Jeff Adams

For our last day in Berlin we decided to buy day passes for the public transportation system and make up our own tour. By the end of the day we had ridden on buses, trains, trams (only in the eastern sector), the S-Bahn (above ground light rail) and the U-Bahn (underground). And, yes, we walked a bit, too. There is an S-Bahn route that circles the city and so we rode it all the way around. That was fun and gave us a good perspective of Berlin.

We got off to walk around in a cozy little neighborhood in the northeast part of the city and discovered all sorts of neat little details about Berlin. For example, we learned to observe little brass plates that are inset into the sidewalk in certain places. These are inscribed with the names and personal data of Jews who were former residents of that particular place and died in concentration camps -a very sober and oft-present reminder.

Are we in Havana? That’s what we thought for a moment. We had heard of a little Cuban restaurant in the former East Berlin that dates back to the days of tight relationships between East Germany and Cuba. We got an address and started walking. After a while we spotted our destination and checked out the menu. In Europe, by law all restaurants have a menu posted with prices on the outside so you can decide whether or not you want to go in. If I ever become President of the United States that is a law I will try to enact during my first 100 days.

Seeing the Cuban delicacies listed we decided to give it a try. There were plenty of tables left on the sidewalk, and it was a beautiful day. A young woman came to take our order and I was struggling to put together our order in my halting and very limited German. It’s hard to be too creative when you are working with a vocabulary of about 25 words or so. As I was beginning to order, I had slipped in a side word in Spanish to Cheryl when I caught the look of surprise on the face of the waitress. So, I asked if she spoke Spanish. She said of course she did. This was a Cuban restaurant and she was Cuban. We both felt great relief. She was filling in for a friend and I don’t think her German was much more than mine. She was struggling herself, wondering whether to approach us in English, German, or something else. So, with the language barrier wiped away, we had a great time! By the way, the food was fabulous. Really!

So, dear reader, I trust you have enjoyed following our adventures these past few days. Early in the morning we head to the airport to begin our journey home.