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[Calamitas]

Also, thanks for the travel timings, Calamitas! I think the numbers are a bit skewed because most of the interesting central stuff is close to each other and doable in one trip (like the Bundestag dome, the Brandenburg gate, the holocaust memorial and potsdamer platz, or museums and the TV tower), or are short bus hops from each other, so it's over-counting the travel time.

That's definitely the case, the averages are not very meaningful therefore I think. But generally it has become clear that the differences between the appartments (at least Gasometer and DeLuxe) are not remotely as big as we thought. Some places (Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag...) are closer to Gasometer and some closer to DeLuxe (TV Tower, museums, wall memorial). So overall it cancels out pretty much I think.

Also, did you check whether the non-central places you listed are within the zones of our suggested travel pass?

Not yet, but I can do it today or tomorrow at latest.

Update: They are well within the zones AB, that area is huuuuge :-D (It's whole Berlin if I'm not mistaken)

Update2: I think that one might be the place you were visiting, Space
https://www.google.de/maps/place/Spandauer+Zitadelle/@52.5314601,13.2387894,14.17z/data=!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0x47a84e373f035901:0x42120465b5e3b70!2sBerlin!3b1!8m2!3d52.5200066!4d13.404954!3m4!1s0x0:0xbb8af221531db80!8m2!3d52.5409975!4d13.2127655?hl=en

[Calamitas]

What are the others current preferences?

[gkrieg13]

We still have the preference of Deluxe->Gasometer.  Any word back from Sirdin? (possible I just haven't read the thread yet)

[Calamitas]

We still have the preference of Deluxe->Gasometer.  Any word back from Sirdin? (possible I just haven't read the thread yet)

I have only messaged them on friday (shame on me) but I didn't get a response yet. Admittedly, I think that I won't get any response though since there has been no email address or phone number provided but just a weird contact formular on their website (http://hauptapartments-sirdin.hotel-in-berlin.org).

[gkrieg13]

We still have the preference of Deluxe->Gasometer.  Any word back from Sirdin? (possible I just haven't read the thread yet)

I have only messaged them on friday (shame on me) but I didn't get a response yet. Admittedly, I think that I won't get any response though since there has been no email address or phone number provided but just a weird contact formular on their website (http://hauptapartments-sirdin.hotel-in-berlin.org).

I see.  Their booking on that site is as confusing as the one on booking.com is...

[Joseph2302]

Are we planning another meeting about this?
So we can make like a final decision on where to go for?

[LaLight]

We have spoken about this with Fargo, and our preferences is Sirdin -> Gasometer -> Deluxe.

[SpaceAnemone]

We have spoken about this with Fargo, and our preferences is Sirdin -> Gasometer -> Deluxe.

What's the reasoning?

I need to get some time to look at this... next significant free time is Wednesday evening, though :-P Has anyone put together a proposed itinerary for tourist stuff yet? I think it will help with estimates of how central everything actually feels.

Oh, and yeah, Spandauer Zitadelle is the place we went for the Easter fair thing last year :-) Not sure it would be nearly so exciting without the festivities, traditional craft stalls and other entertainment going on at the same time, though.

[Calamitas]

Your preference Space?

Edit: Never mind, that's why one should read the second sentence of a post before commenting on it :-D

[SpaceAnemone]

I just compared travel times for all the top sights of Berlin according to the website below for the DeLuxe appartment and the Gasometer one. If I haven't screwed up completely the results were totally different than the ones I expected.
http://www.visitberlin.de/en/article/berlins-top-10-attractions

According to Google maps, this spreadsheet shows the time needed to reach the different places via train usage from the given appartments. In case of Deluxe I have used Brückenstraße, Berlin as location because there is no exact address on airbnb. The used point is quite central within the circle shown at the airbnb site though.



Update: Serdin and the missing sights included
Update2: Averages included

Okay, so to re-estimate this:
1) Let's drop Kurfurstendamm -- I think it's basically a shopping district and a zoo, which I'm guessing most people aren't super interested in? Maybe just add the Kaiser Wilhelm church (at one end of this district) instead, because that was interesting to see, both historically and architecturally.
2) Group Potzdamer Platz, the Reichstag and the Brandenberg Gate into one trip -- they're all in easy walking distance from one another. That's possibly even a full day's itinerary if you include the spy museum at Potzdamer Platz (I thought it was really well done when I went last year), the wedge-shaped building with the nice look-out, and also the very moving holocaust memorial ("Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe") that's just south of the Brandenberg gate, which I don't think was even on your list.
3) The Berliner Dom (Cathedral) and museums are essentially next to each other, so they can be combined. The TV tower is only a 10-minute walk away, so that should probably also be combined into one trip!
4) The Gendarmenmarket is basically the central bit of interesting city, so we're going to want to walk around there, maybe combining with Checkpoint Charlie a little to the south of it? The latter place isn't on your list, but I think it's been mentioned before (at least between me and gkrieg?) when talking about places to visit.
5) I'd be interested seeing the numbers leaving off Charlottenberg palace, given that it's quite a long way from everything else, so could easily be left off the list.

I didn't go to that Berlin Wall Memorial last time (we'd already gone to a free open-air exhibition about the wall and its history somewhere near Checkpoint Charlie), so that's something I'm interested in this time round :-) Maybe faust can suggest what to combine that one with? -- it's farther to the north than I think I explored mostly.

Anyway, I was going to take your table and modify it, but it turns out it's an image, so I can't! :-P

[faust]

I didn't go to that Berlin Wall Memorial last time (we'd already gone to a free open-air exhibition about the wall and its history somewhere near Checkpoint Charlie), so that's something I'm interested in this time round :-) Maybe faust can suggest what to combine that one with? -- it's farther to the north than I think I explored mostly.

Sure!

The Mauerpark is nearby, where on Sundays the most popular flea market of Berlin takes place (but I guess you will be leaving on Sunday, so not sure if there's time for that). Other than that, there's the Berliner Unterwelten fairly close, which offers guided tours of WW2 bunkers. I took it once and found it interesting. You could take a trip to Prenzlauer Berg from there, the area which arguably offers the best vegan cafés/restaurants in Berlin. The Nature museum is close as well, though I've never been there and cannot say how interesting that would be.

If anyone else has some special interests and would like some advice on what to do, feel free to ask me

[Calamitas]

@Space: Have included the numbers you wanted :-D




So Gasometer and DeLuxe come off as equally good while Serdin is roughly 10 minutes behind both.

[SpaceAnemone]

Gasometer and DeLuxe come off as equally good while Serdin is roughly 10 minutes behind both.

Great! Has anyone checked recently that these places are actually still listed for our dates?

[Calamitas]

Gasometer and DeLuxe come off as equally good while Serdin is roughly 10 minutes behind both.

Great! Has anyone checked recently that these places are actually still listed for our dates?

Just did and damn.
Sirdin and Gasometer are still available for the same conditions while Deluxe is gone for the time between the 10th and the 12th

[gkrieg13]

So we should probably book gasometer. Seeing as Sirdin doesn't match the pictures across all the sites.

[Joseph2302]

So we should probably book gasometer. Seeing as Sirdin doesn't match the pictures across all the sites.

Agreed.
I'm not okay with booking Sirdin when their pictures don't match, and they haven't cleared up the issues for us.

[SpaceAnemone]

Huh.. I can't find Gasometer, but I can now see DeLuxe and it looks bookable!

Shall I try that?? Can I have yeses from people who'd have to chip in, please?

[Calamitas]

Huh.. I can't find Gasometer, but I can now see DeLuxe and it looks bookable!

Shall I try that?? Can I have yeses from people who'd have to chip in, please?

DeLuxe is bookable and Gasometer not for you?

That seems pretty weird.

I would wait with any booking a bit though, we need to have a yes from everyone beforehand (and potentially a vote if deluxe is actually bookable)

[Calamitas]

That's how things look for me. Gasometer is certainly bookable and deluxe seems to be not available in our time window.

[gkrieg13]

I see Deluxe as unavailable and gasometer as available through booking.

[SpaceAnemone]

I would wait with any booking a bit though, we need to have a yes from everyone beforehand (and potentially a vote if deluxe is actually bookable)

If they're all starting to book up, then waiting much longer will mean we end up with nowhere suitable at all.

I can do another call on Wednesday evening if we want to tidy up plans then? Otherwise, everyone who's coming needs to declare in-thread that they're willing to pay their agreed share, preferably before Wednesday, so I can try to make the booking that evening.

The DeLuxe place that's showing as bookable is "Brücken DeLuxe 3/4" (I just did a new search on airbnb), whereas the one you've posted a screenshot of is 1/4. The photos and floorplan are all exactly the same.

[gkrieg13]

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/16889386?checkin=09-08-2017&checkout=13-08-2017&guests=8&adults=8&s=5UvVHn_h

This is what SA is looking at I think.

[Calamitas]

Oh yeah, didn't know there where multiple ones.

I am totally fine with booking early, I should be able to transfer it up until tomorrow evening via transferwise.com.
So you should be able to receive it until Wednesday/Thursday.

We still have to decide though between DeLuxe and Gasometer.
I am still leaning towards Gasometer for the same reasons I named before (better living room, less people sleeping on sofas).

[SpaceAnemone]

I am still leaning towards Gasometer for the same reasons I named before (better living room, less people sleeping on sofas).

Can you repost a working Gasometer link for me? When I click on this Gasometer link (from gkrieg's summary post), it no longer takes me to the apartment, just to a brief note that says it's no longer available, before showing me a grid of alternatives.

[Calamitas]

I am still leaning towards Gasometer for the same reasons I named before (better living room, less people sleeping on sofas).

Can you repost a working Gasometer link for me? When I click on this Gasometer link (from gkrieg's summary post), it no longer takes me to the apartment, just to a brief note that says it's no longer available, before showing me a grid of alternatives.

http://www.booking.com/hotel/de/huge-apartment-at-gasometer-17.en-gb.html