Wish you were here!

Wow!  All I can say is, thank the lord I'm not in Berlin now!  Today's temperature in Berlin during the day was -7c!  Not exactly walking tour temp is it?  Makes me feel like my experience of Berlin was positively tropical....

We had a great time in Berlin, even though I just wanted to hang out in Soho House all the time!  I created a google map to keep a track of all the places we visited and wanted to visit - so I've got everything saved for next time!

Being a bit of a history and politics geek (I did my degree in Economics and Politics), I was really excited to see the historical side of the city and one of the most interesting tours we did was of underground bunkers from WW2 and the Cold War.  The tours were run by berliner-unterwelten and I cannot recommend them enough, the tour was engaging, fascinating and really gave you a massive understanding of what it was like in Berlin during the Wars.  

We also did a walking tour and it was also a great way of learning how the various administrations of the city have impacted it in so many ways...our guide was fantastic and I'm now a big believer of being a bit of tourist geek and going on these tours!  They really allow you to learn all the important facts of the place you are visiting and also mean you don't walk around the tourist sites without learning the important facts.  Best of all, you then have more time for investigating the bars, cafes and restaurants!

Here are some pics!

 O walking through the Holocaust Memorial.

The memorial was amazing, every stone was a different height and angle and even the floor tilted.

The Christmas Market food stalls were stunning

I loved the U-Bahn - the image of the Brandenburg Gate was on every train and the gate is seen as a sign of freedom for the city.

You can't go to Germany and not eat sausages!  In fact we ate them twice, who knew that chopped sausage, curry powder and tommy k could be so delicious!?

        This was an artist commune in an old department store in the old Jewish quarter.  There was so much street art and I believe in summer there are loads of outdoor bars, so you can enjoy a German beer and some great art.