Keith and I, although awake at about 6.30am, slept in until 8.30am, so we had a scramble to get showered and dressed ready for breakfast at 9am!
It was definitely the most popular time for breakfast as the small dining area was rammed with people shortly after we arrived and found a table. We decided then and there to come down a bit earlier in future! We had coffee, bread, hams and cheeses, hard-boiled eggs and fruit with yoghurt. I was a bit miffed to note that if you wanted scrambled or fried eggs, or omelettes, you had to pay an extra 4.50 euros! To be honest I thought that 18 euros was a lot to pay for what was on offer!
We had an appointment at the Reichstag for 11.30am, so we ventured down to the underground, bought a 24-hour ticket for the public transport (including buses and trams) and took the U2 line to Potsdamer Platz. From here we walked over to the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag. This area is very popular with tourists, and we joined the throngs heading past the Tiergarten. It would have been wonderful to have seen this huge park covered in snow, but temperatures today were quite mild.
We had about twenty minutes before our allotted time so we headed for a café for a drink. It was a busy place and we noticed some of the guards from the nearby government buildings having something to eat there. As Sophie and I queued for the hot drink machines, one of the chefs dropped a whole tray of escalopes... they went everywhere and flopped about like bready fish! It must have been so embarrassing for the poor man as it happened right where everyone was queuing! A little while later we noticed a huge gorilla of a man dressed in the guard uniform tucking into an escalope! Little did he know!
We sat and enjoyed our coffees and then made our way over to the security buildings. As we were waiting, another Engish couple said we had to go over to another building and fill in a form to get in. As we had pre-booked, this proved unnecessary, but we did need ID and I was glad we'd all got our driving licences with us! We had to go through airport-like security and the staff were very stern indeed, barking instructions at us and not smiling at all, even though we tried to be friendly.
We had to wait for a lift to take us up to the Dome and we chatted with the friendly English couple who told us what they'd been up to whilst in Berlin, which included a visit to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, something we've never done.
Once up at the Dome and outside terrace, we wandered about and gazed at the lovely views. It started to rain so we went back into the Dome and walked up the ramp to the top.
We could see lots of cranes dotted about so there is still a lot of building work going on in Berlin. It's amazing when you think the whole city was flattened during the Second World War and now it's been rebuilt so that you would never know. The whole of the Nikolai quarter has been restored so it looks like it's been there forever!
It was lovely to wander about and gaze at the views, and luckily, the rain stopped. We made our way back down, Sophie bought a postcard and we took the lift to the ground floor, trying to get the stern-faced lift attendant to smile, with no success. He was determined to look miserable!
Whilst we were walking about, we'd discussed what we were going to do next, but most of all we wanted to make use of the train tickets we'd bought. We decided to walk the short distance to the Bundestag, the underground station that serves all the government buildings.
From Bundestag, we would join the new extension to the U5 line up to Alexanderplatz, which was a much more direct route and would have proved impossible before. We jumped on a train and saw how lovely and new the added stations were - Museum Insel and Rotes Rathaus.
Back to Spain...
We had agreed on going to Hackescher Markt for lunch and hoped to take a tram, but there were a lot of roadworks going on and the line we needed wasn't running, which was very annoying. The Christmas market around The Galleria department store was being dismantled, and the whole area was teeming with people. We walked to Hackescher Markt and wandered through the maze of inter-connecting courtyards looking for somewhere to have lunch, before venturing into a cosy Tapas restaurant and bar called Yo Soy.
We were seated in the window, so perfect for watching the world go by outside. With beers ordered and some dishes for lunch - Padron peppers, Spanish omelette, and a dish of potatoes and sausages - we relaxed and chatted about the morning.
The restaurant was lovely and very cosy and friendly. We spent a happy hour eating delicious food and drinking cold beers. Perfect! The bill came to 50 euros and we tipped the waiter 10 euros, and he then brought back three shot glasses of liqueurs for us, which was a lovely touch! He insisted on taking selfies with us, imploring me to "make him famous"!
One of the things that Sophie wanted to do most was to go back to a very quirky bar we'd found on our last trip. Mike had been with Abbie on his visit, as I'd managed to find the name of the place, and I'd sent him details of the website for directions. We'd stumbled upon it back in 2016, and to say it was an interesting experience would be a huge understatement!
It was a minute's walk away, at the very end of an alleyway that was packed with people looking at the art and graffiti.
This, to me, is the edgy side of Berlin that we all love, and the bar - Eschschloraque - is about as edgy as you can get! You are not allowed to take any photos, they only take cash, and it was so dark inside that we could barely see the drinks menu! They don't do food so it was a good job we'd found the tapas restaurant first!
We found a table by the window and Sophie ordered a Moscow Mule, while I chose a Whisky Sour. Keith stuck to beer. The only woman behind the bar seemed a bit put out by our choices, but she did make a very good cocktail! Obviously, I have no photos (it was too dark anyway) but it was amusing to see some people walk in, take a look at the surroundings and then make a rapid exit!
To try and describe the place - the walls were painted a deep crimson/purple but were in a state of disrepair with a lot of the paint chipped or peeling, the bar was to the left as you walk in, and had three panels of aquatic scenes, with weird shaped things inside, like floating aliens... There were strange sculptures everywhere and seats dotted about in alcoves, but until someone moved, you would never know they were there, it was so dark! Plus, people were smoking inside, something I thought was banned?
There was a woman seated at the bar who was obviously a regular, and I felt that our presence was tolerated as long as we behaved. Incredibly, a group of young people came in, took a photo of a sculpture and then walked back out again! Some other people also came in to use the loo, and I think the woman behind the bar was used to it. She seemed to be a real character, a bit grumpy and aloof, but she seemed very good at her job and never stopped the whole time we were there. We had two more cocktails and it felt quite weird to be sitting in this edgy place on a Wednesday afternoon!
We had our drinks and left, joining the crowds of people in the courtyard. As we were now outside, I took a photo!
After our lunch and drinks, we didn't fancy the long walk back so we ordered an Uber to take us to the hotel. The car was already waiting for us on the main street and took us back for just 7 euros. It was total bliss!
Cocktails by Chrizz!
Back in our rooms, we relaxed and then got ready for dinner. We'd decided to stay at the hotel tonight and eat at the restaurant after a couple of drinks at the bar. We were delighted to find Chrizz in residence and Sophie and I ordered Manhattans, while Keith contented himself with a beer.
Annoyingly, another couple were in "our seat" a padded bench to the left of the bar. It was great to watch Chrizz at work, making our cocktails!
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| Sophie and Cosmopolitan |
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| My Negroni |
After our Manhattans (in my opinion, Sophie makes a better one) we moved on to a Negroni and a Cosmopolitan, both of which were delicious. It was wonderful to watch Chrizz making drinks for various other people, and all of his equipment was laid out with military precision. We showed him a photo of Sophie drinking a mocktail he'd made for her back in 2008, and he was delighted. After this, he seemed to smile at us a lot more and be very friendly!
After our cocktails and beers, we moved to Cana restaurant next door. We'd booked a table earlier but they seemed unaware of our reservation. They cleared a table for us and we had a look at the menu which was Arabic cuisine. Sophie and I shared halloumi cheese sticks and falafel for a starter, while Keith opted for little pastries (they looked like miniature cornish pasties) filled with minced lamb and pine nuts. As we'd been having cocktails, Sophie and I shared a bottle of sparkling water, rather than mix alcohol!
I had a lovely view over the river, to an Italian restaurant situated at the bottom of a block of flats. When Keith and I first visited this was a German pub and they did very good hearty meals, which included potato dumplings and lots of pork!
For our main courses, Keith had lamb while Sophie and I had chicken kebabs. The food was fine but it did feel a bit strange eating this kind of cuisine in Berlin! Once we'd eaten we went back to the bar, and as we hadn't had dessert, I introduced Sophie to a White Russian... she fell in love!
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| My new amour - a White Russian |
Keith had a couple of malt whiskies, so we all had a great evening, and in the end, Sophie and I indulged in three creamy cocktails! They were so delicious! Because of the food we'd eaten, the cocktails didn't have any effect at all, which was a good thing, but the effect on our wallets was a different matter altogether!
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