Berlin: A little history, a little winter, and lots of fun

And for the second weekend in a row, it was a three day holiday weekend in France. How can you pass that up?  This weekend we went north and east for a winter weekend in Berlin. We had a blast exploring history and having many laughs with three other couples we are friends with here in Paris. Be sure to check out all of our Berlin pictures here.

After a late flight Friday night, Nick and I spent Saturday morning visiting the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe and the German history museum.   The actual memorial is an interesting concept--thousands of cement blocks all different sizes with the idea that each person that visits will create their own meaning. But, the museum underneath was very informative and gave a personal touch to the holocaust with stories and journal entries from real people.

The German history museum was overwhelming and huge. By the end we were pretty "museum-ed out", but it really was a great museum. So much to see and in an interesting format. We had the most fun playing in Napoleons hat and admiring knights.

After a little lunch and coffee break (street brats are pretty much necessity at least once a Germany trip), we met up with Mallory & John and Katie & Derek for our Fat Tire bike tour. 

Our guide, Bree, was super nice and told us a lot of great history about everything we saw. Even though it was freezing, we had a great time seeing things like Checkpoint Charlie, the Berlin Wall, and the Victory column. We got to take a little break at a Christmas market for some gluwein (warm mulled wine) too!

After warming up our frozen selves, we all met up for some cocktails (we finally got to see Maygan & Kyle too) and a delicious dinner at Katz Orange. Sadly, none of us took any pictures of our dinner, even though it was wonderful, in a cool "castle" building, and they gave us 2 bottles of free champagne to enjoy in the courtyard while we waited for our table to be ready.  Why don't more restaurants do this?!?

We ended the night with some drinks in the bar near our hotel.
You can see we had just a little fun. :)

Sunday was very cold and very windy, which was perfect for our lazy day. We started the morning with a brunch in a cute little trendy area of Berlin. It was so busy that we had to take a table outside, which we thought wouldn't be so bad with blankets. But...we were all extremely cold by the end and couldn't wait to find somewhere to warm up.

After a metro ride involving a lovely ticket because our 5 person ticket didn't work for 6 people for 2 stops (playing dumb doesn't work as well in Germany as it does in France) we arrived at the East Side Gallery. This is the longest remaining section of the Berlin Wall, where artists have painted various panels. The back of the wall displays photos of other walls in the world today designed to keep people out. Pretty powerful stuff, but sadly, it will all be gone within 5 years because the government has given permission for developers to build on this space.

Next we wandered through the large Tiergarten to meet back up with Maygan and Kyle (who had been to Berlin and the wall before) for some drinks.  Such a pretty place!

The rest of the night was spent eating the most delicious Vietnamese food we've all ever had and enjoying some jazz, drinks, and laughs at our hotel's bar.  (I think my favorite quotes of the weekend are "I have fingers." and "skull crusher". Inside jokes obviously but I have to document them somewhere!)

On Monday, Nick and I had bought train tickets to visit Martin Luther's hometown of Wittenberg. Upon arriving we weren't sure we were in the right place...it was like a ghost town and we were definitely the only tourists! We later realized why when we discovered all the churches were closed for construction in November (we are guessing they get all construction done between Reformation weekend--weekend before we were there--and Christmas). Even though it was a little disappointing we still got to see Luther's house, home church, and the door he nailed the thesis to. 

Our last time in Berlin was spent climbing the dome of the Reichstag building. I'd recommend booking online, which we didn't do, and had to wait in line for an hour to reserve a time slot. It was definitely worth it though...great views of the city and a view into the room where the parliament works. 

Despite the freezing cold and wind, we both really liked Berlin. It feels like a city you could live in and has a great vibe. I know a lot of people compare Berlin to New York, but for us it seemed more like Chicago. Everyone is laid back and not in a rush and there are so many little neighborhoods to explore. 

And how can you not love these little stop light guys...Ampelmannchen from the Soviet era?

Tips: both Katz Orange and Monsieur Vuong are excellent restaurants. Visit the East Side gallery and Memorial to Murdered Jews for sure. If you have time, German history museum is also worth it.  Even if you don't go in a bike tour, rent bikes...it's a great city for biking!  And have fun exploring all the great neighborhoods!