I had booked my flight on www.airberlin.com for a long weekend in Berlin. Their prices are competitive and I enjoy their service. Cost for a roundtrip Munich-Berlin-Munich € 134.00. Cheaper flights are available, depending on how flexible you are with your time and dates.

I stayed at my niece’s apartment who lives in Berlin-Mitte, the former East German part of town, very close to Alexanderplatz.  My niece was graduating from the Hertie School of Governance and I did not want to miss this important event in her life. The best way to get around in Berlin is by U-Bahn. Depending on how long you are staying, there are different ticket options. Tickets can be purchased from a machine at each subway station for single trips (€ 2.10), 4 trips (€ 8.00) or Berlin Cards (starting from € 16.50). The Berlin Card seems to be the best deal if you are staying for a few days.
It was a holiday weekend in Berlin, the city was packed with tourists. When I arrived it was hot and humid, within a day it turned into rainy and chilly with occasional sunshine. One never knows, it does rain a lot in Berlin, so I am told, bring layers!

Part of my family stayed at the Circus Hotel, Rosenthaler Platz 1, 10119 Berlin, Tel: +49-30-2000 3939, www.circus-berlin.de

This is a hip 60 room hotel in an area that seems to be up and coming. I saw lots of construction and renovated apartments. The staff here was extremely accommodating. Prices start at €70 and include breakfast. The hotel was completely renovated in  a modern style. WiFi is free and you can rent a Segway for €20 per hour to tour the neighborhood.

Across the street is their Hostel  version, packed with young people from around the world. My nephew stayed there for € 20 per night and as he told me, had to share a room with a different person every night, but he did not mind. My opinion:  He was not in his room that much anyway, every night they went out until the wee hours. As we know,  Berlin never sleeps and is a great party town for young people.

One evening we went out to dinner at Café Noe, Glinkastrasse 23, 10117 Berlin, Tel: +49-30-201 0871. If you are looking for a quiet little place to enjoy the “real “Berlin, away from the tourists, this is the place. Charming, delicious food from the Southwestern part of Germany. Small portions, lovingly prepared  (try the Speckpflaumen).  Some excellent  Badener Rose wine rounded up our visit to this bohemian hideaway place, not far from Check Point Charlie.

We were lucky, the sun came out and it was time for a boat ride on the river Spree. Take the 1 hour tour (€ 10). It takes you by the main attractions, Museumsinsel  with it’s Pergamon Museum (home of Nophretete), Berliner Dom, Reichstag and many other interesting buildings. Along the river Spree there are many cafes and restaurants, waiting for your visit after your boat tour.

Saturday evening, we all went to a famous restaurant at the Gendarmenmarkt. Lutter & Wegner (founded 1811) Charlottenstrasse 56, 10117 Berlin, Tel: +49-30-2029 5425, www.lutter-wegner-gendarmenmarkt.de

May and June are “white asparagus months” in Germany and every restaurant will serve this speciality. We were extremely disappointed with the food and the service, which was practically non excisting. Asparagus soup  (€7) was nearly cold. The seafood appetizer had two tiny shrimps on a large salad leaf. The Goulash and Spaetzle (€ 17) consisted of 3 little pieces of meat on a very large plate. Nobody in our party was satisfied with their meal.  Remind me, not to go there again, it felt like a typical pricy tourist spot, and none of the staff cared too much about their guests it seemed.

If you have never been to Berlin, you should take a few days. There are so many things to see and visit. Berlin is a vibrant town, changing all the time. It’s  very busy, many tourists, lots of history, art, music, museums, clubs . If you can afford to take your time, plan a week’s visit to Berlin. You won’t regret it.

Gila Beckermann

www.BuzzyVoyager.com