29th – 30th – Berlin, post-run

When exiting the shower it was only early afternoon and not having plans until after 1800 where I’d be going with the group to the TV tower for dinner the obvious choice would be to sit – or lie – down and relax. But I am not a clever man. Instead I considered it… impolite… to be in Berlin and not see the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe so once again I was off, took the u-bahn and spent some time around the monument, wandered speedily through the small museum below (yes, it was as depressing as you’d think) before I returned to the hotel and met up with the group.

The monument. 

The view from the tower was great, and the restaurant was rotating so we got to see in all directions while sitting down. The food was pretty good, too, but it took so long for them to start serving, which felt a bit weird as they had known of the booking (which included a set menu) for months in advance. The windowsill was static, it was only the area with the tables that rotated. Some people hadn’t noticed that so first we saw a handbag slowing passing by soon followed by a glass of champagne. And a distress-looking woman running by, soon after returning clutching her handbag. The floor below was an observation deck but due to the indoor lighting it was impossible to not get reflections when trying to take photographs.

The restaurant in the tower.

Neptunbrunnen (Neptune fountain) in front of Rotes Rathaus ("Red Cityhall").

The next morning we had breakfast in the hotel (they had waffles!) before checking out and starting the drive back north towards the ferry. Very minor traffic and otherwise nothing out of the ordinary made the drive home quite uneventful. There was no golden retriever like before, but there was a fair share of people walking as if they too had been running yesterday’s marathon.

Overall a very nice trip, everything considering. If you want to try doing a marathon Berlin is a good place to start – it’s flat, a lot of fairly straight lines and rarely any sharp turns. And a great atmosphere, too. Due to the weather there weren’t as many out cheering as you’d expect from all the stories you hear, but there were never a point where there wasn’t at least a few standing around cheering you on. Or wondering why on earth you’d do this to yourself. Which, I’ll be honest, I also did think now and then along the way.

Full album can be seen here.