Always Eating

During the October Half Term, my partner and I escaped for a couple of days to Berlin. The last time I visited, it went by in a blur as I was there supporting my dad who was running the marathon (and I crashed on the armchair in their hotel room: it was very uncomfortable but saved me money so I couldn’t complain!) so I was very excited to return with more time to explore! Here are some highlights from our grey, wet and windy trip:

To Do (for free):

East Side Gallery: after the unification of the city, many artists came together to create a beautiful memorial symbolising peace and freedom on surviving sections of the Berlin wall. There are over 100 murals to discover, including the infamous ‘Mortal Kiss’ and is really worth seeing in person. It’s free to visit, open 24 hours and open air (so don’t forget to wear a coat or bring an umbrella if you’re visiting in Autumn/Winter).

Walking Tour: a great way to explore and navigate your way around a new city, many tour companies offer free walking tours (where you tip your guide how much you think the experience was worth at the end of the tour) and show you the best sights on offer. On ours, we were taken to see the Brandenburg Tor, Berlin Cathedral, Memorial of Murdered Jews, and Hitler’s Bunker, all whilst listening to a running commentary of the history of the city. Plus, we were joined by a cute rescue dog, which improved the experience tenfold!

To Eat:

Curry Wolf: Berlin is the home of street food in Germany and you can’t visit the city without trying their currywurst. Curry Wolf have a few locations dotted around the city and are reasonably priced (€3,90 for a Bratwurst in a bun and €10 for Curry Wurst, Fries and a soft drink) for an on-the-go hot and filling snack. They also sell their produce to take home so are a perfect souvenir for any meat lovers

Sophieneck: Berlin has a vibrant food scene but there aren’t many restaurants that sell authentic German food. Sophieneck in the Mitte neighbourhood is a family run, rustic restaurant that sells home made dishes of generous portions and seasonal produce. This pork schnitzel with fried potatoes and soft pumpkin and a glass of Federweisser (a sweet fermented wine that tasted like cloudy apple juice) was less than €30 and was perfect after pounding the pavements all day.

To Buy:

Ritter Sport: this brand of chocolate can be found in the UK but the Berlin flagship store has many more different flavours. I was very intrigued with the seasonal white chocolate and Speculoos option as well as the Haribo collaboration. These are fab gifts to bring home (can confirm they’ve gone done a treat with my friends) as they don’t take up a lot of space in your suitcase.

Curry Ketchup: introduced to me by an old school friend (who has loved this condiment as long as I’ve known her), I always stock up on a couple of bottles when I visit Germany. It’s delicious mixed into baked beans to give it an extra depth of flavour. Please don’t judge my cracked egg; fried eggs are not my forte!