We took a brief nap this afternoon, then started using the wonder Berlin transportation system.  We bought a 3-day pass, which also gives us discounts at many museums and attractions, and we can ride as much as we want on the busses and subway.  So we took off and headed to the Hauptbahnhof (the main train station – the largest in Europe, if one is to believe the bragging.  BUT NOW I KNOW I’M IN GERMANY!!  We didn’t have lunch, so when we got off the bus, I bought a genuine Thuringian Bratwurst and a German bier!  Just as good as I remembered!

            Then we boarded a two-hour bus tour of Berlin.  It helped reacquaint ourselves with the many wonderful things to see, and to help us decide what to do next.  Really poured rain for a while, and since we were on the top deck of a double-decker OPEN bus, I was worried, until one of the guys pulled the “convertible top” across us, and we stayed dry.

            When we finished, lunch was so good that I had another beer and brat from the same stand.  What was strange about it was ordering German beer and a brat from a Chinese couple who couldn’t speak or understand English.  But I got what I wanted.  Dea wanted McDonalds, so we sat at an outdoor table and feasted.  We decided that we really need to catch up a bit on sleep, so we are back in our room by 7:00 Berlin time to charge Kindle, camera, and phone batteries, and recharge ourselves.  Tomorrow we plan to visit Museum Island, focusing on the Pergamon Museum.  All you Crossways! Folks, we’ll see the Ishtar Gate from Babylon again.  We’re feeling tired but good, and happy to be here.