We arrived at Berlin Tegel Airport on time, however it took quite a while before we did get through customs and were able to receive our luggage. Klaudia was waiting for us. It turned out she had forgotten where she had her car parked, that is she knew where the parking area was but she wasn’t sure how she would be able to get there. She ventured into one of the old lifts of Tegel Airport and left us behind. All we could do was wait. In the end we made it to the car all right. With all our luggage!
Our arrival was on a Sunday. In Berlin nearly all shops are closed on Sundays. Klaudia first of all took us to Peter’s sister’s place. Surprise, surprise, she had a big bag full of goodies prepared for us. She had thought of everything that we would need for the first day in our apartment, things like butter-milk, bread, cheese and wurst and fruit and tea-bags as well as milk and butter. Remember, the shops are closed on a Sunday, she said. Peter’s sister lives pretty close to the airport. However, we thought we might take off somewhat early so we’d be closer to where our apartment was. We had been told a woman would meet us in front of the apartment block at 2 pm. Perhaps there was a chance to meet her bit earlier so she could let us into our apartment? If not, we’d just stay in the surrounding park area, called ‘Tiergarten’ till it was time for the meeting.
Actually in the Tiergarten, not far from where our apartment block was, is the ‘English Garden’ with the English Tea-House. Klaudia was well acquainted with this place and led us there where we had some lovely refreshments sitting in the outside garden area. It was a beautiful balmy autumn day. Before we went to the Tea House we found a nice picnic table where we all dug into the stuff Peter’s sister had provided. I remember as cheese there was ‘Harzer Käse”, which I love and which is hard to get in Australia. Everything Ilse had packed, tasted wonderful!
The handover of the apartment at 2 o’clock went without a hinge. We straight away liked the place. It was tiny, just a studio apartment, with a small kitchen. But it seemed adequate for us as a holiday place. There were lifts which meant getting our luggage up to the second floor was no problem. Klaudia was helping us all the way. She was really great! She is a bit on the nervous side. (Who wouldn’t be a little bit stressed in a place like Berlin? Unless you’re on holidays , of course.) Once she’s a bit de-stressed, she’s a wonderful person to be with. And she said she wanted to make time for us to see us often while we were in Berlin. And she sure did keep her promise. She didn’t disappoint us in any way. We had some very good time with her. She kept talking a lot about Australia and how she’d love to go there once more.
AuntyUta 
I recognize that little apartment 🙂
Welcome to the blogger world. Are you going to write something about ‘die Heimat’? Hope to see you to-morrow!
Hallo liebe Freundin ich wünsche dir einen schönen Tag,schöne Bilder von Berlin,da müsste ich mit meinen Mann auch mal hin,in Frühjahr wenn es was wärmer ist.Wünsche dir einen schönen Tag,und ein glückliches schönes weekend.Lieber Gruß Gislinde
Hallo, liebe Gislinde, ja Berlin ist eine Reise wert! Wir waren im Herbst in Berlin und hatten Glück mit dem Wetter. Es war die meiste Zeit noch ziemlich warm. Aber jetzt ist es wohl so kalt,dass Schnee liegen bleibt. Wir haben in den Nachrichten schöne Schneebilder von Berlin gesehen. Wümsche dir ein recht schönes Wochenende! Liebe Grüsse, Uta.
Great pictures again, Aunty Uta, & so good to read.
I’ve heard customs can take ages. That would be an awful hassle. Do you use little locks on your luggage? I’ve always thought I would, since the Shapelle Corby bust.
I have very simple needs (well, we all have simple needs, but I’m grateful for a place to call home, even when it’s basic). So I reckon I would like a studio apartment. I lived in a bedsitter a long, long while when I let the marriage.
Love the tea house 🙂
Thank you so much for commenting, dear Noeleen. You’re right, we ought to be grateful if we have one place to call home.
We had little locks on our luggage. And we had no problems with customs. Everything went smoothly. It just seemed to take a long time. Maybe they didn’t have sufficient staff on duty – – – ?
We felt very relaxed at the tea house. It was good to go there for some refreshments.
What a nice little place. I love the little apartment…cozy! 🙂
You’re right, Debra, it was a cozy little place. And the good thing was that it was right in the center of Berlin. Very convenient indeed!
So interesting to read about the various stages of your travels. This is a great way to keep all the memories safe 🙂 Berlin looks green and peaceful through your lens.
We were lucky, Munira, to have accommodation right in the midst of Berlin with beautiful gardens surrounding us. It was the ideal holiday apartment for us. The only complaint is that there was no washing machine and no laundromat that we could have used. Peter could give his shirts and trousers away but I had to wash everything by hand. Reminded me of the old days. There had been times when washing machines were unheard of….