Monday Paris - Berlin

Aiports are interesting places; it's fascinating to see how various major urban centres choose to welcome the world to their city.

Charles de Gaulle is no exception.  With 10 terminals (including 1, 2a, 2b, 2c, etc. and 3!), it is one of the biggest airports in the world. Our terminal this morning led us through plexiglass escalators, and up and down various hills via esci-ramps of sorts.  Pretty neat place; the boys were duly impressed.

Flying Lufthansa has its advantages:  We got a really decent, wholesome snack, even though it was just a short flight.  (The little Berlin bear comprised some the tastiest chocolate I've had in a long time -- as a sidenote, apparently there is a policy in the EU regarding the quality of what can be considered "chocolate" as a product!)

We were NOT happy to see the snow upon approach to Berlin - Tegel... althought we'd been warned of the lousy weather, after our two sunshiney days in Paris, we somehow couldn't believe that spring would make such a drastic and sudden exit!!!

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After unpacking and settling in a bit at my cousin's in Pankau (in the former East Berlin), we decided to avail ourselves of the day pass they had gotten us, and journeyed with the boys back out onto the subway to the Alexanderplatz, where we enjoyed a little shopping (including a new pair of shoes for poor Simon, who had been wearing plastic bags inside his shoes to keep hs feet dry!!!), and a German meal at a nearby cafe: Wursten mit senf, Kartoffelsalat (not as good as mine!) and some ice cream.

I didn't take many photos, but here are the few I snapped en-route...

Tomorrow, it's off to Spandau (in the former West Berlin), to lunch with my mother's childhood friends, whom we haven't seen since Trev.