Author: Sara

We were a bit more successful at the bakery this morning and managed our Guten Morgens with ease! We went straight to the Reichstag dome, which is a modern glass dome on top of the older parliament building. Unfortunately, we both share an incurable ‘need for completeness’ so we couldn’t resist listening to every last entry on the free audio guide, which meant we learnt rather more than we intended about its history!  The views were amazing though, and we were so glad we chose a beautiful sunny, fresh morning and beat the crowds. 

Next, we were off to Checkpoint Charlie, which is a replica of the original checkpoint between the American sector and Soviet sector of Berlin. We spent a couple of hours at the museum, where we read lots about inventive ways people managed to travel from the East to the West (digging tunnels, flying over the wall, doctoring suspension in cars so the weight of people hidden in the boot was undetectable, kayaking across the sea…).  Neither of us would describe ourselves as particular museum fans, but this really was fascinating.  Again, so sad though.

We had a late lunch at Curry 36. There was a massive queue, which is always a good sign.  Everyone else seemed to know what they were doing when ordering, which is another good sign.  The pressure was on to get our order right! (Does anyone else get this?) We shared a currywurst, which consisted of wurst (sausage) chopped up, smothered in curry powder and ketchup and served with chips and mayo. It was delicious but perhaps not the healthiest snack!

In the evening, we went to Alexanderplatz and couldn’t resist some pick n mix when we saw it for sale.  A classic!  We then took a tram to Hackescher Markt which was all lit up and buzzing, a lovely farewell to the city.  Tomorrow morning, we leave for Bamberg.

We bought our (first) breakfast in a bakery near to our hotel, where we both got a bit tongue-tied so Oli only ordered one croissant for himself. Big mistake! We had to stop almost immediately to get him another. Sara ate hers sitting next to the fountain in Alexanderplatz, and was surrounded by tiny birds by the time she’d finished. They were so much cuter than London pigeons!

We headed off to see the Reichstag (parliament building) and the Brandenburg Gate, which was really impressive.

Next, we spent some time at the Holocaust memorial and its accompanying museum, which was a very sad experience but really worth visiting. The memorial was amazing, and managed to be simultaneously beautiful and sobering.

We found a bench near the Brandenburg Gate and ate lunch surrounded by street performers and watching the world pass by. While we were sitting there, we saw the most amazing beer bike, which was a massive bar (complete with beer pumps) and bar stools on wheels.  On each stool was a set of pedals so that everyone could join in cycling around Berlin while drinking their German beer. Brilliant! Next, we strolled down Unter den Linden, which was full of activity and had a similar feel to the Champs-Élysées in Paris. We saw the Book Burning memorial, then wandered through the Museums district and stopped for Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cake – an excellent German tradition, in Sara’s view). We decided to stay a bit longer as suddenly the heavens opened. We were well prepared though!

When the rain eased, we headed to Hachescher Markt, and we really liked this area. It had cosy courtyards, cool people and nice shops. Later, we went out for dinner here but got a bit confused and ordered schnitzel rather than the wurst we had planned – a bit of a surprise but still tasty. Not the most successful day of food-ordering!  We topped the evening off with some drinks in a bar, and didn’t get that bit wrong.

After a slightly frantic few days of planning and packing, we had a stress-free journey from London to Berlin and arrived mid-afternoon. When we got into the city centre, we ate our homemade cheese and pickle sarnies in Alexanderplatz (the main square) before taking the U-Bahn to our hotel, which was a few stops away. We got settled in and immediately locked the safe with the previous people’s code (standard!) Once that important task was done, we headed out to see the East Side Gallery, which is the longest surviving stretch of the Berlin wall. It was packed full of cool and poignant political artwork and we took lots of photos – a great introduction to the city. We then made our way back to Alexanderplatz for some nice homely fish and chips (forgive us, it was our first night!) and were early to bed.