For work we stayed at the Radisson Blu, which has an amazingly large fish tank in the middle of their lobby. Then after work was done, we moved to the Holiday Inn at Alexanderplatz to be more central. Our first touring day, we headed towards the historical part of Berlin, Nikolai Quarter, where Berlin was originally founded. We strolled through the cobblestone streets, passing shops, restaurants, and museums, and found the Brauhaus Georgbraeu, a well known brewery, sitting right on the bank of the Spree River. We stopped for an early lunch and waited for our friends, Shelley, Mike, and their baby Harper, to arrive. We sat right next to some of the copper brewing vats that are right next to the main bar area. I had some delicious light beer in one of the smallest beer mugs I've ever seen (photo below). And Travers tried their darker beer in the larger size. Delicious!
Once our friends arrived, we had some hearty potato soup with Viennese sausage and our friends had a huge plate of schnitzel. A perfect combination to the beer, and a great way to warm up from the freezing air outside. After we were thoroughly warmed up, we headed back into the cold to explore some more of Berlin. We passed by the famous St. Georg Monument, depicting the famous St. George who on horseback, kills a dragon. It is one of the most photographed monuments in Berlin, so of course I had to take a picture. And it faces the oldest church in the city, St. Nicholas.
After seeing a bit of the historical town, we hopped on a bus, thanks to Travers' amazing navigational skills, and headed to Checkpoint Charlie, which Travers remembers crossing with his family when he was a little boy. There was an outdoor exhibit going on that spoke about the history of Berlin, the wall, and the checkpoint. I wasn't that great of a history student growing up, so it was fascinating to me to read about the history while actually standing right where it all happened.
From there, we headed to the Gendarmenmarkt, a large plaza surrounded on three sides by three architecturally beautiful buildings, the German and French Cathedrals, and Schinkel's Konzerthaus (concert hall). After a few photos, we headed to the nearest cafe that overlooks the plaza to grab some hot chocolate to warm ourselves up.
That evening, we had dinner with friends and some Hotwire co-workers, at a restaurant recommended by Travers' German colleague. It was a bit out of town, but it was worth the trip as we were served delicious plates of schnitzel, spatzl, potatoes, and all sorts of other dishes not good for my waistline. But I tried them all and topped it off with some refreshing German beer! We practically closed the restaurant down, and with our table of about 10 Americans, several with loud, large personalities, I think the staff was happy to see us finally go.
The next day, Travers took us on an adventure to a neighborhood called Kreuzberg. This area is known for being filled with hippies, anarchists, and alternative people. It is also known for some of the best Mexican food in Berlin, so of course we had to check it out! We started with lunch at Ta'Cabron Taqueria, where we ate some tasty burritos that reminded us of home. Then we strolled the main street of Oranianstrasse that is filled with restaurants, cafes, bars, and shops. It made me feel like we were out of the touristy part of Berlin and hanging out where the locals go, something Travers and I like to do in every city we go to.
We then made our way to KaDeWe, a shopping center that Travers and his family had been to when they were in Berlin when he was a little boy. His mom had urged us to go and check it out to see if it was the same. From the outside, it looks just like any other building in Berlin, but once you step inside, you can tell that you are in a luxurious shopping center. We weren't there to shop, so we headed up the 6 or 7 floors to the food court and restaurant. It was tough not to stop at each floor along the way and check out all the pretty clothes and things. But it was worth it as we got to the top and were able to sit at the Veuve Clicquot bar, and have a glass of my mom's and my most favorite champagne!
To finish off our last afternoon of touring Berlin, we made sure to see the Reichstag (the parliament building) and the Brandenberg Gate. At this point, it started lightly snowing, so we made these visits pretty quick before heading back to the hotel to warm up before dinner. The Brandenberg Gate is one of Berlin's most important monuments, and we were interested to learn about its history and how it has been renovated and restored throughout the years. We crossed through it and headed towards the nearby Reichstag. We weren't able to go inside to see the famous dome, as you need to make a reservation in advance, but we walked the grounds outside it and got a sense of how important this building is in Berlin.
That evening we went back to the Kreuzberg neighborhood with more friends and co-workers to Santa Maria Mexican Restaurant (yes, more Mexican food), where I enjoyed yummy margaritas and delicious enchiladas! We had eaten enough German food the previous days, and were so happy to treat ourselves to delicious Mexican food, as that is the one thing you really can't get in Geneva. It had really started to snow at this point, with the largest snowflakes I've ever seen. So it was not a big surprise when we woke the next morning to quite a bit of snow on the ground.
We dragged our bags (literally dragged as the wheels would not roll in the snow) to the train station to catch a train to the airport. After waiting and waiting, we realized our train was delayed and soon we would be too late to catch our flight! So before the other passengers thought of it, we headed outside to catch one of the only cabs sitting by the station to take us to the airport.
The one thing we didn't get to see while in Berlin that we wanted to was the East Side Gallery, a 1.3km portion of the wall that was left standing. Artists from all over the world painted on this portion of the wall, turning it into one of the largest open art galleries in the world. We were fortunate that our cab driver happened to take a route that passed by the East Side Gallery. So while we were going fast by it all, we were able to see all the amazing paintings decorating it, and checked it off the list! The best way to end our trip.
