PREVIOUS PAGE: BRANDENBURG GATE
LEFT TOP: REICHSTAG
LEFT MIDDLE: CHECK POINT CHARLIE
LEFT BOTTOM LEFT: BACON AND EGGS BREAKFAST
LEFT BOTTOM RIGHT: FATHER CARPENTER COFFEE BREWERS
TOP: BIKING IN BERLIN
tram, or it is a nice walk from the city centre. A mixture of a café, restaurant
and bar, the establishment itself is a part of the Circus Hotel complex. An
almost Scandinavian-esque design scheme with fun and interesting art
pieces, it is enough to make you feel like you’ve found your home away
from home. Most important of all, the food was delicious AND the staff
knew exactly how to make an Aussie-grade coffee!
Speaking of good coffee, this next place is an absolute must if you’re a
regular visitor to Blackboard Coffee or Paddock Bakery on the Gold Coast.
Father Carpenter is a quality-focused breakfast restaurant located right in the
heart of Berlin. With a logo and interior that could have been easily mistaken
for Bam Bam Bakehouse, the restaurant’s mantra is to enable their guests to
leave happier than when they arrived – and that is exactly what happened.
With a seasonal menu, you are bound to find something delicious and fresh
to eat at this local favourite.
Hermann’s Café and Restaurant is the last place I think is worth a mention.
We came across this delightful hang-out by accident. A local noticed that
we were looking dazed and confused on our search for lunch on the Sunday,
and recommended that we try out the café just around the corner from where
we stood. With nothing to lose, we took the young man’s advice and made
our way to Hermann’s. We were not disappointed. With beautiful, sleekly-designed
interiors and plenty of large open spaces, Hermann’s provided us
with comfort from the freezing cold February day outside, and warm food to
fill our bellies. We will definitely be returning on our next trip to Berlin.
3. Transport – Bikes of course!
As any good Copenhagen-er should, I absolutely love getting around the city
on a bike whenever I can. Not only do you get some fresh air and exercise,
this mode of transport is relatively cheap and you often see a lot on
your journey that you otherwise wouldn’t in a car or on the tram. Turns
out this feeling is exactly the same, even in cities outside of Denmark!
So naturally, our preferred method of transportation on this weekend
getaway was also via bike (even in blisteringly cold, minus five degree
temperatures!)
Despite the frozen fingers, I definitely do think that this was the way to
go. We were able to rent two bikes for the entire weekend for around
12 euros a person. We could quickly zip around the city from one
sight to another without ever having to worry about bus timetables,
traffic or being ripped off by a cab driver. Better yet, the entire rental
was easily controlled via an app on our smart phones, meaning that
we could also simply extend the rental time if we wanted to spend
more time out one day.
The one instance in which we opted NOT to bike was of course the trip
to and from the Schönefeld airport, as it is situated far away from the
centre of the city. Luckily, the city planners of Berlin have also thought
of a quick and affordable way to the city from the outskirts, and that is
via the extensive U Bahn network. The train itself is direct to the city
from the airport every 30 minutes and it cost the two of us a grand total
of six euros per trip. This is a whole lot better than the 55 euros we
were quoted for a Taxi, and I would bet that it was not that much of a
longer journey, either.
4. Things you can do without…
While there are so many things to be excited about when it comes to
visiting Berlin, as with all travel, not EVERYTHING that you read about
in tourist brochures is worth it. To be as authentic as possible, I think it’s
only fitting that I divulge some of the things I wish we had known before
leaving on our trip.
Firstly, there is a tourist attraction called the DDR Museum, situated
just outside of the Museum Island. We were lured into visiting the
museum as it promised us a fun and interactive look into the lives of
those who lived in East Germany during the Cold War. While this is
essentially what was delivered, it fell far short of our expectations.
The Museum itself was tiny, packed to the brim with visitors (so it
was difficult to actually interact with any of the exhibits) and, in our
opinion, not anywhere near worth the price of the ticket. We decided
it would have been much more economically and educationally
beneficial to visit any one of the ‘classic’ museums on Museum Island.
Another place that most history-loving visitors want to visit on their
travels through Berlin is the place where Adolf Hitler died. I agree,
this area symbolised the end of the most horrifying conflict in human
history and it could be interesting to see. But if you have a limited time
in the city and there are other things you would like to tick off your
list, the carpark where Hitler was killed could be missed because that
is exactly what it is: a regular carpark. There is no signage to indicate
the area, nor is there anything really to note.
The final piece of Berlin wisdom I can impart is arguably one of the
most useful so far. If you want to visit Berlin, try to go on any other
day other than a Sunday. While establishments such as most popular
restaurants and all the museums remain open, almost every single
boutique in the city is closed. We unfortunately were not aware of
this when we booked our trip, and so we had actually planned to ‘see
the sights’ on the Saturday and just chill and go shopping on Sunday.
That plan was turned upside-down when we realised everything was
closed. But, on a positive note, that was how we came to find ou r
favourite eateries!
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