Greetings all…..we are now in Alborg, Denmark…..and have had some great days. Needless to say, each day has been packed with tours and lectures, etc….here are some highlights….
1. Gdansk is a marvel, in that it was a heavily destroyed city during WW II……and has been completely rebuilt. Right on the water, it has always been a trading center….but now it is a very modern and progressive major shipping city. We walked the Old Town along the canal that was once the major loading area from the Baltic for all of Poland. This was on Saturday and was part of their 3 week period of independence…so on this day was their marathon race…and we were right in the middle if it. A gorgeous city thus is a must to see….
2. From Gdansk we sailed on to Warnemunde…..where we got off the ship and directly on to the train for the 3 hour ride into Berlin. The train was older but very fast and comfortable and we arrived into Berlin about 10:30 am….we then had an hour bus ride around the city…and then free time, which we used to ride the hop on hop off for about 2 hours.
3. Suffice it to say that both Audy and I were overwhelmed with what has happened in Berlin…primarily east Berlin. It is now a hug city with massive development, especially in east Berlin. We were very disappointed in that the old is largely gone…replaced by new and very modern. The city has spent millions to bring it to the point of leading cities of the world. The Hop On was not as god as usual …… Not as many stops, etc….and all in all….Probably will not go back to Berlin….just to big and so different that what we have seen in the past. We got back in the train and back to the ship by 8:30 pm…a long day. But, for someone that has not known Berlin in the past ……a good day tour and experience.
So, 2 busy days….and good days….Gdansk was the bright spot…..but Berlin has so much for a few hours….maybe 3 days minimum…..