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Europe (London/Berlin/Venice) Last MinutepPractical/Ordinary

Europe (London/Berlin/Venice) Last MinutepPractical/Ordinary

Old Oct 22nd, 2014, 07:15 PM
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Europe (London/Berlin/Venice) Last MinutepPractical/Ordinary

OK, it is 2 AM London Time and the jet lag stuff has kicked in big time: WIDE awake and likely to remain so. There have been longer and more detailed trip reports but I am going to commit to "paper" with the usual rationale, "In case it helps somebody else."

The trip was planned as a beginning to a 13-night cruise ship "repositioning cruise" from Barcelona (back) to Fort Lauderdale. However, while we were on a 7-night cruise out of Miami this past April (and enjoying it thoroughly...believe me, having a cabin overlooking the bow of the ship with its own concierge and dining room and pool that you got at a discount was memorable) we began wondering if we really wanted to be on a voyage that spent as many as 6 days at sea?

In a word, "No." So, cancelled the repositioning which left us with a one-way non-refundable air ticket to either use, pay $300 each in change fees, or forget altogether.

We decided to use it (which meant getting another ticket home but more on that later.

So, I will concentrate as much as anything on practicalities and if those are boring I understand and go ahead and browse elsewhere.

We left on Tuesday 21 October. The terminal (Number 3) we usually use at our somewhat small but fairly well-connected airport (Fort Lauderdale) is undergoing a major renovation. Since it was not a cruise ship day when, literally, 60000+ passengers can pass through in any 48-hour period, we arribed for check-in less than 2-hours prior to take-off and that was fine.

Being TSA pre-check really helps with no shoes off, no laptop out of the bag, and the dedicated line which usually moves fast. We had tickets on our usual USAirways which seems to be for many either the greatest thing since the Wright Flyer and Kitty Hawk or the worst thing since the Hindenburg.

Ate some mediocre "Italian" which is almost the only thing beyond Security besides candy bars and packaged sandwiches on our usual concourse but we were both hungry so paid the costs of the newly-opened second runway.

Had received complimentary upgrades to First thanks to my FF program tier status which I'll be able to keep for another year (everybody in the USAirways and American FF programs is wondering...and speculating about to death on FlyerTalk...how the newly-merged program is going to look).

We were in the bulkhead row where we NEVER sit if we can help it because we like keeping the carry-ons under the seat in front or at least handy.

The "fun" begins: on the plane and the woman and her husband across the aise are, literally, unpacking and re-packing their two "we went all the way around the world with carry-ons only and aren't we smarter than YOU" bags in their own bulkhead space as the plane is still boarding. Lots of high-pitched noises and a rear end periodically thrust into the aisleway making boarding an adventure for others.

Flight attendant has already given up and continues serving pre-flight beverages. I have started this vacation with a vodka Bloody Mary and the Husbear nurses his usual Diet Coke (filled with death row execution chamber chemicals according to a vegetarian 911 conspiracy theory close friend).

Cabin door closed; turkeys continue on cellphones despite evit flight atttendant looks but finally close them down. Woman across aisle AND her husband are having a "discussion" with the Flight Attendant as to why she cannot keep her purse IN her seat during take-off. I mean, who ARE these people, anyway?

Flight to Charlotte takes in a LOT of Florida since the usual route north is clogged with afternoon thuderstorms. Couple across the aisle are very concerned about making their connection in Charlotte. In fact, there is soon an announcement that we will get to Charlotte "on time." You wonder if anyone believes this.

We arrive in Charlotte ahead of schedule by a few minutes but no wait for a gate and we pull in. Couple across aisle jumps up and unloads basicallly an entire overhead bin with their two carry-ons which they have positioned sideways in the bin and stations themselves at the head of the aisle with the, "Don't come any closer or you will regret it," looks in their eyes.

Charlotte remains, for us, an easy airport to get through; we like it better than Philadelphia which we try to avoid when possible. Hour or so in the airline club with free hiuse booze and low-end snacks and being grateful we are not "road warriors" and then an easy flight in Business Class to London. The lie-flat seats have been a real God-send for me since I cannot fall asleep saitting up easily; Husbear could fall asleep in the deck chair as the Titanic sinks he is so laid back. What that "mystery" thing on the plate was at breakfast I am not sure.

We had arranged a car through Hummingbird and the driver called me as we were waiting outside of Customs so for the most part this was easy and prompt.

I want to say a word here about the "into London from Heathrow" advneture which has been discussed to death here in the past and will continue to be discussed here long after I am gone I am convinced.

We have done this in every possible form other than taking a bus (coach) and walking. We've dine the private cars; the Heathrow Express, the Tube, etc., and I have trouble saying which one is best BUT fear not because there are other trip reports from the "experts" who never, ever seem to experience traffic as we did yesterday morning.

Took us almost two hours from the time we left the parking garage at Heathrow to the arrival at the Savoy hotel. This was, I am sure, a function of the time of day; our fllight arrived at 7:00 AM and we were underway at around 7:45 AM so be aware if it is speed you are looking for at at this time of day a car may not be the best choice.

Were in no hurry since we doubted we would hear those wonderful words, "Your room is ready" even at "The Savoy" and we didn't! And a word about the Savoy seems warranted here. This is a new hotel for us since we usually stay in Firmdale properties but I got this "three nights for the price of two" deal in return for full non-refundable pre-paymnt so I jumed on it.

The staff have been, without exception, friendly and welcoming. The hotel has an interesting "lobby" situation. Nothing so crass as the usual "front desk" populated by either imperious nasty people or just-beyond-pimples too skinny (or Gay) to be believed types dressed in black. We were led to a room with several desks and treated with much deference and lots of regret and "we'll call you on your mobile when the room is ready but it may not be before two o'clock" stuff so we left all our luggage (and the two Oyster cards from the last trip...big mistake) and hopped into ma cab for the V+A Museum and off we went.

More later.
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Old Oct 22nd, 2014, 07:22 PM
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And apologies for the non-proof reading; improvements promised in future entries and yeah, I know I should have marked it as a Trip Report.
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Old Oct 22nd, 2014, 09:42 PM
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Further thoughts.

Because we were in Business Class we were given the opportunity to use the Fast Track lane through Immigration, or should I say more properly, UK Border whatever.

One thing that is nice is that despite my partner and I having two different sirnames and the fact that we both had to fill out the "landing card" we were able to process through together and without some of the "lowlifes in uniforms" behavior we have recently seen in US Customs and Immigration personnel.

When asked the purpose of our visit to the UK my somewhat spontaneous and undoubtedly "psycho" response was to blurt out, "To spend money" and this was greeted with a knowing smile.

London seemed less pricey when I first visited back in 1970 somehow and I think the Pound was worth about $2.40 and perhaps had recently undergone some sort of devaluation, who knows?

I remember staying in a cheap hotel in Earls Court for one Pound per night; those days ("Europe On A Dollar A Day") and my own willingness to share a bath have faded.

We took the taxi from the Savoy to the V+A; I had left the Oyster cards behind, didn't want to buy new ones, and had a wad of cash in my pocket from the ATM machine at Heathrow along with cash left over from the last trip.

The cab fare was less that 20 GBP and even at that a hell of a lot more than taking the Tube. I remember the MANY discussions here about the Tube in London and the Metro in Paris and the two battling camps: "stay OUT of that hole in the ground and take the BUS so you can see what's along the route" vs. the "get into that hole in the ground so that [in London at least] you get there today and don't have to stare at the same spot for 20 minutes as you creep along."

At the V+A I would have liked to do the current Constable which is a timed ticket but by the time we arrived the available times were not convenient so we decided against that.

We just wanted to be INSIDE out of the breeze and, as our taxi driver described the weather, the "fresh" temperature. Coming from Florida it seemed plenty chilly although that moderated as the day wore on. We had brought down jackets and were glad of it.

I noticed we are in the "fashion scarf" period over here. It isn't NEARLY "fresh" enough to need one but as a fashion accessory it does wonders to hide ugly sagging necklines.

We rolled through the "Disobedient Objects" exhibit first and that had a variety of banners, pins, a fantastic decorated pickup truck, along with inflatable cobblestones that have been used by grassroots movements for "social change" in the fairly recent past.

Next were the "Wedding Dresses" which if you are into textiles would be interesting. Given the recent "all things Downton Abbey" period costumes we've seen on TV, at Winterthur, etc., I was as much interested in some of the elaborately constructed men's and women's "period" clothes as I was in those dresses. How they actually WOVE some of the fabrics seems remarkable and, of course, the lace is almost unbelievable.

The cellphone rang as we were viewing the Raphael Cartoons (the hotel saying the room was ready and it was well before 2 PM, too) and those are a story in and of themselves.

Apparently Pope Leo X commissioned them around 1515; they were to serve as designs for tapestries which were to cover the lower walls of the Sistine. The cartoons and the final tapestries woven in Brussels cost the Pope more than 5 times the amount paid to Michaelangelo for the Sistine ceiling.

The surviving cartoons are HUGE and I gather they were cut into strips and laid underneath the warp on the looms to serve as some sort of pattern for the various weavers.

Back to the hotel via taxi and MORE than 20 GBP because we were amongst that inflow creep along traffic; big crowds around Buckingham Palace and we were interrupted by the motorcade with HM The Queen's Rolls (empty except driver) being "ferried" to somewhere accompanied by motorcycle police and a jillion flashing blue lights.

The hotel room is more or less Art Deco for the ages and nicely done; decent-sized bathroom and one of those giant rain showerheads. The glass panel instead of the full shower "curtain" (we've gotten more adept at conserving water when we use them; less on the floor than ever). No view at this price except the "courtside" which consists of a sundial on artificial turf amongst air conditioning units but I am forunate enough to be able to afford all this so no complaints. And let us get very real here: despite all those "It's The Savoy" Trip Advisor reviews about how it is "so worth it" and all that, the place is not cheap; actual value for money depends on what you think "value" is IMO.

Overall, we appreciate the hotel location since it is an easy walk "into" Covent Garden and to the Opera House and some of the theatres and those are the usual reasons we come over here. We used to stay at the Covent Garden Hotel on the "other side" of CG; hopefully we are not going to have the dynamic currency conversion "discussion" in this hotel during bill settlement that I had over there.

Nearest tube is probably Covent Garden but that station is basically closed due to ongoing lift work so we get to do a little more walking; unexpected but workable.

Dinner last night was at the Hawksmoor Seven Dials which had been described here as serving some of the best red meat anywhere to include Kansas City, Texas, and Nebraska, so naturally, we HAD to test that one out.

We arrived about 20 minutes before our scheduled 7PM reservation so were invited to have a drink in the bar area first which we did. This place is totally unpretentious and also noisey. No sound-absorbing fabric anywhere simply lots of wood including the floors, brick vaulted ceilings in the main dining area, and mostly old brick walls.

There are plenty of "artisanal" cocktails on offer so I had the Hawksmoor Collins which was like deadly soda pop; Husbear tried the Grasshopper which I thought tasted like minty floor polish but what the hell, it's booze.

We shared 750 grams of Chateaubriand along with some great mac and cheese, very rich and tangy cheese BTW, along with the biggest broiled mushroom caps ever seen. Dessert was the peanut butter shortcake for me and Husbear had the sticky toffee sundae (yeah, they were both great).

A fun and relaxed atmosphere; staff are young and VERY non-uniformly attired and wonderfully polite and our server thanked me for asking if the included service really DOES filter down to the staff in its entirety.

Was the meat as good as it is in Nebraska? I suppose and besides and IMO Omaha and Dallas don't have anything like this so I would definitely return.

Later this morning we have breakfast reservations at the Delaunay and then will re-visit the Wallace Collection.
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Old Oct 23rd, 2014, 04:40 AM
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Love your trip reports. Hoping you don't see dead cats/rats in Venice. I hate bulk head seats.
<I noticed we are in the "fashion scarf" period over here. It isn't NEARLY "fresh" enough to need one but as a fashion accessory it does wonders to hide ugly sagging necklines.> That reason alone is worth it for me.
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Old Oct 23rd, 2014, 04:46 AM
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On for the ride Dukey, the traffic.... didn't we mention the traffic ;-)
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Old Oct 23rd, 2014, 09:21 AM
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Enjoying the report so far...glad you liked the hawksmoor!
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Old Oct 23rd, 2014, 09:23 AM
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Glad to see another Dukey report - looking forward to more!!
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Old Oct 23rd, 2014, 09:46 AM
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Enjoying the report so far!
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Old Oct 24th, 2014, 05:07 AM
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Yesterday morning we walked over to the Delaunay at 55 Aldwich which had been recommended here as a good place for breakfast. We arrived much earlier than our 9 AM reserved time but were seated immediately. The room was pretty much filled with “suits” and most males. Probably both true professional as well as business types. Our server was from Lithuania and we have been to several other eating establishments which are employing young people from Eastern European/Baltic nations.

Ordered a la carte from the fairly extensive breakfast menu. I had an omelette along with sausage and baked beans; Husbear had the small portion of eggs benedict. Both were good in our opinion. Great coffee served in large cups and with real cream as you would expect. Room was fairly noisy but not so much so that you couldn’t have a pleasant conversation. I suspect lots of business might have been being discussed at other tables.

Walked from there to the Holborn Tube stop for the short trip to Bond Street and the few-block walk to the Wallace Collection. Able to add value to the Oyster cards we had brought along from our previous London visit.

The Wallace website warns about the possibility of room closures due to funding constraints but all the rooms were open. We skipped the armory and the weapons display as we had seen them in the past. If you need the goods to outfit a small division of infantrymen this is he place to get the stuff; kids into the whole “knights in shining armor” thing would love it.

I suspect the most well-known work in the collection is the Hals “Laughing Cavalier” but I enjoy the various Murillo works more and it was nice to see them again. The room decorations are also interesting and I always get lots of “decoration” ideas in these former private homes turned public spaces. Very few folks visiting when we arrived which was at opening time (10 AM) and that’s always pleasant.

After an hour or so we walked over to Selfridges for a look-in. The front windows are all done up for the upcoming holidays and they are surrounded by greenery on the outsides. I was less than impressed by the Christmas “store” which looked to possibly be still under construction but it was definitely open for business.

In the early evening we had dinner in Covent Garden and afterward saw “The Play That Goes Wrong” at the Duchess. Lots of laughter, props not working, lines supposedly forgotten, and a cast including more than a couple who should probably be professional stunt people given the contortions their roles require. Enjoyable for the most part.

A few observations, probably obvious: swipe-type credit cards work everywhere; we’ve used that type as well as our chip and pin.

Clothing: what supposed dress code and fitting in? Don’t even go there.


This morning we walked over to the National Gallery. Bought tickets for the Rembrandt exhibition and walked right in. Outside in Trafalgar Square a whole lot of workmen are getting ready for some sort of "fan rally" involved with the NFL exhibition game.

The Rembrandt was very crowded and given the size of some of the exhibition rooms and despite any "timed" tickets it turned out to be an obviously popular and "intimate" time.

Several self-portraits in which Rembrandt was anything but kind to himself; various smaller drawings including the "religious" works such as "Descent from the Cross by Torchlight."

One of my favorite works, "The Sampling Officials" also on view; we had just seen it in the Rijksmuseum this past July so it was a wonderful surprise to see it here.

After all of that we went upstairs and spent most of our time looking at the Veronese stuff, amongst other things.

I have to say The National has some really wonderful works and it is easy to get "museum overload" in a place like this. Fortunately the rest of the place wasn't nearly as full as the Rembrandt space. It was amusing to watch a group of young Italian folks come through; the ones at the front were enraptured by the animated guide; the kids at the back were texting or playing games on their cellphones. The appreciation will come as it finally did for me but I was well over 30 when it dawned so there's surely hope.

Had lunch the the Covent Garden market (main) building; lots of folks and all kinds of food, as usual. Thought the fish and chips were really pretty tasty.

Overall, we like London because even as bit as it is it just seems a lot more manageable than say, New York and perhaps less "driven" on the streets.
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Old Oct 24th, 2014, 06:40 AM
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Great report. Enjoying it!!
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Old Oct 24th, 2014, 01:58 PM
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Dukey, though our paths haven't crossed, my DS was also in Covent Garden yesterday. Being a young man up from the sticks is easily impressed and greatly enjoyed some of the street theatre especially the juggler climbing an unsupported ladder.

He wasn't at the Savoy though. He was staying with an old uni friend who is working as a librarian at the British Library; his flatmate is an undertaker. Sounds like a fun combination!

The Rembrandt exhibition looks very good - though there are compensations we miss a lot being stuck so far away down here.

keep it coming - I'm looking forward to your view of Liberty's.

No pressure!
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Old Oct 25th, 2014, 07:16 AM
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Thought Liberty's was wonderful and thankful you suggested it. As I said, Selfridges was disappointing. I'll be going over to the Ka-De-We tomorrow and that place never seems to disappoint somehow.

Last night we had tickets to "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" at the Drury Lane, a venue which is a delight in and of itself IMO.
Show beautifully mounted; kids in the audience well-behaved; fun musical numbers, etc. Unfortunately there was a problem getting the safety curtain to rise properly at the beginning of Act II; after waiting more than half an hour for that to get fixed (and it wasn't) we left; one of those unfortunate things which can happen.

Stopped into Tesco on the way back to the hotel for some snacks which we ate in the room and went to bed.

Took a cab to Heathrow this morning; no traffic issues. Terminal 5 is a behemoth; kinda like a shopping mall with planes. Security efficient; we noticed that we could have gotten all the way to the gate with a simple boarding pass in hand and had we not checked luggage we would not have been asked for ID UNTIL we boarded; unlike the TSA stuff in the US. Also again not being asked to remove shoes.

The British Air flight was full and we got a price competitive if not better than we could have gotten on EasyJet. BA, unlike American carriers, does not allow anything under the seat in front of you if you are seated in an Exit row and they enforce it, too.

Flight was delayed taking off for about 30 minutes but otherwise uneventful to Tegel and an easy and fast taxi ride to the Hyatt at Potsdamer Platz where we have stayed several times in the past.

We used to use a hotel near the Wittenburg Platz but like the Hyatt's rooftop pool a great deal and we particularly like this location in the city. I have never subscribed to that Fodorite mantra that "you just have to stay in Mitte" because obviously people stay in different parts of cities for different reasons and all of those reasons are good ones IMO.

This remains, I am sure, very much a so-called "business hotel" and when we walked into the lobby this afternoon around 2:30 PM there was absolutely nobody else in the entire place! I gather it will be a quiet weekend.

We have tickets for "Tosca" tonight at the Staatsoper im Schiller Theater over on Bismarckstrasse as the more regular Opera House on the Unter den Linden remains under renovation. Frankly, I am glad it is Puccini and not Wagner since I could use some mere mortal syrupy romance/intrigue/angst/melodrama/jump off the balcony stuff tonight.

I see there is a complaint about too many trip reports so I'll sign off for now. More later, though.
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Old Oct 25th, 2014, 08:42 AM
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lovely Tosca, but shame that it's not at the Staatsoper. We have only been there once and that was to watch ballet as the opera company was on tour somewhere. do you know when it's due to open again?

Glad you enjoyed Liberty's...did you buy anything there?
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Old Oct 25th, 2014, 09:11 AM
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Let us know if she bounces.
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Old Oct 25th, 2014, 09:40 AM
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A wonderful TR, Dukey1! I agree about TSA pre-check and neckwear. If you haven’t been to Lyon, France, you’d enjoy the textile museum there (based upon your V&A comments.)

Adding to annhig’s question, did you buy anything at Liberty's? I purchased fabric! Also, there’s an interesting book about Liberty—available on Amazon, FYI. I’ve just read that Liberty folks designed the costumes for the original “Mikado”.

Oh, hang the complaints, keep writing soon!
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Old Oct 25th, 2014, 01:30 PM
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Here's a link to an article about the delayed re-opening of the opera house:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...n_1547646.html

No, did not buy anything at Liberty or anywhere else...yet! If I can make it through the Ka-De-We I can probably survive Venice, too, but we'll see.

Had nibbles earlier this evening in the hotel's "club" lounge. The lobby may have been deserted earlier but there was a crowd for the "free" food and wine.

Took a cab over to the Schiller; had decent seats in the first row which I managed to buy on line back in May. Tonight was the final performance of this particular "Tosca" production which received very mixed reviews due to the staging as much as anything.

I won't go into those details but the place was full. Anja Kampe sang the title role and what a voice! She is also very seductive and definitely does not play the usual "Tosca is basically a blithering idiot" routine. Michael Volle held his own as Scarpia and I really enjoyed hearing Zoran Todorovich as Cavaradossi.

Per usual, the audience was plenty appreciative buy nobody jumps up at least they didn't tonight. I can understand the angst from the traditionalist reviewers over the "slide show" staging and the fact that Kampe does not actually leap off of anything at the end but merely moves downstage and then there is a blackout. But I disagree that "Puccini suffers" in any way, shape, or form, but such is the beast we call opera.
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Old Oct 26th, 2014, 04:45 AM
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Am sitting in the hotel and wondering now what possessed me to buy tickets for the "Tristan" performance which starts at 4PM local time today. It is five hours long with two breaks; the reviews have been good although the one reviewer who talked about "pitch issues" (IOW, off-key) and "voice isn't what it once was"( either still fab [so why bring it up?] OR couldn't or wouldn't get anybody whose voice still IS worth hearing OR nobody really noticed it but me and since I am SUCH an expert...)and ended up weeping at the end.

I get the weeping part since I heard a performance of a different piece in Covent Garden a couple years ago and said, here, that the tenor brought tears to my eyes and he did.

The thing is sold out and we've never seen it done before so will go.

I noticed last night after we got off the U-Bahn and were walking across the P-damer Platz they have already erected that toboggan run assembly for the holidays and a few of those tent-like structures are also in place in preparation for the upcoming Christmas market, one of which will be here.

Usually I don't pay too much attention but since it now appears we will be back in Europe around the 21st of November for about ten days I am mentally getting read for that stuff in Salzburg at least and maybe even Vienna and Munich.

Weather here: London was mild and partly cloudy our three days there; Berlin has, thus far, been the "typical" (for us, anyway) overcast and damp yet certainly not freezing cold. Nevertheless, we are glad we brought compressible down jackets to wear.
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Old Oct 26th, 2014, 06:09 AM
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We were there last year when they were setting up for the markets. They really pack them in. I loved all the window displays and you could buy the mulled wine which warmed out hands as well as our throats. Great report. Hope the weather stays nice for you Floridians.
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Old Oct 26th, 2014, 06:36 AM
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I went on that Toboggan Run in Potsdamer Platz in December, 2007.

Then went to Dunkin Donuts across the road and sat upstairs looking out the windows.

PS

In England we say SPOTS, not pimples.


Thin
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Old Oct 26th, 2014, 06:37 AM
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good luck with Tristan - I confess that Wagner is not to my taste and I've never seen any live Wagner opera. We await your expert comments!
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