Berlin #1 - Arrival

After a 'trying' start to the day with mother and uncle making their 'attempts' at humour and getting my braces fixed, I finally got on the coach and started the journey to get the hell out of Cornwall for the week.

The coach ride was long, boring and, as they so often are, irreversibly dull. I did break the rules so to speak and had a vanilla milkshake during our rest stop, I just couldn't help myself - they were screaming my name! We arrived at Bristol airport around 1pm and hard the surprisingly short but still arduous task of check in, security checks and then the wait - our flight wasn't until roughly 5:40.

When we did board the plane we went across the tarmac and used external ladders - something I'm ashamed to admit I thought only happened in movies now. The plane was a typically small one, three seats either side of the isle, but wasn't as cramped and hot as I expected. The flight was only 1 1/2 hours instead of the expected 2 hours and more than a few of my group got hammered on the plane.

We arrived to Berlin at 8pm local time and after a short coach ride and lots of oohs and aahs at the vibrant city lights we made it to the hotel. The students that previously drank on the flight deemed it fit to throw a party despite the 9am start the next morning while myself, two mature students and the two accompanying lecturers ventured out in search of a cheap dinner.  After successfully locating a still open Italian restaurant and eagerly chewing down on a four cheese pasta it was back to the hotel for the rest of the evening. Having hoarded maps like a dragon I spent a few hours looking at the layout of Berlin and finding any interesting places I'd want to visit in my own time. After that and some planning I settled down and, after ignoring the very persistent party still going at 3am, settled in for sleep.