other things. The hostel would not let me check
in until 3pm and I had to store my luggage somewhere. My main bag didn’t fit in
the locker so that went to the train station’s locker and the others were
stored in the hostels locker. Weird, I know, but it worked out even if it was
annoying. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do and I checked out the lines that
went to the city even if they were all confusing as the local lines were next
to the long distance. I decided to leave that until the next day and see the
West Side Gallery, which is the old Berlin Wall in its original place, but
artists had painted over them in the 1990s. The area between the wall and the
river was known as the death strip where people would be shot trying to escape.
I ended up at the Berlin Wall museum and I nearly didn’t stop until some random
guy to do with the museum stopped me and told me about a discount. I told him
about the Berlin card and he said I got a further discount by showing both. I
was going to look at the music venue for later, but that changed my mind. I
would have a look at the museum. It was about the East German side that were on
and had info about the drowning and included interviews from the people who
were guards and escapees. There was even a bit about the bridge of spies that
included the Tom Hanks movie based on the real thing. I knew bits and pieces of
the Cold War and was happy to see the beginnings the middle and the end. Pink
Floyd even was involved with a concert not long afterwards and his song was
being played too.
The museum did kill time before I had to go back, but I went
to find the music venue. I found where I had to go including lights that were basically
paper machete with layers on the outside. I took the ubahn one station away as
I wanted to avoid walking near dodgy traffic lights and even if there were no
cars on the road, you had cyclists heading toward you on the side. I wasn’t sure
if I really wanted to head back to that area later on even though I headed back
to the hostel and checked in. I met up with two Aussies in the hostel from
Perth. They had taken the overnight train in Amsterdam, although they had to
change trains as there was a problem with one.
I showered and sorted out my gear before wandering to the
Lido music venue. I had a better look in the area where I had been worried
about and looked it up on my phone. Seems the area is known for young people
and has a population of 12 thousand. It never said anything about feeling unsafe.
I stayed until the band that I wanted to see played and I walked back to the
hostel before it got too dark and late as I have plans for the next day.
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