Berlin

Guten Tag, Berlin!

Berlin is also one of the few towns I had the privilege to visit more than once. 1st was in 2009 with a sports-team. I had only good memories of Berlin. The city was clean, the community was friendly and overall a great experience with regards to sightseeing (partly on one of the hop-on hop-off buses).

My 2nd visit with family in 2012 turned out to be quite disappointing. The weather was miserable, the hop-on hop-off bus was of a different company and did not live up to the previous one from 2009.

Using a hop-on hop-off bus is convenient for me in order to explore a city or town - especially if you have limited time to get from point A to D/E etc... Plus you gain some history behind the sights with the audio they offer. Yet with all my travels I've only used a hop-on hop-off bus in Berlin and Hong Kong. (Something which I've only realised now hehe!) I guess it all depends on the sites you have on your check-list vs the most ideal way to reach your destinations.

Berlin Wall

My top 'stops' in Berlin:

Potsdamer Platz.

Checkpoint Charlie.

Brandenburger Tor (-gate).

Topography of Terror.

Central station / Berlin Hauptbahnhof.

And of course all the Christmas markets. Maybe consider doing a Christmas market-tour through Europe - I guess that could be fun and very jolly!

They all hold so much history and significance. There is a quote by Miriam Beard which is very fitting for me.

"Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living."

At the Topography of Terror you experience a glimpse of the history portrayed in this museum. It was quite a surprise on my 2nd visit and I'm very glad we stopped there. Admission is free and definitely worth spending some time at.

I'm not much of a foodie but I've always enjoyed German cuisine - even if the dishes sounded weird, it still tasted mouthwatering! Spätzle, bratwurst with German mustard, sauerbraten, gulasch and of course schnitzel! Just try it when you're there!