On the rail again (18 August)

My train back didn’t leave until 12:44, so we had a bit of time to kill. Inga and I went to visit her friend from school, who always wanted to meet someone from her mission. We talked for a while. I enjoyed simply getting to meet another local and see how they live. Then Inga and I did a speed-tour of the nearby IKEA, just because I’ve never been in one before. I was impressed. We rushed to a station where we caught a train to the Berlin hauptbanhof, the main train station that I’d be leaving from. While waiting there, she insisted that I get one of the big chewy German pretzels and then we shared a currywurst, a sausage dish that Berlin is famous for. She saw me off at the platform and I was on my way again. 

Inga outside of her apartment at 11 Jupiterstraube

Currywurst: German sausage with curry sauce and powder

It means "I'm a Berliner" and it's on a tube of toothpaste?!

Waiting for the ICE train at the Berlin Hauptbahnhof

I basically read the whole train ride. I finished Robin Hood, read the scriptures and a session of General Conference, then read Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, and started Jane Eyre.

When I changed trains at Koln, I had 50 minutes, so I walked around the city a bit more. I found a pretty church and grabbed a sandwich for dinner. Then I got on the RE train for two and a half more hours of train ride. The contrast between the ICE train (the nice, fast one) and the RE train is interesting. On the ICE train, things are in English, and people speak English. The RE train is more of a local thing, so it helped me feel more one with the people of Germany. When I stepped off the platform in the woods along the stream at the Speicher station, I knew I’d had a fulfilling experience.

Back in Cologne for a few minutes

Beautiful stained glass in a church

Artistic rendering of me reading on the train. Okay actually my self timer made the photo very very blurry.

Overall, my trip to Berlin was great. I’ve always wanted to go there. And what better way than to see Berlin than with a local? It was fun to build our friendship, to hear about others from my mission, and to learn about the less-touristy side of Berlin.