It is freezing too cold in Berlin

I arrived on the bus from Paris at about 9.30 this morning, when it was apparently -12 degrees. I got to my hostel at about 10.30 and hung out in the bar until I could check into my room at 2. Then I had a hot shower and put on warmer clothes. I was going to go for a walk, but it was snowing and still well below freezing when it stopped, so I'm going to save that for tomorrow.

(This time in two weeks I'll be most of the way to Singapore!)

I am currently camped out against the radiator in my room. It's the second warmest place in the hostel after the bathroom, I think. I did want to hang out in the bar (and I will go back there later because that's where the internet works), but it is really cold. I'll be taking my coat and scarf with me. (Okay, I've moved to the too loud bar with the too cheap alcohol and I'm sitting in a window above a radiator and watching the snow blanket down over the courtyard.)

Yesterday I was in Paris, having caught the Eurostar on Monday night. Paris was just how I left it, although a bit colder. I had breakfast at the hostel, was frustrated by the deutschebahn website not loading, checked for train tickets at the station to discover that there seemed to be no overnight trains into part of Germany, had lunch in Saint-Michele at a set menu Greek place that wasn't as nice or as friendly as the other set menu Greek place I'd been to before. (Whenever I have chance to have lunch in Paris, I know where I'm going!) Then I went back to the Museé d'Art de Moderne, which is very interesting.

I spent the week before that with my cousin Margaret in Wales, where it was not so cold. Last Saturday I went for a walk up the hill to the church where my great grandfather is buried. On the Friday I went out along the coast with cousin Elwyn, who lives nearby. It was a really pleasant weekend, sun and the threat of Spring. Not so much in Germany, yet. Although Berlin is a higher elevation, I think.

I spent the time between the third of January (when Sam and I returned to London) and leaving for Wales on the 18th in London. Didn't do much because there was a lot of snow and coldness and I am very familiar with all the things in the Tate Modern already. But I did see the Royal Shakespeare Production of Twelfth Night, which I love. It was brilliant. And I met up with about 20 fannish people, only two of whom I knew at all (and only of them I'd ever met before).

So now there's only blank space between Christmas in Inverness and Sam leaving (eventually) from London on the 7th (it was supposed to be the 6th) of January. I leave London for Melbourne on the morning of Wednesday 10th February, local time. I suppose I leave the rest of the details hanging until then. :-)