A weekend in Berlin

We have reached the midway point of this particular trip and leave Berlin today to head to Prague. I’m writing this while onboard the train as it’s a four hour journey.

Berlin is an interesting mix of modern styling and historical quirks that seem to blend better than most cities. There are wide open parklands, so the crowds tend to fade as soon as you move away from the key focal points such as the central train station and Brandenburg Gates.

After checking into our hotel, our first afternoon is spent walking through the city to the gates and then strolling through the parkland or Tiergarten just in front of them. The walking paths seem to go for miles and are dotted with statues, lakes and nooks and crannies where you can stop for a while and enjoy the sunshine. We have certainly missed the Vitamin D intake through the London winter so we are making up for it now.

After a lot of walking it’s time for us to take in two of Germany’s key products, beer and pretzels. We find a local beer garden, the Zollpackoff, on the bank of the Spree river and I take on the mammoth task of drinking a one litre stein. It takes a fair bit of effort, but it was worth it.

With that done we locate a small pub near our accommodation for dinner as it will be another big day of walking tomorrow. I have to try the Currywurst expecting a curry flavoured sausage but instead receive a standard wurst variety with a curry sauce. It’s tasty all the same.

Up early to beat the crowds, we head out through the city towards remnant sections of the Berlin Wall. It’s eye opening and the stories posted around the various points provide an insight into the past. Let’s face it, walls don’t work and are eventually pulled down.

We stick to the Spree River for the remainder of the morning taking in the older architecture and enjoying the sunshine. There are so many landmarks to visit that it’s hard to pack them into one short blog. Needless to say we whiled away a whole day just wandering.