Here I am in Berlin and we have just finished a whirlwind tour of this city of so many different styles and cultures. This city will I think present a whole new series of emotions that I have yet to experience this trip so far. Those emotions have surfaced already as I stood next to Check Point Charlie. This was the third of the check points along with Alfa, Bravo and then the most famous……Charlie. Before I came here all I really thought about when I heard the words Check Point Charlie were the previously mentioned Micahel Caine Movies and the John Le Carre novel Tinker, Taylor, Soldier Spy.

However, standing there with our guide listening to the stories of the 500 plus people who were shot on sight trying to escape to the West and those hundreds more who were captured and never seen again………well, the movies become real life and life for the people in the east was full of despair. This dispair was also evident in the buildings that looked exactly the same as some of the Soviet ones we saw in St.Petersburg. From Check Point Charlie we went to the last pieces of the Berlin Wall. You do not need me to tell you the significance of its collapse and the sections that are still standing have been painted by young artists with reminders and memories of what was. The one that struck me was the painting of the only car ever to be made in Eastern Germany. It was called a Trabant and the painting by a young 19 year old artist depicts the Trabant smashing through the Berlin wall signifying the escape to Freedom. Once again to stand next to this piece of history which is full of both happy and sad memories for so many people.

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Well, 200 people smell ……it’s amazing how it’s minus 1000 degrees outside the plane but inside it’s hotter than high noon in the Sahara.

The Captain apologized again as everyone fanned themselves with the inflight magazine. We just landed at Berlin and as we taxi to the gate I am illegally using my Raspbery to do a blog thingy.

In a few moments I will peal my sweaty back from the plastic chair and take my smelly body through Immigration and customs and hope my suitcase isn’t in Siberia.

Goodness I smell bad………..the whole plane does……….Air Berlin…….more like Air France.

More later
Your smelly sweaty friend
Johann

I am sitting here laughing……out loud……someone is having a laugh……someone must know I am writing a Blog thingy…….the people in the two seats next to me are looking at me as though I should be wearing a straight jacket…….everyone else is moaning and complaining in various languages …….why…….well just 30 seconds ago we were welcomed aboard the flight by Helga the cabin attendant who told us in Russian, German and then English that Das Air Conditioning is kaput…………..I promise I am not making this up……Helga closed the doors and 200 passengers are about to fly in a plane for 1 hour and 10 minutes with no air circulation.

Scheisser

Aufweidersehen
Johann

If the old days of the Soviet Union are over someone forgot to tell the people at St. Petersburg Airport……….I once wrote that I promised never ever to fly into Miami as a cruise ship crew member again after the way I and others were treated……..however I would fly in their everyday for the rest of my life rather than ever leave through St. Petersburg airport. In fact, I would rather cover my head in honey and stick in a beehive then ever use this airport again.

OK, I know what you are thinking, here he goes complaining again about flying but so would you if you had experienced what we just have…….and let me say before I start that the only way to see St. Petersburg is to take a cruise…..you really do not want to fly.

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