BERLIN WAS AMAZING! On my Europe trip nearly two years ago I wasn't the hugest fan of Berlin at first, just like how I had originally felt about Paris, but now I can easily say that both Berlin and Paris are two of my favourite must-see cities of Europe! Berlin feels like a really open city and it's not overcrowded it has just the right amount of people. We arrived on Thursday and were quick to work out the underground system however we ended up walking half an hour in the wrong direction when we got to the station near our apartment! One taxi ride later and we finally arrived - our apartment was gorgeous! Lots of space and a downstairs room with a pool table and drinking area it was so flash! After we had settled in we headed out to explore our area and have our first German lunch which was so delicious - Bratkartoffeln which was panfried potatoes with an egg on top and side of salad along with a German beer - so good! Then headed back to the apartment to wait (drink) until the rest of the crew to arrived (in total 9 Aussies, 3 Poms and yes, I was the sole Kiwi!)
On the second day we were up and out by 10am to check out what we thought was 'an underground world' but turns out they were Nazi bunkers and if they called the tour 'Nazi Bunkers' they think no one will go... so it was interesting like seeing where everyone tried to hide while the bomb raids were happening and seeing where they would have had to live for days at a time but at the same time my imagination had run wild and I was actually expecting an underground city.... still I would recommend it if your interested and haven't seen too much on the war before - a few that were with us really enjoyed it and thought it was great! http://berliner-
Then we visited the Holocaust Memorial and Museum but to be honest I think there is no need to re-visit these kind of museums if you have already seen them as it is a very emotional experience and second time round I left half way through because it seemed to hit me a lot harder. We continued walking and saw some amazing sites before heading out for a really fun dinner (more fried potatoes and amazing meatballs) and you could get up and dance as well - like proper couple back-in-the-day dancing - so fun! The next day everyone was still sleeping as they stayed out till the early hours, I had a sneaky earlier night and headed out to explore the city by myself and had SUCH an amazing day! I love nothing more than walking around a new city by myself and discovering so many new things. I had a general idea of what direction to go in and just walked and walked coming across really funky shops, cool cafes and markets as well as a visit to the Berlin wall which is really stunning. That night we headed to a restaurant that I highly recommend to anyone visiting Berlin called The Bird - http://www.thebirdinberlin.com - where I had the best burgers and chips of my life. I actually couldn't move after and didn't really eat for the next two days!! The next morning we headed to the Mauerpark flea market - http://www.visitberlin.de/en/spot/fleamarket-at-mauerpark - where I picked up some cool prints and postcards. Great markets to visit with so much to see and choose from - food and drink was mainly German and Turkish and they had a whole range of items from door knobs and dinnerware to clothing and accessories. We finished off the trip with a traditional currywurst before heading back to the apartment to relax for a few hours before the flight home.
I was so inspired by this incredible city and have so many ideas for a new collection of prints that I can't wait to get started on. I have now convinced myself that I will be learning German and moving in a few years time! Lets see!
