I had an awful night's sleep... I'm not sure whether it was the coffee in the tiramisu that we had last night or what, but I felt like I barely slept a wink! I was up at 1.15am with Keith, and I had a coffee to try and feel a bit better, followed by a hot shower.
We left at 3am and had to defrost the car before we could set off! It was like a little igloo! We had an excellent journey to Luton airport and followed the directions to the car park we'd booked. It was in a different place to the car parks we'd previously used and near the M1. There were no lights at all, and the surface of the car park was potholed, with several large icy puddles. We managed (eventually) to locate a space and unloaded our luggage. Luckily, just as we approached the bus stop, a shuttle bus appeared so we didn't have a long wait!
We were able to offload our suitcase at the EasyJet bag drop, which was simple and straightforward, and then we joined the long lines for security. It felt like we had to walk up and down for ages, and it was hot and busy! I was wearing my new walking boots and carrying my coat so I felt a little uncomfortable, to be honest! I wasn't frisked and I didn't have to remove my boots, so that was a definite bonus. Keith was frisked and had to remove most of his outer garments so we had to wait for him to dress again! Honestly, the things we go through!
Once into the departures lounge, we headed for a restaurant to have a bite to eat. All the tables had a bar code thingy on them so Sophie tried in vain to order some breakfast and drinks for us, but each time she tried, she lost the connection. We went over to the bar but we were ignored, so we gave up and went to a Starbucks opposite where we had coffee, pastries and porridge.
Before we'd even finished we were called to our gate, about a thousand miles away. We hadn't even reached Berlin and I felt like we'd walked our socks off! At the gate, we all queued up for ages, and then queued again to wait to board the plane. By now, I was seriously fed up and memories of driving abroad in the summer made me wonder why we were doing this? It didn't help that the airport was warm and we had coats and scarves to carry, and I was tired, so that's my excuse!
Eventually, we were allowed to board (via a bus) and were soon settled into our seats. I fell asleep immediately (that's how tired I was, as I rarely sleep on a plane) and we were delayed forty-five minutes because of a problem with the steps.
It only seemed like minutes before we were landing at the brand new Brandenburg airport, and what a difference to the old Schonefeld one! It was beautiful with lots of glass and a much easier and more straightforward route to passport control and baggage reclaim. Previously, you had to go up and down steps and inside and outside to reach the inner part of the airport.
We were welcomed into Germany, and we went outside to find a taxi. At the old airport it used to be manic with a long row of creamy taxis waiting, and to the left, a covered walkway to the nearby train station. It all looked so different! There were a few taxis waiting and we took the first in line. Sophie had looked up Ubers but they were very expensive - around 80 euros for the journey.
Our taxi driver was fine and although he went a bit fast on the autobahn, he wasn't manic like the one we had last time when I thought we were all going to be killed! Very soon we were seeing familiar landmarks and it was lovely to catch a glimpse of the TV Tower in the distance!
Standing our ground, and a captivating Christmas market!
The taxi cost us 55 euros in the end, but it was worth it for the comfort and ease of getting to our hotel, the Grosser Kurfurst. We haven't stayed here since 2013 so it was great to be going back, and we were looking forward to sitting at the bar and enjoying a cocktail made by the resident barman, Chrizz!
We checked in and our rooms were ready for us, which was a bonus. However, the receptionist said that we hadn't paid for breakfast when we knew we had. It was 18 euros each, so a hefty amount to pay over the three mornings, but when we went up to our room Keith and I dug the paperwork out from Booking.com and saw that our rate included breakfast. I'd asked for adjoining rooms and we were next to each other, on the 5th floor of the hotel, overlooking the Märkisches Museum underground station. We unpacked straight away and then went back down to reception to confirm we had breakfast included, so that was one little niggle sorted out!
With some trepidation, we walked over to the Nikolai quarter. We knew that our favourite Berlin restaurant, Rheinhard's, had closed down, so we were expecting some changes since our last visit. Mike had sent us photos but he hadn't said if another restaurant had opened in the same space. Our first view of the river and the Nikolai quarter behind is always one of our favourites:
We were glad to see that the little outdoor cinema was set up with people enjoying gluhwein in the area in front of the St Nicholas church.
Walking towards what used to be Rheinhard's we could see it was now an eaterie called Fischer and Lustig, specialising in fish, but it looked firmly closed.
Along the back of the square was a new restaurant/bar called Nikolai's, and Fischer and Lustig was also inhabiting our old favourite bar, Otello. The interior, from what we could see of it through the windows, looked completely different. It seemed quite clear that we wouldn't be eating there over the next few days!
We walked to the end of the Nikolai quarter and over towards the TV Tower. The last time we were here, this whole area was like a massive building site as they were constructing the new extension to the U5 underground line, and there would be a new station here called Rotes Rathaus (named after the red-brick town hall). This was all now cleared up and we could see the entrance to the underground.
Ahead of us was a large Christmas market, grouped around the beautiful Neptune fountain. There was a ferris wheel and a circular skating rink. It opened at 12pm so we waited a few minutes and then went in, determined to get some currywurst and gluhwein!
We had a good look around first and Sophie spotted a couple of promising jewellery stalls where she was hoping to buy a new ring. We did a half-circuit, but our breakfast at Luton was a long time ago so we chose a stall selling "knacker " sausage with bread. It was delicious with German mustard! We went to a covered area with benches to eat and then bought two trays of hot chips to share! Yum!
Lastly, we bought two mugs of Gluhwein, but we weren't impressed with the design so we took them back to the hut and received our six euro deposit back. The Gluhwein kept us warm as there was a cold wind blowing and the sky, although sometimes blue, was mostly cloudy. It was lovely to wander about, mingling with the crowd and looking at all the different stalls.
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| Smoking salmon |
Sophie tried on some beautiful rings but they were too large for her little finger, which was a shame as she loved them. There would have been no point, though, if they kept slipping off. Keith bought a hat at one of the stalls and I was tempted by some gloves (I'd forgotten mine) and some Christmas decorations.
Once we'd completed a couple of circuits and watched the skaters, we decided to head over to the Berliner Dom and see if we could get a hot chocolate at a lovely café nearby. The café is part of the Radisson Blu hotel and we could see that it was closed up, probably due to the aquarium catastrophe that happened on the 16th December. The Berliner Dom has a café so we decided to get tickets, have a good look at the eerie crypt and then enjoy a hot drink to keep us warm.
Sophie, bless her, paid 27 euros to get into the cathedral and we sat and gazed at the beauty around us.
It's a beautiful church with so many intricate carvings and gorgeous paintings on the ceiling. We lit a couple of candles and then made our way to the crypt. It was closed. We were not amused as this is the best bit of the Berliner Dom, and so creepy and atmospheric. Sophie was unhappy about spending 27 euros to just see the inside, and we could have climbed to the top and looked at the views, but by now we were all a bit weary!
We still wanted a hot drink so we went downstairs to the café and had hot chocolate and tea. The café was busy and indeed, the whole area around the cathedral was busy with tourists. We sat in the warmth and enjoyed our drinks and then had a slow walk back to the hotel, passing the new Humboldt Forum on the way. When Keith and I first visited in 2006 the old East German government building was gradually being dismantled to make way for this new edifice, once the Berlin Palace.
The building is beautiful and combines the modern with the old.
There is a great view here of the TV Tower and the river. I took some photos of Keith and Sophie:
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| Keith with new hat |
We were all now very weary and tired so we walked through the Nikolai quarter to get back to our hotel, passing the Georg Braeu pub and brewery on the way, and Ephraims, a lovely restaurant we'd eaten in before.
We crossed the busy six-lane road, noticing new buildings, namely the Capri Hotel on the corner, and a new one being built opposite the traffic lights. There still seemed to be a lot of building work going on!
Back at the hotel, it was time for a nap and a free bottle of beer. The room was warm so that made us even more sleepy! After our drinks and a little sleep, we both had a bath and got ready for dinner. The bar in the hotel was closed but would open back up tomorrow, thank goodness.
No room at the inn...
We decided to try and eat at Mutte Hoppe but had a drink at the Georg Braeu beforehand. The pub and restaurant was already buzzing with people eating and drinking and there was a very convivial atmosphere. We were shown to a table in a small cosy room, and we all ordered dark beers. They were delicious! The food that was being brought out looked lovely, but we'd eaten here before and wanted to go back to Mutte Hoppe's restaurant after eating there in the summer one year. Mike and Abbie had sent us pics of the roast pork with potatoes...
We had another drink and then made our way to Mutte Hoppe's. Unfortunately, they were completely full so we traipsed back up the stairs and decided to head for Zur Gerichtslaube which was based in a 13th-century building. This was also full. We were now getting a little alarmed at the popularity of the restaurants in the area so we made for another choice - Restaurant Spreeblick - a place Keith and I had eaten at before one lunchtime. They had tables and we were quickly seated and given menus. Sophie and I shared cold meatballs with an assortment of pickled vegetables, bread, mustard and lard while Keith had a goulash soup.
For our main courses, Keith and I chose the pork schnitzel while Sophie had a pork loin covered in a creamy mushroom sauce. A little girl on the table next to us couldn't take her eyes off Sophie the whole time we were there for some reason! It was a lovely, very relaxed evening in a great restaurant that grew busier as we sat there. The setting itself was very pretty and they had a beautiful lit-up tree with twinkly lights. I will be so sad when all of our Christmas decorations have to come down in January.
We skipped desserts but I had a Berliner schnapps which was very herby and lovely. A great end to a wonderful meal. We waddled back to the hotel, by now tired out and longing for a good night's sleep!
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