Fifth Time. Still Fun

All of us on the correct train, heading in the correct
direction.  Miracle!

We didn't waste any time. We got up the next morning and we all, except Marty because he had to work, headed to the Tropical Island.  This was our 5th time going since we first discovered it on one of our summer vacations to Berlin back in 2014 and I'm happy to report it was still fun.  Amazingly we found things we had never done before.
Our adventure getting TO the Tropical Island was one for the books.  We had just gone to Cottbus a couple days before and I was 100% certain that I knew the way, which trains to get onto and where to get off.  It was pretty simple.  I had already dreamed of impressing my friends with my Berlin transportation knowledge.  This all came to a quick halt when we walked from our local train to the Regional Train that was supposed to take us to the water park. As I looked on the screen (the SAME screen I looked at 2 days before) and there was no listing for where we needed to go.  What the heck?  There was a nice man who saw my confusion and asked if he could help.  He spoke mostly English which helped.  I explained the problem and he said, "oh, yes, you go right over here and go up that escalator and .... wait a minute.  Why isn't it listed?" I replied with an I KNOW, RIGHT?  and then we asked some guys that work at the station.  Same response.  You go right over there and up the escalator and wait, what??  Same thing.  Then the nice man led us to the information center which told us that we needed to go to a different train station in Berlin and catch a later train that wouldn't put us at the Tropical Island until past noon.  Our online tickets we bought were only guaranteed until noon after there it was only "if there was space"

These two little cuties have been friends since they
were 2 years old!!

Fortunately, the Kitcheners were very flexible and go with the flow.  As were Benjamin and Josie.  We headed to the main train station and look up when the next train would come.  It said 1 minute but from a platform we couldn't find.  We finally see that it is 2 floors up.  We all start running.  At the top we ended up right in front of a train that JUST arrived.  We all assumed it was the correct train but at the last minute we realized that our train was the one on the opposite track.  We yell to the kids to NOT jump on the first train and to run over to the other train.  We really BARELY made it on.  And then we were off.  Phew!!  Marty just for fun timed the stops at the stations on our ride to Cottbus for Easter.  The trains stop for one minute and 15 seconds.  That was all the time we had to get up two sets of escalators, nearly hopping on the wrong train, turning around and all 7 of us hopping on the right train.

Because it was Easter week and everyone had vacations the Tropical Island was PACKED.  I have never seen it this crowded.  We looked and looked for a seat.  Not one open seat in the entire place.  The lifeguards confirmed this.  Not one!  The sun had come out but it wasn't quite warm yet.  We decide to put our stuff outside and then ended up hanging out there most of the time.  Ali and I in our coats but in the sun for most of the afternoon.