Berlin / Christmas Markets

Two weeks ago I immersed myself with the festive German spirit by exploring the depths of Berlin. I've longed to visit the cultural capital of Germany for a long while and packed as much as I could in to three days, but realised that you need at least a week to explore most of the city!

WeihnachtsZauber Gendarmenmarkt

We stayed at the Titanic Comfort hotel in Mitte; modern, cosy and conveniently located central to the main landmarks. The main idea behind the trip was to visit the Christmas markets, eat currywurst and drinks lots of gluwein. We loved the Christmas market WeihnachtsZauber Gendarmenmarkt so much we went back every day! 

Entry to the Christmas market cost 1€ and was so magical, full of festive German food, pop-up restaurants, various kinds of mulled wine, stacks of homemade nougat and wooden sculptures and toys. There was even a stage set up in the middle of the market, graced by choirs and dancers performing throughout the evening.

Gluwein & blueberry mulled wine

A currywurst from the food tent cost just €3.50 for a large bratwurst smothered with curry ketchup sauce and served with either a bread roll or potatoes. The food pop-ups featured traditional German cuisine such as schnitzels, sausage and cheese fondue, also burgers! We went out to dinner each night so unfortunately couldn't try the burgers on offer.

Kontzerthaus at Gendarmenmarkt

We bought tickets to LA Priest at the infamous club Berghain's' Panaorama bar, where I was told on entry to not take any photos otherwise I would be kicked out. It's a shame the main club wasn't open, as I was looking forward to seeing the hype behind the club. We're a big fan of LA Priest's smooth electro pop sounds and he plays a fun, energetic and vibrant live set. He loved interacting with the audience, dancing among us and inviting us individually so warp our voices with his microphone. During his encore he invited the audience on stage with him, dancing to 'Oino'.

LA Priest at Berghain Panorama bar

Neni restaurant at 25hours Hotel Bikini

Researching the city before we travelled to Berlin helped us a great deal, as many places are hidden away. The 25hours Bikini Hotel is one example, as an amazing restaurant Neni is located on the roof. A vintage car with hanging bikes welcomes you to the lobby of the hotel; turning left will take you to the hotel reception and turning right will take you to the lift up to Neni. 

Reuben sandwich & Moroccan tapas at Neni

The menu itself is interesting, as you have to open and turn it upside down to reveal different parts of the menu. The cuisine served is a mixture of Moroccan tapas and modern classics, with a healthy vibe. I chose the Reuben sandwich with sweet potato fries and Nathan chose the Nuriels-Arak chicken marinated and grilled in spices with homemade beef-lamb dumplings with tahini and oven baked vegetables. All dishes were delicious. My Reuben sandwich was overflowing with salt beef, mustard and pickles, the sweet potato fries were probably the best I've ver had; crispy and flavoursome.

View from Neni

The amazing view was one of the reasons we chose to dine at Neni, which features a 360° view of the city. The decor of the restaurant was modern with hanging plants and flowers. The staff are also super friendly, recommending us places and bars to visit. I would definitely recommend coming here if you're ever in Berlin.

Anton Corbijn exhibition at C/O Berlin

One of the highlights for me was seeing photographer Anton Corbijn's retrospective exhibition at C/O Berlin. I've always admired his work, music videos and films, in particular the Joy Division biopic Control film. The exhibition only features his photography with bands and celebrities, but is an interesting insight in to his vast work. The exhibition is on until 31st January 2016, 11€ for entry.

Berlin wall

A visit to Berlin is not complete without visiting the last standing remains of the Berlin Wall, that dividing West and East for many years in the city before coming down in 1989. The wall stretches alongside the river bank and is now the East Side Gallery, featuring graffiti from various artists. Each art works differ from content to style and the one above was one of my favourites.

Berlin wall

On our first night arriving, we went for dinner and Nudo, a cosy restaurant serving set menus for 28€ by candle light. The options for set menus were vegetarian, meat or fish. I chose the fish and was blown away by each of the four courses. Below was my sea bass with vegetables, cooked well and full of flavour. I couldn't believe the price and quality of Nudo.

Sea bass at Nudo

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