We slept better than expected on the train and arrived in Berlin if not feeling refreshed at least alive enough to spend some of the day seeing the sights. Our hotel was very close to the station so we dropped our bags off and made for train 8, the S7 to Berlin zoo. Perhaps we were not as awake we had thought but the travel options did not seem as clear as Paris and we were equally weak in both languages. Still it seemed we found our feet, and the zoo, in good time and got on with the tough job of wondering around the animals. The highlights being the hippos, elephant, giraffes, lions, panda and orangutans but there was a wide range of animals which took us a while to walk around. I suspect the animals would rather it necessitated a while longer as all the enclosures looked a little cramped but being in the city there seemed limited room to expand.

Train 9 took us back past our hotel, another S7 if I recall, and onto some debate. Should we be counting each train trip, or perhaps each different train? The latter begs the question of how to define a train whose carriages may be swapped around overnight. So perhaps we should be noting the engine number of each train to ensure uniqueness, this is after all how the experts work. Just perhaps we had thought about this too much. One on, one off, one count seemed like a much simpler rule.

We stopped to go up the TV tower, a lift took us up to 230 metres at 6 metres a second according to the guide who travelled up with us. The panoramic view was impressive and we spent a while wondering around. I was surprised to see so many tower blocks and the information notes some tight areas housed as many as 50,000 people. As we neared our circuit a English chap called to his friend that it was 'drink o'clock' and I concurred. A celebratory gin and tonic and a beer for Eleanor and I later and we were trying to use a voucher so save some money. This gave us 5 euro off if we spent 15, we had only managed 14.60 which made meant one more beer for Colin would in fact save us some money. I'm pleased to say I stepped up to the mark.

Trains 10 and 11 were short lived affairs which took us to the Brandenburg gate. As we came up the steps we saw that it was just starting to rain so the photo was quickly snapped and we hustled around to the parliament building only to be met with a cut-off walk way. Debating whether to stroll back to the hotel or find food nearby the wind whipped up a cold gust which made up our minds, hunt for food. In contrast to Paris the choices were limited and it took a while to find any options and we ended up in a rather upmarket Italian, sharing the place with a couple of gents in sharp suits. Some piles of pasta later and we went to find trains 12 and 13 to get us back to home base, still early but with the effects of the overnight train beginning to make itself felt we had no trouble with an early night.