We got up pretty early this morning so we could be organised on our last day in Paris. We had a lovely breakfast and then spent some time rearranging our suitcases to fit in a few items that we bought yesterday.

We had planned to leave the hotel around 12:30pm so we had a bit of time to go for a walk. We walked down to Place Vendôme and back, which was lovely.

Andrea in Place Vendôme.
Andrea in Place Vendôme.

By the time we got back, the Le Bristol staff had brought down our bags and placed them into a cab they had arranged to take us to the airport for our flight to Berlin.

We got to the airport with plenty of time to spare. We checked in and went through the security screening (which was way more serious than almost any other airport we have been in!) and proceeded to the lounge to have a drink and a snack. We then headed to the gate for the flight of about 90 minutes to Berlin. We had a nice meal on board and, before we knew it, we were in Berlin.

After collecting our luggage we caught a cab to our hotel, the Kempinski Adlon. Our cab driver was not able to drop us right out the front of the hotel because of a large police presence who had blocked the surrounding streets. So, we had to walk the last little stretch of about 100 metres to the door of the hotel. The staff apologised profusely and advised that a visiting country president was just about to arrive and security was high as a result. The staff couldn’t tell us the country involved but a quick Internet search of the flag flying at the front of the hotel revealed that it was Senegal. The staff told us that we could wait and get a photo of the presidential entourage arriving but we didn’t rate the president of Senegal up there with the various rock stars, global sporting icons, and business leaders we’ve run into around the world, so we decided to just go up to our room!

Once we had settled in we started discussions regarding dinner. We wandered downstairs to check out the restaurant options but decided that we really only wanted something simple. After braving the cold to get a photo of the Brandenburg Gate (which is only about 100 metres from the door of our hotel) we headed back upstairs and ordered spaghetti from the room service menu for dinner.

The Brandenburg Gate.
The Brandenburg Gate.

Even though we haven’t done a great deal today, travelling from one city to another is always more tiring than expected. So, on that basis, we’re planning an early night tonight. Tomorrow we’ll start exploring the city of Berlin.