Berlin to Warsaw

Left Berlin yesterday morning at about 10 o'clock. This train had old fashioned compartments and we were in solitary splendour for most of the way.

Grandpa wrote in his diary for this part of the journey "No hedges or fences between the fields, just little paths. No hills since we left England. Not played a single game of cards yet. The level crossings are all guarded by ladies with green flags".



Well I can tell you that although the level crossings are no longer guarded by ladies with green flags, nothing else has changed and we too have still not played cards. Too busy looking at everything we see to play cards. Maybe that will change after Moscow!

I have been reading Grandpas diary as we travel and am so glad we are doing this trip. I can still hardly believe we are really going to China.

I still think some of the level crossings have resident crossing keepers as we used to have in England as there are certainly some which do not seem to be automatic and there are little houses beside them where we have seen someone standing by the gate as we go over the crossing.

We were joined about an hour before Warsaw by Ty Janner, an American who works in the UK and Poland. He made the mistake of asking "how far are you folks going" Ty I hope you got our email and are now able to follow the blog. And let's hope you found the new tram connection to the airport!

We were well looked after on the train by a lady who offered us regular drinks and snacks and bought us our lunch from the restaurant car to eat in the compartment!

I had a walk down the train through the dining car and the second class carriages which were absolutely jammed full of rather jolly groups of very loud people, some asleep, bags everywhere, lots of drinking and eating, some stilted conversations with me in passing but my Polish is non-existent so very difficult. Tony.

  

Great trip.