A month before the world shut down with the coronavirus pandemic, we were lucky enough to sneak in a holiday to Germany and Poland. At the time, we didn’t realise that it might have been our last chance to go on holiday this year; so, I’m really glad that we happened to book one in early! Now that travel to other countries is finally an option again, and cabin fever might have you looking into booking a holiday of your own, I thought it would be a good time to write up some posts about our most recent trip and hopefully give you some travel inspiration!
Our trip started in Berlin, the capital city of Germany, where we stayed for three days. If you’re planning a trip to Berlin, here are my recommendations of the best things we saw and ate during our time there!
Things to See:
Berlin Wall
If you’re going to Berlin, you’re probably going to want to see the Berlin Wall. Something I wasn’t aware of before going to Berlin is that there isn’t just one place you can go to visit the wall. Its remnants are scattered all over the city, so you’ll be stumbling across parts of it all the time, as opposed to it being one big tourist attraction.
Berlin Victory Column
The Berlin Victory Column is a monument built to commemorate the Prussian victory in the Danish-Prussian War. You can pay to go to the top of the column, which would offer great views of Berlin.
The Reichstag
The Reichstag is Germany’s parliament building. As Nick loves politics, this is the place he was most eager to visit. Unfortunately, tours inside the actual building were booked up months in advance, so if you want to see more than just the outside, you’ll have to make sure to book early!
Brandenburg Gate
The Brandenburg Gate is Berlin’s most famous landmark. It is a symbol of Germany’s division during the Cold War and is now a national symbol of peace and unity.
Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, also known as the Holocaust Memorial, is a memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, which consists of 2,711 concrete slabs. It’s an immersive memorial that you can walk through and also has an underground information centre where you can learn more about the victims.
Checkpoint Charlie
Checkpoint Charlie was the best-known border crossing point between East and West Berlin during the Cold War. It is also a place where people would commonly try to escape from East Berlin during the partition. The replica that stands now is based on the original site, consisting of the barrier, checkpoint booth, flag and sandbags, and even has actors dressed as soldiers.
Topography of Terror
The Topography of Terror is an indoor and outdoor second world war exhibition, located at the previous headquarters of the Gestapo. It was a really interesting and emotional exhibition that I would definitely recommend visiting.
Berliner Fernsehturm
The Berliner Fernsehturm is the Berlin TV tower. It offers 360° views of the city from a 203-metre-high viewing platform, as well as a revolving restaurant at 207 metres high. We only saw the tower from the ground but if I’d have known about the revolving restaurant at the time, I think that might have swayed me towards paying the entrance fee!
East Side Gallery
This was probably my favourite tourist attraction that we visited whilst in Berlin. The East Side Gallery is an open-air gallery consisting of a series of murals painted on the Berlin Wall and is a heritage-protected landmark. It was a lot of fun to walk along the wall, admiring all of the different artwork. Although getting a decent picture is much harder than it seems due to how busy and full of tourists it is!
The 5 Best Things to Eat:
One of the things I was most pleasantly surprised about during our visit to Germany was how amazing the food is! German food is the epitome of rich comfort food and I am totally here for it. Below are five of the best German foods I ate whilst in Berlin.
Currywurst and potatoes
If you’ve ever been to a German market, you’ll be familiar with currywurst. The best currywurst I’ve ever had was in a canteen across the road from the Reichstag. The sausage was covered with curry sauce and curry powder, and the potatoes were fried with cream, cheese, onions and bacon. It was honestly incredible. I would go back to Berlin just to eat this again. German markets just might not be able to cut it anymore…
Maultaschen
I’d never heard of maultaschen before going to Berlin, but it is basically a German dish that is halfway between ravioli and dumplings. On our first night in Berlin, we found ourselves having dinner in a strange little restaurant that was half fine-dining, in a romantic, candle-lit room and half mid-twentieth century pub (indoor smoking and all!) It was here that I ordered my first ever maultaschen and I was completely blown away. It was like nothing I’d ever tasted before and so unbelievably delicious! Discovering completely new foods as an adult is quite a rarity and this added to my enjoyment of the meal. If anyone knows of any German restaurants where I can get hold of some maultaschen in England (preferably Leeds), then please let me know!
Käsespätzle
Käsespätzle is basically Germany’s take on mac and cheese. This is one that I ordered in a German pub, topped with crispy onions. Comfort food at its finest!
Schnitzel
I have to admit, after spending nine months living in Australia, I had come to think of schnitzels as an Australian dish. They bloody love it over there! Learning that it is actually a German dish didn’t come as a shock to me; I probably should have been able to work that out for myself. Again, a great and reliable comfort food option. I’m not sure why schnitzels don’t seem to be as popular in England as they are in other parts of the world.
Meatballs
I’m not trying to claim that meatballs are a German invention, but their take on them is next level! This is the meal we had on our last night in Berlin: German meatballs with mashed potatoes, cream sauce, capers and a side of pickled beetroot. Being a big lover of Ikea meatballs, (which I know are Swedish, don’t @ me!) this dish was like that on steroids. These meatballs are a very strong contender for the title of ‘Best Meatballs I’ve Ever Had’, and that’s a tough category! We washed it down with glasses of German wine and beer (both of which you should also try whilst in Berlin!) and it was one of the best dining experiences I’ve ever had.
Hopefully this post has given you some ideas of things to see, do and eat whilst in Berlin. Next week, I will be posting about our trip to Poland, so keep your eyes peeled for that. Alternatively, you can subscribe to my mailing list at the bottom of the page in order to be notified whenever I upload a new post!
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