Berlin. What a cool city. It's like my favorite parts of SF (so many places with free wifi. So many cool cafes. Startups everywhere!), DC (pretty, well-organized government town with lots of green space), and Germany (Clean and amazingly connected public transit that works! Super bike and family friendly!) all mashed up. Granted, I don't know what winter there feels like, but our trip in late October was pretty perfect.We flew from Frankfurt Main to Berlin-Tegel, and learned that it's way more efficient (even with a stroller) to take escalators - we had to take a total of 4 elevators to go up 5 floors thanks to the silly design of Fraport. Ugh, Fraport...
Anyway, once in Berlin, we took the 128 bus to the U2 stop (there are no elevators or escalators - important if you have a lot of luggage), and it was a straight ride to the Hotel i31 in the Mitte. It's a bit of a walk to central Mitte, but well connected by public transit and the price was right around 82 euros / night.
Day 1:
We walked to Alexanderplatz to see the world clock and the TV tower, then walked around Hackesche Höfe to window shop. We grabbed breakfast at one of seemingly hundreds of coffee shops, then wandered to the Berlin Dom. Since the weather was beautiful and the line to get into the Dom was long, we walked to a nearby artists' market instead. After browsing, we crossed the River Spree to meander along Unter den Linden.
We stopped at one of many Einstein cafes for a coffee and snack before continuing to the end for the Brandenburg Tor. We may have also gotten a couple of Dunkin' Donuts on the way, too.. Upon arrival at the gate among the protesters, tourists, and other crowds, we stopped to imagine ourselves present for one of many speeches given there...most notably, the one by President John F. Kennedy. Passing through the gate, we saw the Russian Memorial and finally, Parliament House, before returning by U-bahn to our hotel.
Dinner was healthy delivery from Eat Über, a cool find and perfect for our tired legs (and sleepy baby).
Day 2: We started with breakfast at Factory Girl, then walked to the DDR Museum. It's a bit kitschy, but tells an interesting story of life in the DDR... from family life, to schools, and even vacations. It's hard to navigate with a stroller though, so I would bring a baby carrier the next time.
We hopped on the U-bahn to the Holocaust Memorial. It was a short visit, but spooky to be among the cold, blocky cement pieces. Oddly, there are apartment buildings that overlook the Memorial. I can't say I'd want to live with that view, but that's just me. We finished out the sightseeing with the fascinating and free Stasi Exhibition.
Before heading home, we went to Dolores for dinner - a burrito, Anchor Steam, and a big ol' map of our old neighborhoods in San Francisco on the wall. It hit the spot.
Day 3: After a delicious coffee and pastry at Oslo Kaffebar, we hopped on a U-bahn to finish our sightseeing. We started with Checkpoint Charlie, then wandered by the Berlin Wall. Lunch was a sandwich on the way
Having seen all of the major sights, we wanted to get a feel for life as a Berliner. We spent the afternoon wandering gorgeous Prenzlauer Berg, with its wide, tree-lined avenues and copious playgrounds. We stopped for kaffee and (tasty carrot) kuchen at Zum Dritten Mann, then went in search of the water tower. It's now just a historical building, but home to yet another playground in the neighborhood.
I tried not to spend too much time daydreaming about lounging at a cafe with the Sunday paper there, kid playing nearby and sun shining through the trees... oh, it was hard. We'll always have the memories, Berlin.
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