Good evening, everyone.
I recently came back from my wonderful German vacation, and thought I would share my impressions, suggestions, and feedback. If I run out of steam, I may have to break my posting into a few separate parts. There also may not be any particular order to my feedback.
- Germany, and the German people, and the German sites were just marvelous and so special. After my stay at a few hotels, I came back feeling like Prussian royalty. I tried to use the German I had studied and practiced, but I found, for the most part, many Germans spoke some English. Occasionally, I would encounter an old grouch who would rudely say "No English!" But on more than one occasion, I would encounter lovely people on the buses or transportation who would practically give me the history of what was in Berlin many decades ago.
I was lucky to find a lovely woman on the hauptbahnhof train tracks, who explained to me, how my ticket would have the "car" number and then there was a diagram on the platform which would show you where to stand on the platform to get into that particular car; i.e., A, B, C, D, E, etc.
Berlin - What a fantastic transportation system. I had the BVG app on my iPhone, which helped tremendously. There are so many options; i.e., the U Bahn, the S Bahn, buses, trams, etc., and the regional transportation system, DB (Deutsche Bahn).
The Berlin Welcome Card. For my entire trip, I had the Berlin Welcome Cards for Zones A, B, and C. I think I bought a 6-day, a 3-day, and a 6-day card, even though for two to three days of these days I was in Dresden. It was worth it to me to just buy the cards at the airport when I arrived, and that way I would always be covered for transportation. I did not want to mess with buying individuals tickets, trying to figure out how much each trip costs, trying to figure out where to buy the ticket and how to use the ticket machines, etc. And, from a pickpocket perspective, I think it is safer not to be digging into wallets when traveling in unfamiliar areas.
Although I just sung all the praises of the Berlin Welcome Card (BWC), I do not know if I would buy the BWC or transportation passes on a return trip to Berlin. I found that maybe I would save 2.50 or 3.00 Euros when going to museums, but you really don't save a whole bunch. For instance, at Museum Island, you do not save with the BWC. (I did not want to buy the BWC with Museum Island included because I did not want to be locked into visiting Museum Island two consecutive days.) The Reichstag Tour was free; and so the BWC was not required there. I obviously did not use the BWC when I was in Dresden, but I did need it to get to the Hauptbahnhof to get to my departing and return trip from Berlin.
- I feel so "rococo-ed" out from all the magnificent palaces and castles. I will be writing more about Sanssouci in Potsdam, but for now, keep in mind that "Schloss" means castle, and "Palais" means palace. This caused a little bit of confusion for me when getting off at the correct train station in Potsdam.
I was telling locals on the train that I was hoping to get off at the main Sanssouci Palace, thinking I was getting off to go to the main yellow building, which is on all the postcards. But the term I should have used was that I wanted to get off at the Sanssouci Schloss stop. When you use the term "palais," that means the "New Palace" at Sanssouci.
- Bike-riding. The Germans love their bike-riding. Bike-riding is all over Berlin. It is widely accepted. I believe bikes are permitted on all transportation modes. If you plan to be in Berlin, I would recommend renting a bike for a day or taking at least one bike tour. Also, really respect the bike lanes. They are either in the streets or they are designed, by different pavement, on the sidewalks.
To be continued...