Got a couple more hours of sleep and got up around 7:30. Breakfast was included with the room and runs from 6:30-10:30. Conveniently, its located on the same floor as my room. The windows of the dining room face out to the train station.
There was a selection of lunch meats and a few cheeses. Fruit cocktail, yogurt, and cereal rounded out the cold items. Plain scramble and scramble with bacon bits were offered with halved boiled eggs. A few breads with butter and jam make the breakfast complete for many people. Orange juice and an orange colored fortified drink were cold beverages. Coffee and tea to help warm up on these cooler mornings
I bought water and diet soda at the pharmacy. I didnt see that the pharmacy had a small grocery store next door. Nice selection of stuff and cheap water. Most important of all, they had Dr Pepper zero, but in a can
Lake Alstadt is nearby. I believe its a man0made lake thats split into a smaller and much larger bodies. It was a bit windy but I started going around
It is spring and some flowers are in bloom. Im not sure but I think thats St Micheal's
The sun hid behind the clouds for the whole morning. Theres a fountain somewhere. I dont know the schedule but Ive seen the pictures. Ive made it to the southern bank where there are boat tours available
I was planning to come here when I cme back to Hamburg in a few days. But, it was close by so I went by the town hall. It was around 9am and the clock towers were going off. I went back toward the hotel but my camera's battery was beginning to die and did not survive the walk
I had time to grab lunch before catching the ICE train to Berlin. Max and Consorten is very close and I wanted to try the labskaus
When I saw it in pictures, it was much more red than what I got. Basically, its corned beef hash that has the texture of chunky pureed baby food. 2 eggs sunny side up along side some pickles and beets. The red would have come from beet juice, The pickled herring rolled around a pickle was the least favorite item on the plate
Feeling a bit adventurous, I walked south down the warehouse and canals just to see how long it would take to get down there. It didnt take long but Id still prefer to take public transport next time
Went back to Hauptbahnhof(HBF) to hop on the train to Berlin. A 2 hour ride on the ICE. It was not as fast or smooth as the shinkansen but its probably much more affordable and theres storage for luggage
Alighted at Berlin HBF and got on the S5 line to go the rest of the way to Alexanderplatz. I may explore the Berlin station a bit more on my return trip in a few days. Like alot of the japanese train stations, there are alot of retail and food options in the station
The most recognizable sight is the tv tower located next to the station. Theres a restaurant and observation deck in what looks like an olive stuck by a toothpick
I took a walk toward the south to work up an appetite for dinner. Past the tower is a part of the Spree river.
This part is special because it envelopes a piece of land referred to as Museum Island due to the number of museums placed upon it. The building below is the Berliner Dom, a church
I round the corner and get moving northwards back towards the vicinity of the station. This is a large restaurant and beer garden.
I was going to have a hearty dinner of crispy pork knuckle with potato dumplings and coleslaw. The pork was tender with just the right amount of chew. The dumplings were springy. I swear, if they fell of my plate, they would bounce off the floor, ricochet off the copper kettle and find it's way back to the plate. The slaw was pickled with mild jalapenos. The acid help to cut through the rich pork and helped to offset the rising flavour of salt
Didn't finish but I put most of it away. That's fat attached to the pork skin and not remaining meat
It's dark now but I don't have far to go to get back to the room.
