Vienna - all the way back

Not much note taking for a long while I guess. Anway, the train from Vienna to Prague was fine. We made sure to get an open car this time and it was practically empty. But when we were arrived it was immediately clear we were..somewhere else. Czech language signs and no English, dodgy train station and no directions, we were in trouble to find our hostel. We had instructions from a different station so after walking around aimlessly for a while we grabbed a tram that seemed to be going the right way. Only afer a while it didn't. After a lot of frusrating backtracking with heavy bags we walked absolutely ages only to find that tram lines to our hostel were under repair. Walked on for ages more and when we arrived at the locked front door (we had to wake up the lady running the place) were shown to our room on the 0.5 floor, right above the front door. That tiny window above the door - that was our room. Changing money was also a little annoying and prices have jumped a lot since my guidebook was published. When we went to the slightly dodgy other central station to book our onward journey, the young lady behind the glass (looking like she'd suffered one too many years of communist oppression an one too many cigarettes) told us we needn't bother. The next day was much better. We went to Prague castle, saw the Charles Bridge, Wenceclas square and being the weekend, the famous "Larger - Lout" from the Uk and Ireland. The place looks great at night. Outside the touristy parts of Prague though there are still plenty of smoke stacks, rusting rail cars and industrial decay to match my imagined view of communist Europe. From here we got the train to Berlin and what a contrast. At least the station anyway..huge place under a glass roof, we didn't want to leave at first. We were staying at a place in former East Berlin which was nice except they didnt give us any sheets our towels, and kindly left a much needed mop to stop shower water from flooding the whole room. Not great. Despite the cold we got the train to the city centre and saw the Brandenburg Gate, Holocaust Memorial and bits of the wall. Food turns out to be cheap in Berlin (along with the beer) thank feck, and on the second day even the weather was nice. On our last day we got a fast train to Cologne from Berlin. As soon as you walk out the station you immediately see the huge cathedral. It's very impressive to walk in and around, but that only lasts a few hours at best. What do you do with a full day? Visit the choclate museum. Other than that not much at all. On our last day we got a TGV back to a busy Paris (cos of the rugby I suspect) and went early to the airport. The plane was late and there was nothing to do at the airport. I sat on the plane in a tiny seat stuck in front of a loud drunk middle aged guy who kept kicking my seat. Plenty to remind me why we took the train.