The sleeper train cabin to Hamburg was tiny with six people on bunks. We made small talk with two other kiwis in our cabin but all there really was to do was sleep. The train arrived in Hamburg at 4am so we purposely stayed on later to get a bit of extra sleep. We got off at a later station and caught another train back to Hamburg, arriving about 8am. Then Brenda was off to see the largest fish pass in Germany where she got to catch and tag some lamphrey!  Meanwhile Sam explored the streets of Hamburg, visiting both the largest model railway in the world and the largest electronics store in Europe!

After Hamburg, it was time for three days in Berlin. Our hostel was quite nice and did a really good continental breakfast. Only complaint was that there were a lot of noisy school groups staying at the time. Berlin was a pretty amazing city, real mix of old and new, grunge and alternative bars and shops. Some cool boutique clothes shops that Brenda enjoyed looking at too. Visited Checkpoint Charlie and two of the three main sections of the Berlin wall still standing. Quite amazing and sad - plenty of upfront information about what happened. The Holacaust memorial was really effective. Nearly three thousand stone pillars on gently rolling terrain, at first only up to your waist but as you walk further in they tower over you, probably two or three metres above your head. The associated remembrance museum was excellent - heart wrenching in the graphic details of actual families from throughout Europe who were sent to the concentration camps. Upsetting but a very informative and unique experience to have had. We also saw some of Berlin's iconic structures and buildings. While exploring part of Berlin, we had to wait for the Pope's motorcade to pass by which was quite impressive.F