Germany
We arranged for our German friend Martin to pick us up by car
in the afternoon. We arrived in Bonn, Germany at 8pm that evening
after driving over 100 miles per hour on the German Autobahn
highway (no speed limits there!). We woke up the next morning,
jumped in the car with Martin, and drove all day on our way to
Berlin. We spent the night in West Berlin on the 13th floor of
the Sylter Hof Hotel, the first and fanciest accomodations of our
entire trip (Martin made the reservations). We passed thru Check
Point Charlie the following day into the gray streets of East
Berlin. What a contrast from West Berlin, where everything seemed
modern and clean by comparison. However, with a lot of cleaning
and renovation, East Berlin could certainly be as beautiful, for
it possesses beautiful plazas, ornate churches, and incredible
museums - under its layer of communist grime. From East Berlin we
headed back to Bonn with stops in Munster and Koln. The cathedral
in Koln is the largest building on the skyline! Parking almost
underneath the mamoth church in a public garage, the arrival from
below was particularly dramatic. In the evening sun the structure
glistened like tarnished brass, though made of stone.
