Berlin is a city with personality – and a sense of history
Stepping off the plane at Tegel airport in Berlin, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. I’d been to Germany before, to Munich for a couple of nights.
But in preparing to visit the capital city, I’d been thrown by its sheer vastness, the seemingly endless lists of things to see and do, and the complex public transport system.
Thus, upon arrival, I was excited. A city is rarely an enigma for me; a travel writer, I obviously do a lot of research before I board an airplane, but I’d got the feeling that Berlin is the kind of place you really get a feel for just by being there.
As city breaks go, it’s one I felt I had to tick off my list pronto, and I’d been told that summer and autumn are the best times to go, that it’s an entirely different city when the air is warm and the sun is shining.
My fiancé and I took a taxi to our hotel, a boutique property I’d spied in several newspaper articles as a top recommendation.
Ackselhaus is comprised of 16 individually appointed apartments that are all themed, and situated in the very trendy Prenzlauer Berg neighbourhood, akin to Dublin’s Portobello.
We checked in to Rome, a studio appointed in the style of the Empire complete with busts of Caesar, a free standing bathtub next to the king sized bed, and ornate interior décor.
I was a little peeved we hadn’t been able to stay in New York across the hall, but someone had beaten us to the punch.
Joe and I set out for a ramble around the area without a plan, trying to get our bearings.
We stopped for a coffee in a very hipster café, where families brunched around us on cold meats, fruit and cheese.
While there, a quick search on my phone told me there was a flea market on nearby that takes place every Sunday; ambling up to Mauerpark proved to be an excellent choice for day one.
We were amazed Flohmarkt only happens once a week, as it’s set up with some permanent fixtures.
The vibe to me was more festival than flea, and the stalls sold pretty much everything you could think of – I found a first edition German vinyl of The Beatles; Magical Mystery Tour and bought a handmade magnet to add to my ever-expanding travel selection, but I could have bought much more – from vintage furniture to bric a brac, handmade leathers to cool printed t-shirts, there was quite simply something for everyone.
I was thrilled when we stumbled upon the delightfully eclectic food section, in which you could order Uruguayan empanadas, fresh pasta or burgers and chips.
However being tourists, we decided to sample the local delicacy, currywurst, and we weren’t disappointed.
Sitting on a cement wall munching and drinking beer (as consuming alcohol is permitted in public there), I turned to Joe and said “I think I’m going to like it here.”
And that’s a theme that continued for the three days that followed. We kept using the words “random” and “bizarre” to describe the city, but in the most complimentary way.
We found a riverside beach – random – and a ate more currywurst and quaffed champagne in the sphere of the famous TV Tower – bizarre – and that was just the tip of the iceberg.
At one point on our travels, we witnessed a parade of miniature classic cars apparently taking in tour, and five minutes later saw a stag party cycling a beer bike around the city. That’s just Berlin.
Even their traffic lights are famous – the cute design is a tourist favourite and there are several stores where you can buy the red or green lights’ likenesses in the form of sponges or erasers, and emblazoned on dog leashes and dinner plates.
We kept happening upon amazingly intricate yet disarming graffiti, witnessed locals drinking bright green beer and I cuddled up to the city’s mascots (artfully decorated bear statues) around the city. I even found bouquets of pasta for sale in the local shop.
No, you didn’t misread that; they consisted of packets of pasta made up like a bunch of flowers.
Of course, it’s not all eccentricities. The city has an incredible history, and the wall that once divided it still stands in several locations.
The Berlin Wall memorial is a real-life exhibition, chronicling the building of the structure that separated not only geographic regions but international ideologies right up to its fall in 1989.
It’s a sobering sight, and mind-boggling that it ever even existed; Berlin seems almost humble now about what went on there in the past.
The East Side Gallery is also worth a trip, where sections of the wall have been re-purposed as a show space for artists.
When we visited there was a photo exhibition about the war in Syria in place and it was a stark reminder that many parts of the world are still very much at war.
Berlin though, has shed much of its colourful past and now is very much about fun.
German beer is obviously incredibly popular all over the country, so we visited two polar opposite outdoor pubs in the capital - Prater Garten, the oldest beer garden in the city, and BRLO Brewhouse, the very latest.
The former is olde worlde, sells bratwurst and beer, is strung with fairy lights and has hundreds of seats.
In contrast, the latter, on the west side of the city, is all shiny and new – very hipster, selling craft beers and meaty sandwiches, and almost has an exclusive air.
Speaking of food and drink, we were well fed and watered. There are lots of Vietnamese people resident on the east side, and thus lots of fantastic Vietnamese restaurants.
We ate on Oderberger Strasse in Prenzlauer Berg on the first night, happening upon an eatery called Van Anh.
We feasted on fresh dumplings and broth, satay chicken with rice and vegetables and a warm beef and rice salad bowl and had a couple of cocktails, and the bill was less than €30.
And of course, it’s a city known for its burger culture. We queued for almost an hour at Burgermeister, a former public restroom under a railway bridge that’s now a cult favourite with meat lovers, yet while the chips were exquisite (get the bacon and cheese fries), the burgers didn’t feel worth the wait now that we’ve adopted the same American style here in Ireland.
We stumbled upon a New York-style pub called The Bird at the opposite end of Mauerpark to our hotel, and the food was much better. My favourite part of the entire trip was our excursion to the Zoo Berlin.
On the west side of the city, it’s pretty tricky to get to, but our local U2 subway line brought us right there, and it was well worth the trip and the €14 entry fee for adults.
We spent four sunny hours ooh-ing and ahh-ing at the animals in their creatively presented enclosures, and saw several rare beasts; the Bald Eagle and brown bears were favourites. It’s worth coughing up for a visit to the Aquarium too, the best one I’ve visited.
All in all, it’s difficult to sum up our experience in the German capital.
It’s brilliantly rich in things to see and do, beautifully welcoming and belly-stuffingly delicious. Go visit during the warm summer.
Aer Lingus and Ryanair fly daily and direct from Dublin, and onward connections are efficient and cheap
At Ackselhaus www.ackselhaus.de – it’s an experience all in itself. Rooms from €180 per night.
See www.visitberlin.de
Buy the Berlin Welcome card. At €29.50 for 72 hours, it allows you complete access on public transport and lots of discounts on attractions, food and drink. We used it to death.
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