Berlin

This last Monday to Thursday were spent in Berlin on Mary's Choir tour. It was really good and although some people got to do more singing than others it was really fun and nice to get away from durham and work and exams and just relax with people who got on with everyone else!

There is also so much to do in Berlin! It's never been on my list of places to go, but actually I'd love to go back cos it's a really lovely city with the most comprehesible tube system ever (altho to be fair, Tom and Kat did most of the map reading!).

day 1 (monday) - ok mostly travelling, 3 hours on a coach, 2 hours on a plane etc, got to berlin late and wandered round Berlin trying to find a supermarket for food, which we did find, but it was shut so we went to McDonalds (O so German!).

day2 (tuesday) - hum hum hum what did we do?! Went to the Schloss (palace) Charlottenburg which we didn't actually go inside, but we stood outside it and took silly pictures as demonstrated below! -

Then we attempted to find the Brandenburg Gate but got lost. Walked the Berlin wall (well what's left of it!) and then had a "family" picnic (got some bread and ham and cheese etc and made lunch!). Getting slightly carried away, we also created family positions for all of us, but it got a bit scary so lets not go there!(haha...!)
WE also sung that day - had a concert in which chapel choir and MMV sung, REALLY nice acoustic(!!!) went well. People were apparently dancing along when we sung "joyful jofyul"! Evening - went to Reistage (Parliment buildings - has this big glass dome which you walk up and stuff!) and saw the gate. Food. Bed.

day 3 (Wednesday) - Pergamon/m museam. I chose this over the Jewish Museam. It was really good actually! and Ben and Andy were wonderful tour guides..and ever so slightly sweet when they got really enthusiastic and excited over statues and pots! woo! Chapel choir did a mass and evensong - singing random hymns in german that i couldn't pronounce was great fun!! Also had some fun at a park, although the random climbing frame stuff they had in that park! O how i wish i was a fearless child again. Then everyone on the trip went to this restaurant and that was cool, and later a cocktail bar..and then back to the Hotel as was SHATTERED!!!

day 4 (thursday) - a.m. - shopping! Then lunch. Then p.m....it was a scorching hot day! Went up Berlin CAtherdral right up to the dome at the top where you walk around the top! A LOT of steps! But worth it. then we played "ball" (with socks cos we didn't have a ball) in the park. I achieved the most massive bruise (no joke it takes up half my calf! Lovely and purple!) trying to play like a boy...i think girls are just made to not be able to throw or catch, esp. not with skill anyway!
And then it was time for the airport and home! Kinda sad. WE got back at 3am on Friday morning, and then walked home(!) and slept (woohoo!).