From Shropshire to Berlin

We're so glad we were able be together in London with Hank and Colette for a few days. We enjoyed Kew Gardens, “Michael Clayton,” walks and meals with you both. We left London Monday morning (10/2) and arrived at the Oxford station during a steady rain. Not far from the train station was a Thai restaurant that provided delicious lunch and temporary escape from the downpour. We decided to stay in Oxford overnight in a charming hotel whose pub was featured in Inspector Morse mysteries. The rain finally stopped and we enjoyed walking around the town and the Oxford colleges. The trip from Oxford to Shropshire and the Iron Gorge was harrowing, with Stephen expertly adjusting to the wrong side of the road, with only a few narrow misses on the narrow country roads. We arrived in Ironbridge several hours later, side mirrors in tact but Stephen had difficulty peeling his fingers from around the steering wheel. Stephen was so drained from the trip, and so enamored of the Iron Bridge, that we decided to stay two nights in the charming town at the base of the bridge. We found a wonderful little B&B called the Swan that seemed to echo with centuries of travelers and beer swillers. The bridge was maybe not so imposing as we expected, but we met an engineer from the National Heritage Sites who was recording the movement of the bridge, who gave us some interesting information about the bridge and the challenges that organization faces with over 360,000 sites and only 12 engineers.Leaving Shropshire Thursday (10/4) was less stressful since we had decided to take the M54 to the M6 to the M5 to the M42 to the M40 to Oxford. At least it was three lanes wide, more room for error. Then a trip by train from Oxford to Paddington, the tube from Paddington to Liverpool, the express to Stansted (which I might add is the most frustrating airport we've ever experienced) and a plane to Berlin. Planes, trains and automobiles all in one day. That was a first for Ann.Schoenefeld is a small airport by Standsted, Gatwick or even SLC standards so was easy to get through. The train took us straight into town, to a station close enough to walk to our hotel, passing a Currywurst stand for a late-night snack (it was 11pm by then). Hunger is the best chef and that was the best wurst ever.Friday (10/5) we went on a death march, even by David's standards, through Berlin Mitte. We calculated a total of around 12 or so km from our hotel through Tiergarten, around the Grosse Stern, past the Reichstag, through the Brandenburg Tor, down Unter den Linden, past Humboldt Universtaet, to Museum Island where serendipity delivered a huge (both in size and numbers) exhibit of Botero sculptures on the green in front of the Berlin Cathedral. Then around the museums and a walk to the Haeckesher Markt Station and a train back to our part of town, more walking to the hotel. Short rest then more walking to meet up with Stephen's friend, Giesela, where she fed us a lovely dinner and then hosted a sightseeing trip to Potsdamer Platz where we walked more and saw where Sony and Daimler-Chrysler and Deutsche Bahn have all built immense and modern buildings surrounding many shops. Sleep came quickly once we finally put head to pillow that night.Today (10/6) we are moving more slowly with plans to meet more friends of Stephen. Tomorrow we leave for Prague where we'll visit with Stephen's friend, Ed Barner, and then it will be back to London for a few more days before we return to the motherland.