Mike's Berlin Diary

From The Colonel's Website

Thursday, 3rd December

Morning finds me in Athens. Frantic preparation of talk. Have to sort out hotel bill. Give talk, then quick lunch with Ken and Kath before rush to airport. Ask for seat near the front as very tight connection. Speak to Steve - his plane is delayed so he is going to miss his connection in Zurich. Wait for ages in shopping area, then go to departures. Board plane. Slight delay and worried about connection in Prague. Plane arrives in Prague. First one off plane but guided to bus. Ring David to tell him that I'm going to miss connection with plane due to take off in half an hour. Bus loads up, drives about 50 yards then lets us off. I sprint out, up elevator, into new terminal, down stairs and round corner to gate. Arrive five minutes before final bus arrives to take us to plane, so ring David back to tell him I will actually be there.

Get on v. small plane and take short flight to Berlin. Great view of Berlin lit up whilst plane is landing. Pick up case, which makes the connection as well, then find bus to take me to Zoologisches Garten. Phone David when arrive to discover they're at Christmas market around the corner. Walk around corner, cross road and meet them at Christmas market. Get in an Eierpunsch. Chill for a while, then walk along to hotel, under underpass. Deposit case in room and discuss plans for dinner. Head out of hotel, turn right on main road, then right again towards a set of restaurants. Try one, but it's full so go across the road to Casa Mexicana restaurant.

Dinner at Casa Mexicana. Table in corner. Rupert, David and Mike attending. Get in nachos with chicken for starters and then have a meat main course. It's pretty good. Reveal mentalist choices. David goes for Miami, Rupert goes for Gran Canaria and I go for New Orleans. Steve phones to say he's arrived at the airport, so we head back to meet him at Zoologisches Garten. We sit in Dunkin Donuts. Try to order lattes but girl can't be arsed so we get ordinary coffees instead. Steve phones to say he's arrived. I go outside to meet him and we all chill inside for a while.

Wander back to hotel then decide to head out for a drink to do the remainder of the mentalist list and Schanamann's round. Go back towards where we had dinner along main road, but turn left instead of right. Want to head to Petrochellis but it turns out it's more of a restaurant, so go to Brel bar instead. Sit in corner at small high table near bar, but manage to relocate further into corner. Get in a round of drinks. Steve reveals Buenos Aires as his choice, then do Piparus' draw. Rupert eliminated first for Geneva, then me for Reykjavik, then David for Reykjavik. Steve wins with Stockholm, which gets added to the list. We then do Schanamann's round.

Schanamann's Round:

Order is:

David, Rupert, Steve, Mike.

David draws Venice.

Rupert pass

Steve draws Pisa

Mike draws Berlin

David draws Budapest

Rupert pass

Steve pass

Mike draws Thessaloniki

David draws Weimar.

Weimar added to mentalist list. We finish our drinks then head back to the Savoy hotel and punch the sack.

Friday, 4th December

Get up and grab breakfast at small cafe in supermarket. Once we've done, walk to Zoologische Gartens, then round side of zoo. Through park and arrive at monument. Climb to top and take photos. Once we've done, walk up past world war two monument (still in old British part of West Berlin) then move over to take photo of Reichstag. Walk over to Berlin Wall. Walk along it, to Brandenburg gate. Continue past russian bear (consider asking for destination) then turn right, pass embassies and arrive at Jewish memorial. Walk through maze before crossing the road and walking alongside wall. Stop for cone picture, then pictures of bit of wall, then to potsdammer platz for lunch. Get in drinks, sausages and finish off with a germknodel. Applications of X-factor regarding germknodel. Decide to take walk along old route of Berlin Wall. Head back to Brandenburg gate, then cross Reichstag and head to station to find information regarding trains for the following day. Get a destination from orange squirrel at the station. His friend chooses Miami on his behalf. Leave station and cross river, going through park/cemetery with section of wall in it. Go through housing estate with old watchtower in, then along long road and arrive at visitor's centre showing film of the Berlin Wall. Carry on walking and arrive at stadium with section of berlin wall around it. Once done, head to train station and go to Alexanderplatz. Chill with a gluewein for a while, by the side of the ice rink. Toast to new head of department at Leeds (Steve insert here!), dead Stephen Gately, the mentalist of the break and moustachioed Des Lynam before heading back to the hotel to get ready for our meal.


Take train to new town and look for somewhere to eat. Walk around for ages and fail to find somewhere. Eventually go in strange place where we sit upstairs next to big greenhouse on table. Get in pizzas. After dinner, get underground to main station.

At main station, go to McCafe for schweinerei tournament, whilst having coffee and muffins. Tense tournament. Eventually I win to gain control of the Pete Gibbon envelope.

Saturday, 5th December

Get up and head to main train station to get train to Potsdam. Excursion. G Arrive in Potsdam. Not sure where centre is so take tram and get off on main street. Go alongside Christmas market then up to wall. Go in town hall, then turn up long street and arrive at palace grounds. Wander through palace grounds for some time, taking photos along the way. head over to get a drink in cafe but it's v. expensive. Head back to Christmas market. Get in drinks and food at market, then walk back to train station. Once back at main train station, head out to checkpoint charlie. Head in to museum but it's expensive so don't go in. Photos of checkpoint charlie and snackpoint charlie. walk up to another section of Christmas market which has a paying section. Once done, head out again and go back to hotel to get ready for dinner.

Stammtisch at Brel bar. Mike and Steve arrive first. David and Rupert arrive about 45 minutes later.

Checkpoint Charlie

Snack Point Charlie

Dinner in Casa Mexicana

Arrive to be greeted by crazy waiter. Say we'll give him extra 10 Euro tip if he calls us hombres. Get in nachos and chicken wings for starters, followed by steak dish for main and creme brulee for dessert. Ask waiter for destination. He gets his friend to help and they choose Miami, even though Gran Canaria is on the list and that's where he's from. Also chosen by Hel 2006, so Miami is in hell. I won Pete Gibbon's round earlier and decide to tie P.G. envelope to Grosser Vass.

1st Mascot Draw:

Steve - LLL, David - Chris, Rupert - Dave

2nd Mascot Draw:

Steve - Barney, David - Kurt, Rupert - Grosser Vass, Mike - Shaft

3rd Mascot Draw:

Steve - Glogg, David - Hel 2006, Rupert - Eric, Mike - La Dole

Revealing of Destinations:

1 Madeira (Dave) 2 Valletta (David) 3 Interlaken (Steve) 4 Kilimanjaro (Rupert) 5 New Orleans (Chris) 6 Prague (Chris) 7 Nevada (LLL) 8 Bruges (Reardon)

Glogg bums Hel 2006 so Miami returned to draw as:

9 Miami (Glogg)


Barney gives D.I. to Steve.

No trapped under a cow.

Kurt's veto:

votes are: Prague, Prague, Prague, Prague, Prague.

Prague unanimously vetoed.

No shaft. Grosser Vass makes LLL Grosser.

10 Nevada (G.V.)

Envelope also opened to reveal:

11. Bastia (Pete Gibbon)

Rehearsal draw:

10th Miami (Glogg) 9th Valletta (David) 8th Nevada (LLL)

Steve's D.I. revoked

7th Interlaken (Steve) 6th Kilimanjaro (Rupert) 5th Nevada (G.V.) 4th New Orleans (Mike) 3rd Bruges (Reardon) 2nd Bastia (P.G.) 1st Madeira (Dave)

Madeira wins rehearsal draw

The draw:

11th Prague (Chris) vetoed.

Steve's Dip. Imm revoked immediately.

10th Nevada (Grosser Vass) (P.G. elim) 9th Nevada (LLL) (G.V. elim) 8th Interlaken (Steve) (Glogg) 7th Kilimanjaro (Rupert) (Reardon) 6th Bastia (Pete Gibbon) (LLL) 5th New Orleans (Mike) (Mike) 4th Bruges (Reardon) (Rupert) 3rd Madeira (Dave) (Steve) 2nd Valletta (David) (David) 1st Miami (Glogg) (Dave)

Well, it's Miami next time!

Wander back up road after saying goodbye to crazy waiter. Go to Motel One for a drink in the bar afterwards. Finish off tabulus in bar and chill for a while before returning to hotel to punch the sack.

Sunday, 6th December

Steve leaves first thing. The rest of us get up - check out is at two so return to rooms later. Catch overground train to Alexanderplatz to go up toweratroid. It's not open, so sit in starbucks with lattes and chill. We get timed tickets to the top. Rupert has to leave his bag. It's v. foggy, so not a great view. Take it in for a while, including Christmas market and ice rink. Descend, return to train and take it to Hauptbahnhof. Leave and wander over to Reichstag. Take in Reichstag, go to Brandenburg gate. Go to Christmas market at Potsdammerplatz. Get in glueweins and a Germknodel between us. Once we've eaten our fills, head back to hotel to check out. I go to Zoologisches Garten station to discover no direct trains running to Schoenfeld, so have to take metro instead and change at Osterplatz. I say goodbye to others, get on train, then get off and wait at station. Eventually get train to airport. Have to walk a long way outside before able to enter airport. Check in and sit in cafe with drink and muffin to wait for boarding. Eventually go to gate - hustled in v. crapped area and have to sit on floor. Board and take flight home. Pick up case at Glasgow then get bus to long stay car park. Pick up car and drive home, arriving just in time to see Steve Davis get conned in match against Stephen Hendry at UK Championships and lose.

Well, it's Miami next time!

Mike's Valletta Diary