A 25-metre tall glass aquarium in the hotel lobby, crisp white sheets and the tastiest beer. My weekend in Berlin was an absolute dream. Despite accidently being called ‘Mr and Mrs Strokes‘ for the entire holiday, (It’s not quite Stokes but they weren’t far wrong…) – I don’t think I stopped smiling for the entire four days.
Getting out of the UK for our anniversary was one of the best decisions we’ve made as a couple. No plans were made, we were bumped up to business class, slept in as late as we wanted and woke up each day to a hot delicious breakfast at the Radisson Blu. The bathroom oozed with Thisworks products and white fluffy towels. Admittedly, I had a fair few hot baths that weekend. It was well deserved.
My first meal was obviously going to be Schnitzel and beer. The portions in Berlin are huge and we feasted like Kings even before we checked into the hotel. We also made the conscious effort to visit beautiful churches and prayed for forgiveness for all the food sins we were about to commit over the weekend. However this schnitzel party went down an absolute treat, the Germans know how to feast!
We were so lucky to have such an amazing view from our balcony. We overlooked the Berlin Cathdral and come night time it would light up the sky and reflect on the river underneath. It was definitely chilly through out the day, so we wrapped up warm in our big jackets. How gorgeous is this view?
Even now I am still in awe of the Aquadom which lay in the centre of the lobby. The Sealife Centre was next to our hotel so faces would light up each time new visitors came up through the hotel. Each morning we would see scuba divers cleaning the tanks surrounded by thousands of fishes. It was so relaxing and was such a wonderful sight to see while sipping on morning tea while eating bacon sandwiches.
On the first night, we visited a local Chinese restaurant. The setting was so glamorous and they still had a decorated Christmas tree outside the front door with a red carpet and sofas, it made me tingle inside! Josh and I dressed up smart and ventured out into the night in search of crispy duck and noodles and prawn crackers. My fortune cookie made me smile because I really am a very, very lucky girl.
The next day, we took time to walk hand in hand (in the freezing cold) for 10 miles around the centre of Berlin. Of course we stopped by Brandenburg Gate, one of the most well known landmarks in Germany. Our trip to the Holocaust memorial was especially haunting. The size of a football field, there was something incredibly eerie but moving about walking through the maze of rising tower blocks as darkness fell in between them.
We walked towards different parts of The Berlin Wall and there’s much culture and history here to witness. I’m thankful we had the opportunity to see the different sites. A trip to Germany definitely wouldn’t be worthwhile without eating the hot, spicy curry wurst and burgers with pretentious dollops of condiments. We also ran into the shop of my very worst nightmare – a terrifying mask outlet. What are these people thinking?!
During the weekend, we took the time to find some really cool restaurants and bars. We stopped by Katine Deluxe, a quaint place with lots of flickering candles and delicious wine. The unique selling point was the iPads from which we ordered food and drinks. The novelty wore off after a while but it was definitely worth eating all their delicious burgers and pasta after the long day we had. The highlight of our entire weekend was definitely out Trabi World safari tour on the Sunday. We drove around in an old leopard vehicle with a one way radio so we could hear our guide who was driving in front of us. We felt like famous people being snapped by the paparazzi when people quickly pulled out their camera on the road and took pictures on the street as we drove around. The experience was definitely one I won’t forget in a hurry.
We later walked to the famous hotspot, Check Point Charlie, and caught the underground to a huge shopping district. The pictures can be incredibly deceiving because it was so bitter, bitter cold. We made sure to keep warm with lots of hearty steak and potatoes though, so we were fine…
Our trip away was extremely beautiful, we saw lots of sights, visited museums and snuggled down when the nights grew colder. Our trip left me itching for more – so I’ve made sure to pencil in another holiday to Germany very soon. Have you ever taken a trip to Berlin?
That looks like such an amazing hotel with that water tank in the middle!
You're so amazing. It was sensational. We stayed in the East but also ventured out to the west. If I come back, we want to do more of that.
I've never been to Berlin but it looks like such a beautiful place. Happy Anniversary!!
Jessica
the.pyreflies.org
What an amazing time!
Happy anniversary and I'm glad you had a good time whilst you where here in Germany! Did you go up the lift in the Aquadome? It is part of the SeaLife Centre but I think you can pay a little fee and only do the dome. I've done it a couple of years ago and it feels weird being in a fish tank! You can also visit the glass dome at the Reichstag (our parliament building) but you have to book it at least 3 days in advance. Where did you go shopping? I can see you've been mainly in the east part of Berlin, the west has the column of victory, a huge park, Sony Centre, the zoo and gardens and a memorial church which was destroyed in WWII. Well, there's so much to see, you simply need to come back 🙂 Hope to speak to you soon, will be back in Birmingham end of Feb xxx
Caz | Lunch Break Adventures
eeee! Thank you so much. I love my ginger fella. X
Oh my gosh happy anniversary and what better way to spend it copious amounts of food alcohol and beautiful sights, I am envious! xxx
Happy Anniversary! These photos are utterly wonderful and take me back in time. I spent about 10 years in Berlin growing up and try to get back as often as possible. You've made me miss it again. x
If I could go back today, I would. We ate a lot of food, such a little porker.
Sounds like you had the best time hun!