Epilogue

As I write this, we are sitting in the ICE Sprinter from Berlin to Cologne. After a hearty breakfast, which we were able to enjoy outside on the hotel terrace in early morning temperatures of over 20°C, we still had a little time before our train departed. So we took advantage of the good weather to do a bit of sightseeing. That was a bit frustrating, though, as several streets around the Brandenburg Gate were closed due to the European Football Championship, and the latter was barely visible due to the construction of the fan mile. Things didn't go any better at the Reichstag, as there is currently a huge construction site in front of it. What a pity. We then sat for a while behind the Reichstag on the steps by the Spree with a view of the modern buildings of political Berlin. Then we went via the Museum Island and Alexanderplatz to the main train station. That was it for this year.