{Berlin: Part I}

WOW. Sorry for the unintentional blog silence the last few days! We've been having major internet issues and when the internet/cable company is only open until 5 and all their phone options are in Dutch, well, getting a resolution isn't easy. But we're back up and running now! Yippee! So even though it's Friday night for most of you, and Saturday morning for me, I thought I'd post the first part of our Berlin photos anyways. I figure at least a few of you will be perusing blogs on Saturday morning with a cup of coffee, right? :)

Where We Stayed: Our first night in Berlin we stayed at the COSMO Hotel in Mitte. The service was really great, the lobby was pretty swanky and the rooms had a nice design aesthetic. My only complaint would be the size of the room – pretty much just enough space for the bed – but it worked for us as we both only had a small carry-on bag (plus we were only staying there one night). The location of the hotel was good, within walking distance of many sights, but there weren’t a ton of shops and restaurants right around us. It set us back 100 EUR a night, which we thought was great considering the location, service, cleanliness and design of the hotel.

What We Saw:

Tiergarten Park: Despite it being absolutely freezing, we attempted to stroll through this large city park. Considering it was winter and there were no leaves on the trees or flowers in bloom, there wasn’t a whole lot to see. It was certainly pretty, but I’m sure it would be much more vibrant and exciting in the spring and summer months.

The Victory Column: This monument sits in the middle of Tiergarten Park.  It was constructed between 1871 and 1873 to celebrate the German’s victory over France in the Franco—Prussian war. The column originally stood in front of the Reichstag, but was moved to its current location by the Nazis in 1939 to make room for their plans to redevelop the center of Berlin. We climbed up 285 steps to get a birdseye view of the city. It was only €3 to go up and we thought the view was definitely worth it.

Hackescher Markt: We quickly strolled through this market near Alexanderplatz and picked up some street food. Sadly, the food was less than mediocre and we felt like we had fallen into a tourist trap.

Where We Ate:

Café Wintergarten in the Literaturhaus: Saturday morning we took the subway to brunch right off the famous Kurfürstendamm. I think this was my favorite place we went for a meal. The café is housed in a beautiful turn-of-the-century villa complete with a quaint garden right out front. Sure, everything was dead this time of year, but I could tell that in the spring and summer it is ridiculously charming. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal (I had waffles with berry compote and fresh whipped cream) and dreamt about their fresh-squeezed orange juice for the rest of the trip.

Neu Café: We were suggested this restaurant by a woman working in a gorgeous furniture store. We misunderstood her English at first and thought she was just telling us about a “new café”. We wondered how we’d know if a café was new or old, but when we came upon the sign the light bulb went off! The restaurant is tucked in a little square off a busy street. It’s decorated flawlessly inside and there’s a gorgeous outdoor patio that must be open during the summer months. When we walked in we noticed that the restaurant had been awarded a Michelin Star more than once, so our expectations were high. While the ambiance was really nice, my dinner left a lot to be desired. I had a fish dish that tasted really bland and uninspired. But the boys had some steaks, which they said were amazing, so I think we may have just picked the wrong thing. Overall, for the price and Berlin’s reputation for good food on the cheap, I’d probably skip this one next time.

And a few randoms: