Week in Review (March 26 - April 1)

Tuesday (11,211 steps) - See this post - Travel day to Europe
Wednesday (20,870 steps) - See this post - Fat Tire bike tour and museums
Thursday (23,808 steps) - See this post - Tiergarten run, Berlin Aquarium & Zoo
Friday (20,792 steps) - See this post - Warsaw, assorted museums
Saturday (17,709 steps) - See this post - Race expo & Old Town walking tour
Sunday (40,661 steps) - See this post - Warsaw half marathon!
Monday (18,781 steps) - See this post - Krakow - Auschwitz, Birkenau, Salt Mines, Macabre Krakow walking tour)

Stats:

• 153,832 steps
• 17.3 miles run
• No gym visits, but one bike ride and loooots of walking

Day 3 - Berlin (Fat Tire bike tour and museums)

Up at 7:30 (after getting over 10 hours of sleep). Showered and picked up breakfast at a nearby cafe. We were kicked off the first bus because it was too crowded. Good thing we had a lot of time to get to Alexander Platz.

We found Fat Tire Tours with little difficulty, and when we were told we were there early we grabbed coffee from Starbucks.

Took a few minutes to learn about the bikes and what we would be doing, then we were off. By the time we stopped for lunch we had already visited many well-known buildings/areas - including Babelplatz, Brandenburg, rode through Tiergarten Park and saw the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.

We stopped at a "beer garden" for lunch and had some delicious raviloi.

Then we continued on with our tour and saw the only actual site where the Berlin Wall is still standing, visited Checkpoint Charlie, then we went to the Eastern Side Gallery.

During the last mile, A managed to get a flat tire. I found it hilarious, she did not. Our guide changed the tire and then we were done in about 10 minutes.

On our way to the bus stop, I spotted an adorable little shop, where of course we had to go in for our (first) dessert of the day.

We found the right bus to go back to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, where we went into the museum. It was very emotional to read about all the victims.

We then headed to the Topography of Terror - a museum that depicts how the Nazis rose to power - also pretty emotional to learn about.

By now it was pretty late and we stopped to get dinner before going back to the hotel. Long day.

Day 1 - Travel (DEN - KEF - TXL) and Day 2 (Urban Nation and German Spy Museum)

I had to work in the morning, but got out on time. Stopped to get gas on the way home and had enough time for the last minute packing (i.e., phone charger & hair brush). We left just at one for the airport, hitting some decent traffic on the way in. Parked before 2. Security was probably the lightest I've ever seen.

We had enough time to get some chips & salsa and drinks AND watch the entire episode of The Walking Dead that we had missed the night before and still had plenty of time to get to the gate.

Although I don't remember picking seats, we were actually fairly close to the front of the plane (which, by the way, may be the smallest plane I've ever been on to go across the ocean - same size as domestic ones with only 3 & 3 seats across). I was lucky enough to have a middle seat. As is per the norm, I did not sleep at all. I did, however, watch "Crazy Rich Asians" and "Walk the Line" and tried to close my eyes while listening to music. We had pre-purchased food although when they dropped it off neither of us remembered ordering it.

Sigh. We arrived a few minutes early in Reykjavik to wind and light rain. Also one of the easiest trips through an airport, with nothing to declare it took about 12 seconds to get through customs. We both enjoyed the internet for an hour while waiting for our next flight.

Like the previous flight, I don't remember picking our seats, but we were even closer to the front - row 12. This time A got the middle seat. I started watching "The Fugitive," and after they brought us our food (turkey pretzel sandwiches) I actually was able to doze off for about an hour. Yippee!! Arrived a few minutes early in Berlin.

We stopped to get dessert and coffee, then we figured out how the bus system to get to our hotel. (Well, it was honestly mostly A that figured it out).

We arrived at our hotel and dropped off our stuff. We had found an art museum down the street that we walked to. It was called "Urban Nation" and was a pretty neat museum of street art.

We wandered around the area before deciding to go to the German Spy Museum. We kind of had a hard time figuring out where to get off the bus, so we ended up walking further than we wanted to.

The museum was SUPER COOL. It was very interactive and we had a lot of fun learning and then getting to do some "hands on" activities. By far, my favorite part was when we got to go through the laser room (think "Entrapment"). I made it further than A did, but I did the easy level and she did a medium room.

Sweeping for "bugs"

I actually have a video of the lasers, but can't seem to figure out how to save it and/or upload it. Just know that it was a LOT of fun!

Stopped and got a GIANT burger before heading back to the hotel. So tired, we barely made it until 8 before it was bedtime. 10+ hours of sleep to make up for not getting any sleep at all for days.