If you follow me on Instagram  – you will have seen a few pictures of our little trip back in beautiful Berlin a few weeks ago. We spent ages looking forward to it and suddenly we were on our way home again but at least this time we were there for longer than 24 hours.

To say that all of our stay in was entertaining would not be true – only because visiting Checkpoint Charlie and the museum nearby, was a real eye opener and reminder but we kept the educational side of the visit to a minimum as we needed to have some family fun time.

We hadn’t really prepared ourselves too much with what we were going to do. We knew we were going to see Biffy Clyro at Max – Shmeling – Halle Arena but that was about it ! They were amazing as usual and Andy got to watch them this time instead of working on the show which was a real treat for him.

Having stayed at Soho House in East Berlin last time it was nice to try out a different area, so we stayed at The Palace Hotel which is a family hotel, so a bit quieter  ( we needed some sleep ) in Chalottenburg  –  directly opposite the 25 Hours Hotel which is the home of ‘ Monkey Bar ‘. If you don’t know of this hotspot, it looks down over the zoo with big glass window walls – very cosy inside and the views are quite amazing across Berlin if you sit outside. It’s super trendy and very busy.

It’s situated on the top floor where you can look out at all the amazing buildings. Hard not to enjoy the architecture in Berlin. Old and new. I’m not entirely sure of the name of the curved building. It looks brand new – really interesting looking, don’t you think ?

On our second day, we did manage to find the colourful quarter of Kreuzberg. Known as ‘ The Heart of Turkish Berlin ‘ You literally turn a corner and there it is – in its glory. We actually spent quite a lot on a cab getting there. That’s colour inspiration dedication for you …  I was watching the cab meter thinking ” hope this is worth it ”  – but thankfully it was.

The district is very buzzy and is full of eateries, galleries and cool bars. It’s very arty and has a cosmopolitan feeling to it. I loved it !  Definitely worth a visit and make sure you take your camera. I just wish we’d had more time to spend in the area. Of  course the girls were checking the walls to see if they could see any ‘ naughty ‘ words. Luckily they don’t speak German yet … !

Although it wasn’t particularly warm or sunny while we were in Berlin – there were lots of colourful moments. Well, I wasn’t going to leave without a few, was I ?

Dotted around the streets were lots of old style mopeds and bicycles. How about this one ? All the greens in one go. Couldn’t resist.

 

Obviously, we had to go and see the remains of the Berlin Wall. It is just covered in street art and old visitors comments but it is also protected with a fence for most of it. Which is understandable. Mae and Betsey were fascinated by the history of the wall and Berlin in general. A lot to take in for them but they enjoyed it very much and learnt a few words.

We went on to a restaurant called Heat on Karl-Liebknecht-Str which is part of The Radisson Hotel – it was really good food – nice curry. A little pricey but then everything in Berlin was to be honest. Not as reasonable as before Brexit.

It is a big place, Berlin – you effectively feel like you are visiting two cities in one go. So much to see and do. I still don’t feel like I have seen much of it but am keen to explore more. It’s kind of quirky but stylishly done  – and SO clean. Maybe a trip in the Spring or Summer next time to enjoy some scenery with a blue sky backdrop.

Would you like to visit Berlin – or have you already been ? Do leave a comment with some recommendations. Would love to hear them ..

Lucy x