Berlin calling

It’s already been more than two weeks since Lionel and I were in Berlin. We booked this trip on our way back from Sweden. It’s fair to say that we’ve both been bitten by the wanderlust bug. To be honest, we chose our hostel quite randomly. I know Plus hostels from when I was travelling in Italy . Since I had such a good experience  with it, we decided to book it. Apparently this great hostel is located close to one of the cool neighborhoods called Kreuzberg. You just have to cross a beautiful, but smelly, bridge.

Since Lionel had never been to Berlin before, we had to be tourists. Although I have to admit that it’s fun to be a tourist from time to time. Svenja, the Yelp community manager from Berlin, gave us a good tip. She suggested we take the bus 100. They call it the cheap hop on hop off bus because it passes near all the important tourist spots. One tip though, a day pass is not a 24 hour pass.

We had our first breakfast at New Deli Yoga. I saw this place the night before and it seemed very cosy so I had to check it out. Their interior is very minimal and white. Which is perfect for the morning. A nice serene place to start your day with a good and healty breakfast. Besides breakfast they also serve all different kinds of sandwiches and pastries.

We tried their scrambled eggs with goat cheese. It was the first time I tried eggs with strawberry marmelade. Actually it is quite tasty, a bit strange but the taste isn’t bad at all. They served it with 4 pieces of ciabatta and fresh basil. It was the perfect dish to start our tourist day with.

I really like the philosophy behind slow travel. Unfortunately we were only for 72 hours in Berlin but we managed to see quite a lot without rushing. If you have the opportunity, take your time when visiting a city. Don’t take the tube but walk. Talk to the locals and discover new things thanks to serendipity. Don’t get me wrong though, it’s also important to visit the landmarks because this is also part of a city’s story.

When you get hungry in the afternoon, you are in a treat. There are a lot of places where you can eat something sweet. Most of the coffee bars have a variety of great cakes as well. They have the best carrot cake at The Barn and apparently Five Elephant serves a superb cheesecake.

One thing is for sure, you can have a delicious meal for a great price in this vibrant city. Dinner in a restaurant doesn’t have to be expensive, you can have a meal and a drink for 12 to 15 euros. Saturday night we went to the mexican restaurant Santa Maria. Apparently this place is very populair because we had to wait for almost an hour to get a table but it was so worth it. My quesadilla looked so tasty that I forgot to take a photo. I think that says a lot. Of course mexican food isn’t a light meal but from time to time it’s a nice treat. They also serve the traditional cocktails but they are very strong. I really recommend this place, it has a great atmosphere and it’s so cheap for a restaurant.

Need some inspiration for during your stay in Berlin ? If you are a student, you can buy a museumpass for only 10 euro’s. With this pass you can visit more than 50 museums. If you want to go shopping, start your day at the roastery of The Barn with a nice cup of slow coffee and a tasty pastrie. (More about this great coffee bar in my next post). Then you can go shopping in the popular street Kastanienallee to finish with a lunch at the korean restaurant Yam Yam. They serve traditional korean dishes in a bright and vibrant interior.

It’s a well known fact that Berlin is a party city. This is absolutely true but there are also a lot of concerts if you want to have a calm night out. We accidentally ended up at the concert of Charlie Simpson, aka Charlie from Busted. It actually was a nice concert and so close to our hostel. Kreuzberg really is a great neighborhood to stay, you’ll always find something to do. If you don’t want to stay in a hostel then just check Airbnb.

One thing is for sure. I’m definitely going back to Berlin in the summer. This city maybe dirty compared to the Scandinavian cities but it has so much to offer and is beautiful in it’s own way. A lot of culture and street art, it’s really inspiring.

Have a nice day!

Julie

New Deli Yoga 
Falckensteinstr. 37
10997 Berlin

The Barn
Schönhauser Allee 8
10119 Berlin
or
Auguststr. 58
10119 Berlin

Five Elephant
Reichenbergerstr. 101
10999 Berlin

Santa Maria
Oranienstr. 170
10999 Berlin

YamYam
Alte Schönhauser Str 6
10119 Berlin