Above: Roof of the Sony Centre, Potsdamer Platz


Germany

​Berlin-Brandenburgs Grosste Kurbisausstellung

Pumpkins are the largest berry and this is The largest pumpkin exhibition in Berlin-Brandenburg. It runs through September and October. It was one of our few days out while in Germany.

​There is a different theme each year. In 2012, it was clearly dinosaurs.


​Germany

Hildesheim

 When heading for Berlin to start my job at the Berlin Brandenburg International School (2012), this seemed like a good place to stop off, breaking up the journey from Rotterdam. On this visit,there was just me and my son but we were to pas though again with my wife. I believe that much of the medieval square was rebuilt in the original style after World War 2.

​Hildesheim was the city where the Britisches Freikorps (British Free Corps of the SS) were based .

Berlin

I only spent 15 months working in Germany. In financial terms, t was a bit of a mistake, though I did learn a lot and I visited places , I would not have otherwise visited. I would see more working in another (better paid) country and visiting Germany as a tourist!

Left: Sowjetische Ehrenmal in Treptower Park

​Below: Brandenburg gate

Tecklenburg

This was a stop off point travelling home for Christmas 2012. It was around halfway to Rotterdam and not much of a detour. Furthermore, it has an excellent hostel. The town had a lot of character and it is somewhere I would like to return to.

​Erlebnisbahn Zossen-Jüterbog railway Railbiking

My son and I were invited for a day out by the family of one of his school friends. This is such a great idea and fantastic fun! It is a way to enjoy some German countryside and have a picnic. The "bikes" can be removed from the rails if you want to stop or need to let someone pass. This is a section of single track so if doing the return, you need to start within a time-frame to avoid people travelling in the reverse direction.

It is a great shame that none of the lines closed in the UK following the Beeching cuts were developed in this way.

Frankfurt

I decided to have a layover in Frankfurt on my way home for Christmas. I arrived 07:30 in the morning and joined my friends, the Bentleys, for breakfast before heading out with them for the Christmas market. They were flying out in the afternoon so I returned to the hotel to warm up, rest and do some photo editing. I then headed back out to the Christmas market in the dark, taking my tripod. I discovered that it was possible to go up to the balcony of the church, but tripods were only allowed earlier in the evening :(