Berlin, Germany

14th-19th March, 2022

This is my first Tali Walks abroad post! My partner and I embarked on a cheeky getaway for a few days. The only requirements for entry into Germany were to bring your vaccine passport, and only the hotel asked to see it.

We made our way to Manchester airport on the Monday morning. There were queues to get through security, but the journey with Ryan Air was smooth and efficient. Once we touched down in Brandenburg airport, the train was the next point of call. We got off somewhere in the city centre, walked down Friederickstrasse for about twenty minutes, then arrived at the Gat Point Charlie Hotel.

There were two museums that stood out to me on this trip, the first was the Kommunication museum which was close to our hotel and very interesting. It really covered everything on communication from ancient times to present day. There was so much information it definitely had something for everyone and was very comprehensive.

The second was the fascinating Spy museum. There was a strong green theme running through the interior and there were many interactive activities among the exhibits, such as trying to find all the hidden bugs in a room. While there was some focus on ancient and modern espionage, much of the museum was dedicated to the 20^th century, especially the world wars. One of the best parts was the individual gadget exhibits, showing how ordinary items like pens, suitcases, and even underwear had been modified for surveillance purposes.

One of the most exhilarating parts of our holiday was renting electric scooters and riding them through the never ending Tiergarten city park. There were several scooter companies to choose from, I used Lime through my Uber app. The cycle lanes were really good in Berlin, so using the scooters was a no brainer.

We were very impressed by the vegetarian eating options of the city, and we sampled some very varied and tasty cuisine while we were there. One of my favourites was the Little Green Rabbit, it was a lunch place that did cafeteria style health food. The dishes were wholesome and nourishing, and the freshly made smoothies were to die for.

The vibrant night life was impressive, although we barely scratched the surface. On one of my favourite nights we stumble across Murphy’s Irish bar on St Patrick’s day! Of course it was packed, there was nowhere to sit and it took us ages to get a drink, but the vibes were spot on.

Something that I personally found to be the most interesting was Charlottenburg palace. We paid for a self-led tour of the decadent inside. While it was gorgeous, we didn’t actually take too much notice of the history so I researched it later! The palace had sprawling grounds to walk around afterwards, with beautiful views of the gardens.

The former residence was constructed in the 17^th century for the Prussian Queen Sophie Charlotte. The grounds and surrounding area were named Charlottenburg in her memory when she died. The structure was originally of baroque design, but underwent many renovations over the years. Today, many of the rooms are actually preserved in the rococo style. From 1880, Charlottenburg ceased to be a summer palace for the royals and was opened to the public.

On the final day, we checked out of the hotel, had a very tasty brunch at an Italian place, and then went to the Berlin Wall Panorama. After our last tourist activity, we headed back to the airport, ready to go home. It was a very enjoyable break, the weather was decent, and there was lots to do!

Links to websites are below.