Berlin - Ritz Carlton and MS Swiss Ruby

Today was an easy day.  Rose late and walked to the dining room in the Ritz Carlton for an inclusive breakfast.  Enjoyed the usual cheeses, fruits, a crepe, and some meats.  Finished blogging from yesterday’s adventures.  Packed the suitcase and said goodbye to the wonderful amenities at the hotel, and went downstairs to check out.  We were able to split the bill on two different credit cards (according to what we had each billed to the room) without a problem  We asked about the next two hours of wifi, and the front desk clerk gave us each a card and code for one hour (she could see on the bill that we had paid for 24 hours which wouldn’t expire until later in the day).  We dropped off our luggage, with the special ID tags from the AHI cruise group, with the tour guides.  These ladies were very helpful throughout our stay and I just need to put a good word in about them.  We then walked into the charming bar area with the large stuffed chairs and the wooden walls for an internet session, drinks, and a light lunch.  The bartender/waiter helped us to find an area with plug access and we set up shop for the following two hours.  Ordered a hot coffee with a spot of kahlua and rum, and it came with an nice portion of whipped cream on top.  Ordered club sandwiches and fries for lunch and finished the wait.  When it was time to gather all of the laptop articles, we packed and gave the bags to the AHI cruise directors. 

MS Swiss Ruby
(Looks little on the outside)

We were notified when the bus was available and we all walked outside.  The luggage was staged and we were to identify our luggage, watch it as it was put in the bus, check our name off of the list and board the bus. I did end up taking my backpack with me because I had the laptop and my cameras and felt better putting it under the seat than in the belly of the bus.  We drove past the Brandenburg gate and other sites as Monika described life and the history of the sites that we saw. 

The bus dropped us off about 200 feet from the boat and we all boarded with ease. I think that this is like the Harry Potter tents: looked small on the outside (what did I get myself in to???) but when we entered it was spacious and roomy. The room was on the upper deck with a nice sliding door. The bed is a Murphy bed, tucked in to the wall, and so we have a spacious living room area. We divided the space and unpacked. The first event was tea from 4-4:30.  Had coffee and a desert.  Hope that this is a daily event! 

We were to be back in the room by 5:30 so that Monika could give us an hour long presentation on Berlin/The tale of two cities.  She gave a from the heart presentation about what happened, and how it had effected people. She was very inclusive about the roles played by politicians from different countries.  I really enjoyed this part of the trip and found that it peaked my interest in visiting Berlin again although I had done a walking tour.  Back to the room to freshen and dress up a little for the cocktail reception and early dinner.  Nice glass of red wine, tried some fish appetizers and some beef roll ups.  Met Nancy and Anthony from Maine. 

The dining room is downstairs. Nancy and Anthony sat at our table. We had a light salad, asparagus soup, chicken with broccoli and rice, and cheese plate/chocolate fluff for desert. Drank my fair share of the free red wine, which tasted pretty good. We are ending the dinner early because tomorrow is a long marathon day and we start early.  To bed by 9:30 with the alarm set for 5:30.

Nice, large rooms
More details on the rooms in later posts

Wide variety of bridges on the Elbe River

Bridge for the "Bridge Collection"

Homes along the river