Berlin, Germany

Our Berlin trip was the last of three weekends of consecutive travel. We were quite tired by this stage, even looking forward to a quiet Sunday based in London where it meant that we didn't have to sort out logistics for the airport and we could just get the week's washing done.
Constant city break travelling does feel a bit rushed at times, particularly when it means a pre-dawn start on a Saturday and an almost midnight arrival back home on Sunday. Our energy levels in Berlin were not helped by a late night indulging at work drinks the night before and then an early start packing bags.

Heathrow to Berlin
When the alarm clock chimed at the ridiculous time of 4am, we groaned at the fact that we needed to catch a plane to Germany from Heathrow airport. First world issues indeed. But accompanied by a hangover and general grumpiness from the lack of sleep, we were not the happiest of individuals when we arrived at our destination.

Berlin Card
Our first stop, the Tourist Information Centre at Tegel airport - was to buy the Berlin Tourist Card to keep our mind from having to engage with any sightseeing planning activities over the weekend. The Berlin Card gave us access to 48 hours of public transport including the airport shuttle bus and a range of discounts to Berlin attractions.

Our tip is that if you have a short time in Berlin, buy the Berlin Card as it allows you to skip the queue for the shuttle bus ticket machine. The trip took about 30 minutes and the bus was packed like sardines. It was strange that Berlin runs standard double decker buses like London for all other services, but the route to the airport is only a single level. However we did note that Tegel airport is being closed later this year, so that may be the reason for cutting the transport services.

Pedal and drink your way around Berlin
- bringing the bar to the streets

Travel Logistics
After mis-reading a map of where the main train station (Hauptbahnhof) was located, we accidentally got off the bus too early and then re-boarded the very next one as there were too many line changes to attempt getting to our hotel via just S (subway) and U (underground) trains. The bus took us towards Alexanderplatz - one of the main squares in the city (platz = square, which is common in Copenhagen, Vienna and Munich). However, again our impatience led us to disembark early as soon as we had crossed the bridge onto Museum Island and right in front of the Berlin Dome.

Berlin Dome at Museum Island

Hotel Novotel Mitte
Our hotel was located near Museum Island and only a short walk from the train station. The Novotel Mitte upheld the brand's reputation for a decent room and after a quick freshen up, we headed out to explore the town.

Our hotel, just off Museum Island and Alexanderplatz

Alexanderplatz 
First stop was Alexanderplatz (famous for the TV tower) in search of currywurst, a Berlin favourite snack food. At Currywurst Express, we had our fill of sausage, ketchup and curry powder with fries smothered in a thick mayonnaise type sauce.

The TV Tower with the sun's reflection that creates a cross
- nicknamed the Pope's Revenge

Currywurst

Statue of Neptune at Alexanderplatz

Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour
Asking around, we found a tour company offered a Hop On Hop Off tour with a small discount with the Berlin Card. The commentary was performed live by a bilingual guide who tried his best to add in jokes and comments as he answered questions from other tourists on the bus.

Berlin Sightseeing
On the tour, we passed by the Brandenburg Gate, the Holocaust memorial, the Tiergarten, the Riechstag and learnt more about events of World War II. We also passed the hotel near the British Embassy, where Michael Jackson dangled his baby outside a window and caused a bit of controversy.

Riechstag - at the end of the war contained 1million bullets
fired by the Soviet troops

Holocaust memorial

Other sites passed included the Victory monument, originally commissioned in commemoration of  the Prussian wars, however it was moved to the middle of an enormous round-about by Adolf Hitler to celebrate other activities.

Victory monument

Easter Markets
We made our first Hop Off bus stop at an Easter market that resembled the street markets at Oktoberfest. Gingerbread hearts, bratwurst and beer were on offer, in addition to donor kebabs and milk bubble tea drink. The milk bubble tea was made with a new type of 'pearl' (popping boba) that is different to the chewy tapioca traditional version. The small beads are slightly larger than salmon roe and are made of a thin coloured casing holding fruit juice that explodes in your mouth.

Street art with TV satellite dishes

The bears that we had also seen in Kuala Lumpur

A little piece of Paris on the River Spree

Ka De Wee
We didn't stay on the next bus for very long as the new commentator was quite boring. We hopped off a the
gastronomical paradise - Ka De Wee. It is best known for its food hall where food from all over the world  can be purchased. The sixth floor is dotted with food stands that work like an upmarket Hawker food court where chefs readily cook any produce that is sold fresh in the department store. This allows shoppers to buy food for home and also sit down for a fresh meal of pasta, steak or really good sashimi.

Sashimi at KaDeWee

Checkpoint Charlie
After we had finished looking at all the food, we realised that the tourist buses had stopped running. Relying on our public transport map and ticket, we made our own way to another tourist spot - Checkpoint Charlie. Checkpoint Charlie has a long history as the main border crossing between West and East Berlin when the Berlin Wall was standing. It also holds its place in history as the spot where US and East German tanks held a stand-off on either side of the border with only 100m separating the two.

Berlin Wall
The Checkpoint is a poignant reminder of what the wall did to the city - separated families and caused many to be so desperate to leave East Berlin that they risked life and paid the price. These days, the path of the Berlin Wall [Berlin Mauer] has been remapped on the modern roads by a double row of cobblestones. There are a lot of signs and decorated pieces of the wall on display and tell the story of why it was constructed.

The start of the exhibit at Checkpoint Charlie

A replica of the border crossing sign

Checkpoint Charlie draws in the tourists with the opportunity to get a photo with an actor in US or East German uniform or an 'East Berlin' visa stamp. Now that the barbed wire, the watch towers and the concrete is gone, a photo exhibition tells the story of the wall's construction, the tension between East and West and the events that led to the wall being torn down.

With part of the Berlin Wall

An actor posing for photographs

Memorial to people that died crossing the Wall

Hotel for dinner
Afterwards we walked back towards our hotel and after the recommended Lowenbrau beer hall did not live up to expectations from what we remembered at Oktoberfest, we decided to have dinner at the hotel. We started with a aperitif of red wine and mojito. Entree was a poor effort for a hotel restaurant -watery French onion, and a curry soup that lacked flavour. Main course was better with a steak or lamb combined with a selection of different sauce, vegetables and side dish.

Berlin Botanic Gardens
The next day we headed to the south-western end of Berlin to the Botanic Gardens - one of the top three in the world. We had also wanted to head towards the Lake town of Wannsee but ran out of time, as our flight back to London was rather early at 6:05pm.

Springtime at the Botanic Gardens

The North American woodland area

The lake

Inside one of the flower pavilions

Mean looking cactus plant

Feathered friends we found under some plants inside the pavilion

Our first red squirrel

At the Gardens, Olie discovered his favourite plant - one that was similar to the alien foliage in the movie Avatar. Mei's favourites were in the spring-time flowering blossoms from the cherry and plum trees.

The fuzzy Avatar like plant

At the Japanese pavilion

Plum blossom time

Holocaust Memorial
After the Botanic Garden we headed back to the city centre to visit the Holocaust memorial, next to the Brandenburg Gate and ate another serving of currywurst washed down with a bottle of Berlin Pilsner. From there, we took the bus back towards the hotel, and stopped off at a larger and more lively beer hall - Georgbraeu Brauhaus next to the River Spree

Brandenburg Gate

Tourist hotspot in Berlin

More currywurst and beer

Georgbraeu Brauhaus Beer Hall

Olie selected the boiled pork knuckle, pint of the home brewed beer and a shot of grain schnapps for only 9.99 Euro. Mei had the roasted pork ribs which were very tasty, with boiled potatoes and sauerkraut washing it down with the favourite non-alcoholic German drink - Apfelschorle - a mixture of apple juice and sparkling mineral water.

Boiled pork knuckle

Pork ribs

At a Beer Hall in Berlin

Going Home
Feeling quite full, we headed back to the hotel and picked up our bags. Luckily it was only a short walk back to the U station and train to Alexanderplatz. Another Easter market was on and we stopped there for crepes - Olie sticking with his favourite Nutella and banana; with Mei opting for sugar and cinnamon before finding our way to the TXL bus stop for the onward journey back to Tegel airport.

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