Berlin 2016 - part 2

Berlin never fails to surprise us. Through our past visits we've managed to see most of the museums and monuments around, so this time we had not made any plans whatsoever and just went with the flow. Sundays are always funny on "the continent" of course, because not much is open, and you can easily just end up spending a whole day walking around. Luckily we had some great guides for the day, and surprised we were indeed. 

We started off with a completely new thing for us, a Kleingartenkolonie, or the German version of a leisurely, super-well maintained allotment. I could have stayed hours spying on the manicured lawns and oh-so-kitch chalets, it was fantastic! 

The weather was not so clement, alas, so we headed to Museum fur Kommunication, which we'd never come across before. We spent a good couple of hours browsing the exhibits and trying to get our head round the Golden Ratio, which was the focus of their temporary exhibition. I am in love with those glass cloches, what a great way to display something special! 

Of course the day was once more punctuated with food, food, and more food. We should really have skipped lunch, but the thought of leaving Mr Peony without his currywurst was just too heartbreaking. It goes without saying we all felt obliged to accompany him and order a "snack". The next best thing was our gigantic dinner in Kreuzberg, a place specialising in schnizel which came highly recommended by our guides. Oh my, what a mistake this was - I think it's mandatory to put on three kilos with each visit there. Honestly, when they brought the first plate over, I was like "oh, ok, it's a platter to share between the four of us, cool". Then came three more of the same, one for each of us. Oh dear. The trouble is, it was so good you could barely stop yourself from eating it. I do feel a bit ashamed. Then we pushed the boat out and ordered dessert. More shame. And didn't even walk home or to the tube, got into a taxi just two steps outside. My, oh my. Good job we only see you twice a year, Concept Tours!

If you've not been to Berlin yet, don't even think about it, and go book your tickets now, it's a fabulous place for a weekend city break. I hope I've managed to convince you. 

We have, of course, some favourite places, and I'd be happy to write a post on our "coups de coeur" if some of you are interested - just let me know here or via my Instagram account.

Berlin 2016 - part 1

At last, half-term has come, which means I can catch up on my posting a bit!
One of the great things about living close to an international airport, is that you can quickly catch a flight after work on Friday, and spend a cheeky weekend away - just what we did last month.
This is far from our first visit to Berlin (2009, 2010, 2015) , but any excuse is good to come back again. The promise of a weekend with good friends, visiting trendy and edgy places, enjoying currywurst - need I say more?

 After a gargantuesque breakfast chez Concept Tours, we headed to Bikini. The place was really cool and relaxed, we caught up over cappucino, and the kids had a blast looking over the zoo monkeys on the viewing terrace.  Possibly the best buys of day was the loot of Christmas chocolates and biscuits from the little supermarket - we're so greedy I could almost be ashamed ;)
But honestly, resisting these treats would have been hard, don't you think?

We stopped over at Neni for cocktails and a bite (their trio of hummus was to die for). It was super crowded up there, but we managed to wriggle our way to the best seats of the house by their massive window overlooking Tiergarten (I won't mention my panic attack re fear of heights, that's just not cool when you're in the trendiest bar in town!)

 Our last stop for the day was at the photobooth, where everyone had a go at pulling their best pose. Man, I wish they had cool cheap photoboothes like that over here - at 2 euros for 4 poses, it was an absolute steal.
On the day I debuted my new autumn love, a wolly cape from Massimo Dutti. It's a really comfortable item, and can easily be worn with anything casual, perfect for a little weekend away in Berlin!
Part 2 of our little escapade coming soon, featuring the Golden Ratio AND Kleigartenkolonie, treat or what?

a lovely weekend in Berlin

 

 

To kick off the festive season in early December we went to spend a weekend in our beloved Berlin and caught up with dear friends we hadn't seen in over two years. Since the last time we'd met, both of us got married and became mums - quite a change, and lots of catching up to do.
Berlin was amazing as usual, but so cold! Luckily we stayed at a great place in a central location. The Gorki appartment was warm, well kitted out, clean and super welcoming, we couldn't have wished for a better place. Baby was especially well looked after with a massive fluffy duvet in her cot and a super high chair.
The cold didn't completely put us off and we managed to get out and about a bit. We went for a breakfast etagere in the amazing Café Einstein Stammhaus, as we did in previous visits and could not escape the traditional Christmas markets. We went to the one on Gendarmenmarkt and bought a few treats. It's been a bit of a tradition for me to get my advent calendars there too, whether in person or from the internet, so a visit to KaDeWe just had to happen.
But the most incredible thing about the whole trip is how well Baby behaved. Every attempt to go away before that had turned in one way or the other into a bit of a disaster. And yet this time was perfect from start to finish, giving us confidence to go away soon again if possible. And definitely not to leave another two and a bit years until the next time we meet our friends again.

Pour bien commencer les fêtes de fin d'année, nous nous sommes rendus à Berlin le temps d'un weekend début décembre et avons retrouvé de vieux amis qu'on n'avait pas vus depuis plus de deux ans. Depuis la dernière fois qu'on s'est vus, on s'est toutes les deux mariées et on est devenues mères - pas mal de choses ont changé!
Berlin était superbe, comme d'habitude, mais il faisit si froid! Heureusement on était logés dans un endroit super en plein coeur de la ville. Les appartements Gorki sont bien chauffés, super équipés, propres et accueillants, on n'aurait rien pu demander de mieux. Bébé a recu des attentions toutes particulières avec une couette hyper chaude dans son berceau et une magnifique chaise haute.
Le froid ne nous a même pas empêchés de sortir un peu. On est allés à l'excellent Café Einstein Stammhaus prendre un petit déjeuner à l'étagere comme on l'avait déjà fait a chacune de nos précédentes visites, et bien sûr, on ne pouvait pas rater les marchés de Noel. On a visité celui de Gendermenmarkt et on a acheté des bricoles. J'ai cette tradition de m'acheter mes calendriers de l'avent en Allemagne, que ce soit en personne ou sur internet, donc un petit tour au KaDeWe s'est imposé.
Le plus intéressant dans toute cette aventure, c'est que Bébé a été sage comme une image. D'habitude c'est toujours un peu un désastre quand on s'en va, pour une raison ou une autre. Et pourtant cette fois-ci elle a été adorable du début à la fin, ce qui nous encourage à refaire des petits voyages dès que possible. De toute manière, il est hors de question de laisser passer encore plus de deux ans avant de revoir nos amis.