Our alarm went off at 5:30 am this morning so we could get ready for our excursion into Berlin. Our ship docked at the pier in Warnemunde, Germany early since Berlin is about 3 hours away by bus. We had booked a train but were told that we would be bussed instead. :(( Oh well.

Usually the food buffet for breakfast doesn't open until 6:20 am, but it was hopping when we got there at 6:00--everything was available. We fueled up and met our group for our bus ride.

The bus is a very nice motor coach by Mercedes--and when we started out, it was a beautiful day. The further south we went, the cloudier it got and then it began to pour. By the time we stopped for a rest room break, it had quit raining but was chilly and overcast. Not ideal Segway riding weather!

We also found out that we are supposed to be back on the bus at 4:30 pm instead of 5:00 pm, and our tour doesn't end until 5:00 pm, so we are pretty much screwed. We are going to try to pay for a private tour, see if they will work with us but it's not looking good. Too be continued...

So...we arrived into Berlin at 10:30, got our instructions on when and where to meet back up with our bus and took off for the Segway office. It was around a mile or so away and we found it without too much trouble.

They would not work with us at all. :(( So basically we were on our own for touring. Not good for me since I have been having some flare ups with my hips, so walking is difficult. And most of the streets, sidewalks, etc. are cobblestones, which makes walking even more precarious.

We managed to hit several highlights of the city--the Brandenburg Gate, Holocaust Museum, and Check Point Charlie to name a few. Lunch was at a very nice restaurant where we could eat outside. Our bus guide told us about curry sausages, so Rich and I tried that as well as a special of the day, which featured pork and sauerkraut. Pam got apple schnitzel, it was really good (she gave us a bite).

We found our meeting place and were all pretty happy to arrive there. Our bus was supposed to pick us up at 4:15, so we had time for a coke at another outdoor cafe. The bus arrived right on time and we left exactly at 4:31 pm. Getting out of the city was a lot trickier than getting in due to the rush hour traffic.

We were given a boxed sandwich, apple, package of nuts and a German version of a Twinkie. We ate a little but were holding out for the filet and prawns and keeping our fingers crossed that we would make it in time, which we did. :)) Since it was open seating and so late, we requested to seat over in Zenna's section--she is so much fun and even though she was super busy, she made us feel special. The dinner was amazing, as always.