To avoid the Umwelt (congestion) zone of Berlin, we stopped at Marina Lanke, just outside the town of Spandau. From the site, it was a quick walk to the main road, where we could get a bus and then a train into the centre of Berlin. It sounds like a bit of a pain, and I was dreading the trailing about, but in reality it was quick and easy. Good old German efficiency! It was cheap too - we bought travel passes at the site for less than 40 euros, which covered us for 48 hours of travel on any transport system - bus, train, underground and tram! Unfortunately for us, Berlin was wet. Monsoon wet. The rain started as our train pulled into the Hautbahnhof on our first day and basically didn't stop till the following morning. It wasn't just a shower either. Street junctions were quickly a foot deep in water, U-Bahn stations were closed as the rails flooded and even the A100 autobahn was closed in one area at one point. It honestly couldn't have rained any harder - and we're from Scotland - we're used to rain! We did our best to make the most of the day, but it was a bit of a wash out. We did a bus tour, where the guide valiantly kept us amused as the driver negotiated the flooded street, but the windows were so steamed up that we struggled to see much. Lunch was in Burger King in the station - it was just too wet to look for anything else! After that, we spent 30 euros on umbrellas and braved a trip out on the streets. We managed to see a surprising amount of other sights before the weather drove us inside again. We spent a very subdued but thought provoking hour at the Topography of Terror museum. It sharply brought our rainy day into focus and we refused to complain any more. Thankfully, the next day was much brighter and we were able to explore the city much more easily. We walked from the Victory Tower in the Teirgarten all the way to Alexanderplatz, taking in the Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate, Lindenstrasse, Museum Island and the TV Tower among many other things. There's a vast amount that we didn't get to see so we'll need to return one day - hopefully in better weather! Read more about our motorhome travels in Germany.
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