I arrived in Germany earlier today, thanks to Lufthansa, for a three day mini holiday.

It was dark, cold and busy, but they speak a language that I have spent the last few months trying to get a grip of. So I tried it out on a man selling food in Frankfurt airport while we waited for our connection to the capital.

I strode confidently up to his deli counter and told him that I was learning German. He very kindly encouraged me to try it out by ordering a cheese sandwich.

„Ich möchte ein Sandwich mit Käse, bitte“ said I, wondering whether a sandwich was masculine, feminine or neuter, and trying hard not to cheat by pointing at the one I was talking about. I looked across at my friend and travelling companion, Andy, expecting him to be impressed, but he’d wandered off, having spotted the beer shelf, and was otherwise occupied.

The guy understood me perfectly but then spoilt it by asking me which particular cheese sandwich I wanted. I haven’t covered “that one” on Duolingo yet. So I reverted to English and ended up with something that, whilst it was very nice, wasn’t really what I wanted. I would rather have had a pretzel but I have no idea what that is in German.

Andy and I met his brother, Richard at Berlin Brandenburg airport, where we all hopped on an S-bahn train which took us to Hackesher Markt station, near Alexanderplatz, a mere fifty minutes later.

Berlin was dark, wet and lively when we emerged onto its streets. There were a lot of police officers about, and right by the station, a bar full of people watching a football match. They’d all had a lot to drink, (not the police officers, I mean the lads in the bar) and were singing the universal football supporters songs. You know, very loud and absolutely no close part harmonies. We carried on walking and found our accommodation in a tower block nearby.

Berlin from 21 floors up. And yes that’s a double decker train. How very European

We are on the twenty first floor of what I suppose is a building of East German construction, being as this is in what was East Berlin, behind the Wall. “Evil Empire” Communists they may have been, but the floor seems very solid and that’s all I want at this height. Well, that and windows.

We headed off in search of food, and after a few minutes of dodging the trams, found ourselves at a Thai restaurant. It was like a Wagamamas but with soul. This traveller would recommend it if he could remember the name of the place.

And so the end of the first day arrived with the three of us sitting round the kitchen table, philosophising and talking about what we know if the history of this fine city. Tomorrow we are going on a walking tour followed by a visit to The Reichstag. And learning how to ask for a pretzel.