25th and 26th July (Days 8/9) Train Schloss Holte to Pottdam

A little meltdown resulted in us making our way to the train station and getting on a train to Bielefeld, and then on to Pottsdam, Berlin. We arrived in Pottsdam (typically, it hadn't rained all day) in glorious sunshine, and found this divine little pension in a very peaceful back road near the park (Pension Falck, Lennstr 39, pension-falck@t-online.de, www.pension-falck.de). The guy who runs it is very friendly and helpful, and does a great line of patient German and mime :-) Unfortunately, he only had a room for one night, so we then moved on to a furnished apartment for three nights. Again, peaceful, but not half as attractive. It did mean that we had the opportunity to dry our tent and gear out, and get to a laundrette. Now this was no ordinary laundrette - this is one where you can get a beer, and sit and write, or draw, or read, while your laundry does. Extremely civilised to say the least.

We hopped on the train and headed into Berlin, which is a big modern city with brand new high rises cheek by jowl with East German apartment blocks, and futhermore juxtaposed with grandiose official buildings with various mythical creatures or famous figures peering from the inevitable dome or folly-like tower. We went and had a look at the remaining fragments of 'the wall' near Fredrickstrasse. It was a thought-provoking experience which prompted us to discuss the nature of integrity, and whether it is possible to maintain your integrity and still stay alive / keep your friends and family unharmed by your stance...