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 <B>really</B> 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 <B>another</B> 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 <B>smarter than YOU</B>" 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 <B>any</B> 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 <B>traffic</B> 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 <B>speed</B> 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 <B>about</B> 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.

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.

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 <B>very</B> 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 <B>totally</B> 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.

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.

On for the ride Dukey, the traffic.... didn't we mention the traffic ;-)

Enjoying the report so far...glad you liked the hawksmoor!

Glad to see another Dukey report - looking forward to more!!

Enjoying the report so far!

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.

Great report. Enjoying it!!

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!

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 <B>nobody else</B> 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.

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?

Let us know if she bounces.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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

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!

Joining you on your journey. October in Berlin is glorious.

I only just read the first installment and have to say this is great. Catching up now...

Stay strong, Dukey. About buying and hearing bad notes.

I like your trip reports Dukey.
Who is in your profile picture?
What method of travel do you recommend beyween Heathrow and downtown London?

I always, always, enjoy your trip reports, Dukey. Thanks for writing them.

I want to know more about that profile pic. too!

Thanks for all the comments including the one about my profile picture which I will assume was a compliment.

BRIEFLY, since opera happenings are NOT exactly great news for most people and that includes myself: we took the U-bahn over to the theatre from the hotel and the trip only takes a few minutes so we got there waaaaaay ahead of time. Decided to walk around the neighborhood a bit which is kinda moderne-dreary in terms of the buildings. This includes a technical university high-rise, various apartment buildings with retail on the ground floor, a bank or two, etc. Being Sunday pretty much everything was closed.

Went to the theatre for the 4 PM performance. There is no "dress code' although a goodly number of men in coats and ties and women in dressy attire. Plenty of the usual sport(s) coat and denim trousers on some of the other men; the usual mix of gay men so-called "opera queens" (some butch; some not so much). Everybody behaved and following the rules; outer wear checked (we didn't because we didn't want to wait in the retrieval line afterward) and people enjoying pre-theatre drinks and <B>pretzels</B>.

As I said earlier the performance was sold out.

Orchestra was really up to the Wagner music task and it sounded great. The set consisted of a huge angel lying on his stomach with the wings rising up; this was on a revolve and served as the ONLY setting so that means it was a boat, the lovers bower, etc., etc.

Peter Seiffert the German tenor and Waltraud Meier the German mezzo sang the title roles. The music seemed loud in the third row and how these two managed to sing over all of that was amazing. Despite the fact that the opera was sung in German there were surtitles.

Perhaps it was the fact that it was Wagner, in Berlin, sung by two well-known German Wagnerians but at the end the entire audience was on its feet clapping wildly and carrying on, demanding curtain call after curtain call. This in contrast to the previous night's wonderful Puccini; perhaps if she <B>had</B> jumped off that parapet...

This was an experience and I am not a big Wagner fan except for Lohengrin but that's because I'm a romantic sentamentalist.

Walked back to the U-Bahn stop to find the trains not running so what to do? We walked to the next stop (Zoo) and in the dark. In some cities I suppose people would say we were crazy to do this and it isn't as if the city is crime-free but we never give these things any second thoghts.

At Zoo we finally figured out that the U-2 was not running at all and rather than taking a bunch of other lines to get back to the hotel we simply caught a cab which cost about 10 Euro.

Overcast and damp again today but certainly not freezing cold. We are trying to decide what to do today; not a lot seems compelling since we have visited so many times in the past. Stay tuned and I will review above and answer any questions.

Love those down jackets. Great pillows if you have a lousy hotel one. My husband wants a Berlin trip. Good report.

Since a lot of the museums are closed on Monday we decided to do the KaDeWe late this morning. Bought tickets at the machines and U'd over which didn't take long.

No Christmas decorations up in the store but the decorations work and the Christmas Market "hut" set-ups continue around Potsdamer Platz. Illuminated icicles along with snowflakes were being placed via cherry picker as we made our way out of the hotel. Water and electric lines being connected to the first "huts" although there are a couple of these buildings that are the size of HOUSES!

Made a bee-line up the escalator to the Men's Department. Wonderful stuff and some stuff I don't usually see at home like Eton shirts and even though I usually buy Faconnable or Pink (and these days I'm more likely to be in some t-shirt and shorts given our South Florida weather and informality) it is nice to see some imagination in clothing.

I resisted the shoes and that was hard because the prices of some of the exotics were good even with the exchange rate.

The store has wonderful things in the gift department and lots of people were buying Halloween costumes for themselves as well as the children. I am wondering what things will be like in Venice this coming Friday evening.

Weather today changed quickly as the skies cleared and the sun came out for walk-around activities. Trees are turning or have turned although plenty of greenery left here and there. Tiergarten stroll a perfect mid-day activity.

In the Arkaden shopping mall across from the rear of the hotel there is an exhibit centered on 25 years after the Berlin Wall. Some great and iconic photos including JFK making his "I am a Berliner" speech as well as the East German soldier leaping across the barbed wire to freedom along with another of an unfortunate East German citizen left to bleed to death in "no man's land."

The last of the watchtowers is just a couple of blocks from the Potsdamer Platz and can be visited. Berlin looked pretty bleak back when the wall went up and almost as bleak in some portions when it came back down. There don't seem to be quite as many construction cranes around as there were a couple years ago but overall it seems some areas are all steel and glass.

We enjoyed a walk around the vicinity of the U-Nolendorf to view some of the surviving architecture; some of these apartment buildings with the scroll work, corbels, semi-gargoyles, etc., are interesting to view.

We returned to the area this evening for a meal at More on Motzstrasse. We had not made reservations and fortunately there were a couple of tables open when we arrived at 6 PM; by the time we left they were turning folks away.

Great basic food beautifully presented; au gratin potatoes and steak after delicious pumpkin soup hit the spot and the warm apple strudel with vanilla sauce made for a great ending.

Lots of folks eating in outside venues with the provided lap robes in place. Nicely relaxed day and perhaps the Museum of European Culture or the Photography Museum (or both) on our last day tomorrow.

i wondered if you'd make it to the KaDeWe - sounds like another place you didn't buy anything. No wonder our economies aren't growing at the speed they should if not even tourists are buying stuff. Don't you realise that it's your duty as a tourist to support us?

oh well, perhaps you're waiting til Venice. God knows the italians need the tourist $ even more than we and the germans do!

It was easy to visualize, Dukey, and the dinner sounded wonderful.

I'm guessing you may find a pair of shoes for sale in Italy :)

I love looking at shoes in Germany. Wait till Italy. I kept taking pictures of Ferragamo's window displays. They were so beautiful. Prada makes the most comfy shoes though.
You have my favorite things singing in my head now, warm apple strudel.

FIRST of all, thank you for all your kind comments. I am very ashamed to admit that today when i thought we were going to one of the museums we have ended up doing absolutely NOTHING at all. I won't go into details and bore you. It seems a waste and perhaps I can persuade the Husbear to get out of his den mode for a while.

A couple of kinda-related notes here. We recently ditched AT+T after using them for many years for cellphone service. We opted not to use the wired "land line" in the condo and only have our two cellphones and computer connections.

We went with T-Mobile which gives us unlimited texting and data while in Europe as well as cheaper phone rates than we had with AT+T. We rarely ever make actual phone calls when in Europe and never changed out SIM cards. Our phone/plan also switches us to web-based calling if a connection is available.

I liked being able to finally use my phone-loaded maps to get around without having to pay huge charges and the texting has been of great help when we needed to contact the house/pet sitter.

Do not mean this to be any sort of advertisement and I obviously have no financial interest in any cellphone plans or companies.

Tomorrow we fly to Venice and yes I will undoubtedly be looking at attire but will not go out of my way to do so. We haven't been to Venice in over 20 years so we are excited about that.

Enjoyed reading your thoughts on the Hyatt. We are spending a few nights there in December. Have you eaten at Vox? How was it?

Dukey:

Did you have a chance to go to the Ham Yard Hotel?

By the way, I have never had a problem with DCC with Firmdale.

Enjoying this report, Dukey. We've only been to Berlin once, about 10 years ago, but we sure hope to get back one day. Looking forward to your impressions of Venice.

I managed to rouse Mr. Excitement out of the bed after lunchtime yesterday and we took a longer stroll again through the Tiergarten and eventually made our way to the Brandenburg Gate. This remains one of the big visitor attractions and there were plenty of tour coaches parked nearby and many folks milling around taking pictures, etc. The thing is iconic for sure.

There are plans, BTW, for the city to "re-create" a length of the wall nearby next week using colored balloons; this is, I assume, part of the "25 Years After" goings-on and I am sorry we will miss it.

"Construction" continues on the Potsdamer Platz Christmas Market "village" with a couple more of the "huts" in place and last night the snow-making machine at the toboggan run was going full tilt to have it ready for rides.

We were way less than experimental in terms of food last night. We had thought of going to the Zsa Zsa Burger place near Nolendorf Platz since it continues to get rave reviews and sometimes you just want a burger and fries. Unfortunately, we arrived there before dark and before it was open so we walked over to the KaDeWe and went up to the buffet on the 7th floor so w3e could eat while gazing out of the huge "fanlight" window as the city lights were coming on.

We have does this sort of thing in other European department stores including London as well as Madrid and Paris and doing so reminds me of when I was very young and you could do it in bigger stores in the US. In particular, going into the "Crystal Room" at Wanamaker's in Philadelphia with my grandmother is a fond memory. She shopped, she had lunch, and then shopped some more and I was dragged along.

The KaDeWe offers all sorts of food but the stuff is pricey at best. Euro 4.50 for a large glass of soft drink and so forth. But the dessert selection alone is worth the visit not to mention the vast packaged and freshly=vended stuff on the floor below. And there were a lot of people shopping and eating last evening, too.

This morning we ate breakfast in the hotel, checked out, and took a cab back to Tegel and the ride took no more than 20 minutes. I had checked in on line with Air Berlin which opens internet check-ins 30 hours in advance. Bag drop and security was fast and once again there were no identification requirements as long as you have a boarding pass and no shoes off through security.

Announcements for flights are made in both German and English but as I have found on other places, some of those "announcements" are hard to understand either due to noise or poor diction or both. Tegel is a busy airport and the actual plane boarding was interesting.

Passengers were asked to board by group letter number printed on the boarding pass but everybody simply lined up and boarded since no groups (A, B, etc.) were ever called! The aircraft was an A-320 in a so-called "high density" configuration, i.e., six-across seating from front to rear. Most people checked their luggage (as did we) and hardly anyone had anything in the overhead bins. No jetways; you board at either the front or the rear (your choice) by walking to a set of mobile stairs.

My point is that without much direction and no group stuff the plane (which was full) was completely boarded in less than 10 minutes and at least 15 minutes prior to departure time and we LEFT immediately.

I was amused by the pictures and spread on Florida in the in-flight magazine: "It's Paradise, Man." Well, for some of us it is.

Smooth flight with great views of the Dolomites. Seat pitch? Think sardine.

We had booked a private boat transfer from the airport and were met promptly after bag claim, driven the short way to the dock and off we went. Remember the Venetians were very successful at several things over the years ad among these was stealing things from other countries and making money.

Once the taxi was underway and there was no escape we got the "sales pitch" from the "driver" about the possibility of approaching the hotel by going down the length of the Grand Canal for an additional Euro 30. I assume this is their way of getting additional cash since the ride itself was prepaid.

I declined so we went through what can only be called the "back canals" of Venice once we actually reached the city and this guy was a real master of navigation; how he got us through some of the tight spots and around the corners was remarkable. He got his tip and it was worth it IMO.

I had kinda "bounced around" hotel-wise when I was making reservations some months ago and had thought we would try the Luna Baglioni for a couple reasons. It is about as close to San Marco (which is where we like to be) as you can get and we have had very good luck with other Baglioni properties in the past.

However, a couple of weeks ago I got sort-of "deal" for a room in the Gritti Palace (off-season helps, believe me) and decided to do that.

We have stayed nearby in the past but never here. Upon arrival we were told we had been given an upgrade. Since we are not in the Starwood loyalty program I am assuming they couldn't sell the room but thought they might sell the one we had reserved. Anyway, the gesture was appreciated.

It was appreciated even more once we got to the room! We are in the "Peggy Guggenheim Suite" which fronts on the Grand Canal with windows that open and one of those small step-out balconies. The suite itself is over the top; separate living room and bedroom; a powder room for guests; huge bathroom with separate tub and shower and two pedestal sinks and marble <B>for days</B>. Fabric-covered walls, massive woodwork, parquet floors, Hermes scarves mounted and framed on the walls along with pictures of La Guggenheim (who hung out just across the canal) and her stuff.

Oh, and did I mention the orientals on the floors? Husbear got very "Queen Elizabeth" at one point and was waving from the window at all the more regular people forced to take the vaporetti down the canal!

"Keep waving, Stud. When the Visa bill comes you can wave at that, too!"

The room was ready obviously (are there any sweeter words when you travel than those?????) and we took a walk from the hotel over to San Marco. And that walk can be difficult because of all the retail along the way as the "merchants of Venice" continue their winning ways. Beautiful glass, of course, fabric stores with luxurious threads, clothing, clothing, clothing and a whole bunch of men selling knock-off purses and such in the street.

San Marco was not crowded but plenty of folks enjoying the views. Quadri and Florian were already open and the long-time "battle of the bands" was underway. Waiters in white dinner jackets, children racing around, pigeons everywhere, and not a cloud in the sky. We will undoubtedly return this evening when many visitors have left because IMO just at dusk, the place is truly magic.

Had lunch back at the hotel overlooking the water. Great fresh vegetables in the salads and perfectly grilled (and real) sea bass. I fobade him to wave any anybody...so embarrassing!

More later.

Dukey, I'd be waving non stop if I ever stayed at the Gritti. In my dreams...

Dukey -
You're living the SPG members' dream!

Thanks for the eating in big department store memories, Dukey. And, we were in DeGaulle when one of the staff said, “If you’re going to Washington, D.C., get on this plane.” It was much easier than any other loading we’d ever done!

Your hotel upgrade is amazing!