How do retired couples who don't know foreign languages travel around Europe?

At the beginning of 20 18, shortly after our trip to Poland, we began to plan a trip to Berlin, Germany. Before I left, I spent more than two months doing my homework online.

We searched for all the introductions, travel notes, raiders, tips and so on about Berlin on websites such as Poor Travel Network and All-Europe Network, and downloaded and saved the useful information to the ipad for sorting.

We also learned this method unintentionally. I remember a trip to CK in Czech Republic, and I met a young couple from China. They are looking for a special restaurant with printed leaflets.

It happened that we also went to the restaurant and went in with them. At first glance, we are all compatriots. After sitting down, we chatted naturally.

We say that your loose-leaf book is really good, and it is convenient and practical to carry around. They took out a plastic clip from their backpacks and said that before we went abroad, we made loose leaves for all the places we were going to, and they were all in this clip.

We rummaged through their binders, and there was a lot of information printed in them. For example, they made a loose-leaf page about CK town, including the bus route, the place and time to get to the town, the introduction of tour guides and scenic spots in the town, accommodation and exchanges in the town, special restaurants and food, local folk customs and so on. It is really all-encompassing, just like a travel encyclopedia.

What the young couple did inspired us and made us understand that young people go abroad to do their homework more seriously than we do. In the future, when we go abroad to collect information, we will learn from them, but we will change the binder into ipad.

This time I went to Berlin, as usual, I stayed in a hotel. We always don't pay attention to the location of B&B, only ask for WIFI access, kitchen cooking and hot water bathing, and then have a look at the evaluation and the price is cheap.

This time, I found a homestay on Airbnb website, which not only scored high, but also the room rate was only 20 euros per day, which was quite cheap. The landlord still leaves a message on the Internet. When he arrives at B&B, he will meet him at the bus stop, which makes people feel very warm.

When booking air tickets to Berlin, we did some thinking, compared several schemes, and finally chose the combined booking method. Book a plane ticket to Warsaw, Poland, and then book an international bus ticket from Warsaw to Berlin. Warsaw is very close to Berlin, and the one-way ticket is about 20 euros, so the cost will be less.

At the beginning of March, we started our trip to Berlin from China. I also took a lot of winter clothes when I set out, thinking that Europe was very cold. I didn't know that when I got off the plane in Warsaw, I was presented with a scene of spring. When I arrived in Berlin, I simply put my down jacket back in my suitcase.

Warsaw is a revisited place for us. We are familiar with the road and the price is low. We bought a lot of food in the supermarket and took it to Berlin. It was the next morning from Warsaw, and it was already past 4 pm when I arrived in Berlin.

The first thing we did after getting off the bus was to search the route to the hotel with Google Maps. Being abroad, completely blind, Google Maps is our best personal guide. With it, you no longer have to worry about where to go, what car to take, when to have a car, how much the fare is, and so on. It will tell you clearly.

Following Google navigation, we first took the S light rail car and then transferred to the bus. All kinds of public transport in Berlin are basically seamlessly connected, and it is especially convenient for people like us to change to the same platform on the way without walking to find it.

When we got on the bus, there were only 8 stops from the display to the destination. At this time, it was already dark and the windows became blurred. So we stared at the display screen, counted one stop at a time, and it was almost the eighth stop, so we quickly pressed the red stop notice button on the bus. I am a little excited to think that the landlord may have been waiting at the station.

But what I didn't expect was that the bus didn't stop at the eighth stop and went straight ahead. Under the streetlight, I saw that the platform of the eighth station was blocked by a temporary fence and the road was being renovated. We were a little nervous. We missed our stop and it was getting dark. Where can I find the landlord?

The bus finally stopped at the ninth stop and we got off at once. Like it or not, we dragged our suitcases to the shopping center near the eighth stop.

When we got there, just a few young girls came out of the shopping center. We seemed to see reinforcements, so we immediately called them with Google Voice Translation and asked them to call the landlord for help.

These girls are very enthusiastic. They immediately called the landlord and asked us to wait here. The landlord will be here soon. At this time, our hanging hearts are put down.

In fact, the homestay we are going to is in the community behind the shopping center. After the landlord came, he took us to two corners and arrived.

This is an apartment building. When we look at it, it is very elegant. The corridor and elevator room are brightly lit, clean and tidy, and the room we live in is also very warm and comfortable, which makes us feel at home.

The next day, we walked around the community and found that although the community is small, it is equipped with schools, stadiums, swimming pools, post offices, hospitals, pharmacies and so on, and all living facilities are complete. In addition to the shopping center we saw last night, there are two other big supermarkets in the community. The transportation is also very convenient. There are bus stops around, and more than 10 bus lines pass through the community. Later we learned that residential areas in Berlin are generally like this.

Before going abroad, we have learned that Berlin's public transportation includes buses, subways, S light rail cars and trams. Tickets between them are universal, as well as 10 discount packages and monthly tickets.

The package is to buy four tickets at a time, 10 Euro, which is cheaper than a single ticket. The monthly ticket at 10 o'clock is the kind of monthly ticket that avoids the morning rush hour and takes a bus after 10 o'clock, as long as 60 euros.

And the monthly ticket has another advantage, you don't have to post photos, you can turn it at will. Therefore, some China students who want to return to China often transfer their unexpired monthly tickets online at a discount.

We bought a monthly ticket at 10. With a monthly pass, I really feel like a duck to water. If you want to get on the bus, you don't have to think about getting a ticket on the ticket machine every time, which saves a lot of trouble.

We went to the Berlin Wall first. At that time, the Berlin Wall was a border defense system built by the East German government to prevent residents from fleeing to West Berlin, with a length exceeding 160 km. After the reunification of East and West Germany, the Berlin Wall was demolished, leaving only a section of the wall between Berlin East Station and Oberbaum Bridge, about 1.5km. The front and back of the wall are painted with different themes by artists from all over the world, so it is called the East Gallery.

On that day, we took the S bus, got off at Warsaw Street Station and walked 100 meters to get there. We immediately felt a strong artistic atmosphere, and the paintings with different styles were as dazzling as the exhibits in the open-air art museum. If there is no schematic diagram of the Berlin Wall, it is hard to imagine the scene with strict barriers.

A Brother's kiss is the most famous graffiti in the East Gallery. It depicts the kissing between the former Soviet leader Brezhnev and the former East German leader honecker. This painting comes from a real political news photo to highlight the close strategic cooperation between the former Soviet Union and East Germany. Now A Brother's kiss has become a political satire.

The gallery in the east is next to spree river. Go north along the river bank and you can reach the Berlin Wall Memorial Park. There, we saw the original Berlin Wall structure and an exhibition of that history. At that time, a wall separated two completely different worlds, and photos commemorated that heavy history, which made people feel a lot.

In addition to the Berlin Wall, there is also the Charlie checkpoint on Friedrich Street. This is a special passage for non-Germans to enter and leave the Berlin Wall. There is also a Charlie checkpoint museum to the north of the checkpoint. Nowadays, there are shops on both sides of Charlie checkpoint, which has become a busy city, and tourists are constantly coming every day.

From checkpoint Charlie, we walked to the murdered Jewish Monument Square in Europe. This square is very special. There is nothing but a huge blue-gray concrete square monument. The obelisks, which are strewn at random and arranged in a grid, are like rows of tombstones commemorating the 6 million Jews who died in the catastrophe of World War II. In the face of such a scene, no matter who it is, the soul will be greatly shocked and feel the cruelty of war and the disaster brought to mankind.

On the first day, we ran so many places in one breath that we were too tired to move back to the hotel. The next day, I started to slow down. Go to the supermarket to buy food every morning, then cook and have lunch early before going out, so that you can have fun and not be too tired.

Next, we visited the Federal Parliament Building in the city center and climbed the dome roof along the revolving corridor. This unique building makes us feel particularly novel and opens our eyes. There are many tourists in the Capitol, so you need to make an appointment. You can use your passport to make an appointment at the service point near the Capitol.

In front of the Capitol is a wide square. Through the square, we come to the Federal Chancellery. The building of the Prime Minister's Office is very solemn and concise. A lot of glass is used as the exterior wall decoration, and the exterior wall is mainly white. The translucent white glass makes the Prime Minister's Office feel connected inside and outside.

The entrance and exit of the Prime Minister's Office is not imposing, even worse than the doors of many companies, and there is no feeling of heavy security at all. Some mobile staff and vehicles inside, including foreign affairs activities held on the lawn, are also clearly visible. It is said that every June, the Prime Minister's Office has a special open day for citizens and children to visit. Unfortunately, we missed the day.

Berlin Central Railway Station is the loudest, largest and most modern station in Europe, and we are attracted by it. Sure enough, the station is huge and magnificent, and its appearance is as dazzling as the Crystal Palace. Spree river flows in front of it, making it stand tall like a huge ship.

Entering the station hall, I saw five floors above ground and underground, each with an area of about 65438+100000 square meters, which is extremely spacious. What makes people feel novel is that the east-west track and platform of the station are located at the top floor, while the north-south track and platform are located at the lowest floor, which is as deep as 15 meters underground. This novel design makes the station have the traffic function of crossroads.

The second, third and fourth floors of the station are covered with various shopping malls and service organizations, reaching more than 400. We spent half a day visiting them. There is also an observation deck on the fourth floor of the station overlooking the Capitol, the Federal Chancellery and the city.

When we were in China, our favorite food was bean products, but we haven't seen them since we went abroad, and suddenly we have the desire for this day. So after coming out of the Central Railway Station, I searched China Supermarket with Google Maps, and I found one.

Here we are, it really pays off, haha! Tofu, venetian blinds, bean sprouts and so on. In addition, the supermarket shelves are full of all kinds of foods produced in China and Asian countries.

In the supermarket, we got unexpected gains. Its exports are flooded with Chinese newspapers, including Global Times, European Times and German Life Daily. All these are free of charge. We picked a lot of newspapers and packed our backpacks in bulging bags. Later, we went to several other supermarkets in China, and there were free Chinese newspapers piled at the door.

Tonight's dinner, we cooked a tomato bean curd, which was pleasant and satisfactory.

The next day, we came to the Brandenburg Gate. This is the landmark and symbol of Berlin. The huge stone porch and the four bronze horses with victory chariots on the top of the door look solemn and magnificent. There are many tourists here, so we took some photos at random.

Starting from Brandenburg Gate, June 17th Street is in the west and Bodhi Street is in the east. We went to June 17th Street first. This street goes through Tiergarten Park. Standing on the island in the center of the street, you can see that the street is straight and wide, leading directly to the victory memorial column in the center of the park. Under the blue sky and white clouds, the golden light of the towering victory memorial column flashes, and the surrounding forest is boundless, which makes us feel like we are in a fairy tale world.

Tiergarten Park is the second largest park in Berlin, covering an area of 2. 1 km2. There are many sculptures, lakes, squirrels, rabbits and other animals in the park, and the Soviet War Memorial Hall is also located here. We wandered around the park until it was getting late.

After a night's rest, we came to Bodhi Street again. This is a famous boulevard in Europe and the most popular leisure and sightseeing place in Berlin.

We walked along the street and saw rows of chestnut trees and evergreen bodhi trees on both sides of the sidewalk and on the safe island in the center, which were beautiful, charming and romantic.

The National Opera House, the German History Museum, the bronze statue of frederick the great, Humboldt University, the New National Memorial Hall and many other places of interest and various Roman castle-style buildings are located in this street. We stopped and watched as we walked, as if we were traveling through time and space, listening to many touching historical stories.

Out of the street under the bodhi tree, you will see the towering Berlin Cathedral and Museum Island. Berlin Cathedral is different from those common Gothic spires in Europe. The roof is three prominent domes, giving people a unique, round and rich feeling.

There is a big square lawn in front of the cathedral. We stood in the square and looked around, only to see the magnificent old national museum and the whole museum island in the north, and the Hans Conservatory of Music across the road in the south. And the west is surrounded by clear spree river, with trees and beautiful scenery on the shore. This scene makes people feel relaxed and beautiful.

In the next few days, we visited Charlottenburg Palace, Forbidden City, Berlin Exhibition Hall, Sony Center and other places.

In particular, the Charlottenburg Palace, known as the Palace of Versailles in Berlin, is not only luxurious and magnificent, but also worth seeing. The garden behind it is even more beautiful, large-scale and eye-catching. There are many lifelike sculptures, carefully decorated lawn bushes, huge fountains and charming lakes in the park, which are picturesque and beautiful.

We walked in the Woods in the back garden, rested on the lawn, fed wild ducks by the lake and took photos in front of the fountain for two days.

In this way, unconsciously, the trip to Berlin was only 1 week, so we started shopping.

Crotch Street and Taunqin Street are the most prosperous commercial streets in Berlin. Crotch Street is called Elective Houjie in German, and it is named because its pronunciation Coudame is very similar to crotch in Chinese.

Crotch Street deserves to be the first shopping street where celebrities gather in Berlin. Department stores, luxury hotels, cafes, restaurants, theaters and museums abound. The most famous brands in the world have their own stores here. Walk slowly along the street and look carefully. There is not enough time in one day.

Crotch Street and Dongzhen Street are connected end to end and meet at Brightside Square. The famous decapitated church, the memorial church of Emperor William, stands in this square. The roof of this church was blown up during World War II. In order to warn future generations not to fight, the Germans have not repaired it so far, deliberately retaining the traces of war.

When we passed the memorial church of Emperor William, we saw many flowers, ever-burning lamps and some words. After a Google translation, I realized that there was a terrorist attack here on the night of 20 16 12 19, and a truck suddenly rushed into the temporary Christmas market in the square, causing heavy casualties. Berliners will never forget this bloody event. These flowers and ever-burning lamps are to commemorate the victims of the 12 19 terrorist attack.

Near Brest Square, there is a skyscraper called the European Center, which is the earliest place in Berlin to integrate shopping and office, with shops, shopping centers, cafes, restaurants, cinemas and various sports facilities. We had lunch in a Chinese restaurant there, and Cantonese food was very authentic.

There is also the famous Kadiwei Department Store on Taoenqin Street, which is as famous as Galeries Lafayette and Searle Foric Department Store in London. It has a long history and is crowded with passengers. From the first floor to the fifth floor, all kinds of goods are dazzling, including world brands, fashionable clothes, well-known luxury goods, exquisite cosmetics, household items and high-end food. If you go to Berlin and don't come to Kadiwei, you can't really be in Berlin.

On the central green island of Taunqin Street, there is a famous Berlin sculpture, which is composed of two metal chains that are about to be broken. It symbolizes the merger of East Germany and West Germany and expresses the Germans' desire for peace.

Besides these two streets, we also went to Galeries Lafayette, Potsdam Square and Alexandria Square in Berlin, which are also good shopping places in Berlin. There are many shops, restaurants and hotels, which are very lively.

In the streets of Berlin, supermarket chains can also be seen everywhere, which has become a unique landscape of the city. We especially like to go to supermarkets such as dm and Romman. Many of their products are not only loved by Germans, but also welcomed by many people in China.

We also met a touching thing in dm. When we were pushing the shopping cart to check out the bill that day, suddenly an old German lady fainted to the ground. At this time, all the Germans in the supermarket rushed to the old lady for help as quickly as possible, and soon the old lady woke up. Seeing such a scene makes us feel warm and unforgettable.

We also stumbled across several fruit picking websites established by environmental volunteers. Just enter your address and it will show where you can pick wild fruit trees nearby. There is a tip attached to the website, which means please be merciful when picking wild fruits and save some for the birds. We really went to experience it once, picked a lot of wild apples, and the taste was pure.

Next door to B&B where we live, we are a warm and friendly old German couple. They sent us a lot of cups, fruit bowls and other tableware, and sometimes they sent us fruit, which was very touching to treat us as friends. When we left, we left all those tableware with the landlord.

Our trip to Berlin, although only a short 1 month, but the city of Berlin and those Berliners, let us unforgettable. When we boarded the plane to bid farewell to Berlin, we silently said in our hearts that we would definitely come to Berlin again if there was an opportunity.