German Eats

Berlin introduced us to some very delicious morsels, some we tried out of intrigue and others become a daily addiction. 

The sausage filled croissant. This little morsel was first discovered by Matt at a nearby bakehouse. I was initially disgusted by the thought of a croissant being ruined by a sausage. First bite, Matt was converted, I was questioning the flavour combination I had just experienced. By the time it was devoured we were both addicted, strangely the sausage croissant became our favourite german find. 

Bike riding all day our energy levels were lacking so we had a three second pit-stop and it involved a sausage croissant and a pretzel. 

We even had a sneaky one in Prague!

The most popular dish of the trip was easily the schnitz. We had schnitzel accompanied by several different carbs including chips, potato salad and potatoes. Each time we ordered a schnitzel there was anticipation to see if it would surpass the previous schnitz. It never did as each time we ate a portion of schnitz that was as large as the plates circumference and ate the chips that filled the plate beneath it. 

This dish came with a cucumber salad - a gourmet schnitz

Surprisingly, our schnitzel never came with sauerkraut so each time I ordered my schnitzel I asked for a big bowl on the side. It was my little bit of vege for dinner and it is delicious with schnitz. 

I've got to admit, even after the countless schnitzels I consumed on this trip I would not say no to a schnitzel for dinner tomorrow night. 

The pretzel is an obvious one. I had one previously in Leeds and it was definitely nothing compared to this one. Pretzels became a regular snack/ breaky option. I needed one last morsel before we left for Prague so minutes before our train arrived I made Matt run back to the food court and get us one for the train ride. It was the best one yet, I think it was the fact I was craving it. 

The pretzels were a good little addiction because they came in all different ways. We were introduced to the mammoth bready pretzel but soon discovered they love there little crunchy pretzels too. 

Berlin's historical sites

These are the pillars that line the outskirts of "Museum Island," the area that houses all five Berlin Museums. The pock marks on this pillar are bullet marks from World War II. 

This is the Berliner Dom, a Cathedral that was bombed during the war forcing the roof to be reconstructed. It has a crypt where the tombs of Prussian Royals lie. 

This plaque was a response to the book burnings that took place during Hitlers reign. It stated they can burn our books but next they will burn bodies. It has a very eerie element to it and sits just outside a university at the exact spot the book burning took place. 

I don't remember what this was called but it was a statue under an open roof, and apparently when it snows in winter the snow falls upon the statue. 

It started pouring with rain when we reached the Brandenburg Gate, it was a fab shelter. 

The Jewish Holocaust Memorial was architecturally amazing. Staggered blocks varying in heights were like looking through a kaleidoscope. 

We walked to the Berlin Wall remains in the west. The wall was hacked away at by Germans when the wall was brought down. 

This is the 'Trabi Safari' the well loved German fave choice of travel. I want one!

Wandering the back streets

Where we discovered the undiscoverable.

We searched high and low for this small, corner cafe. It was a long walk past construction and dodgy apartment blocks. After staring at the menu for a while trying to decipher the German translations we ordered what we imagined to be a white bread ham and cheese toastie - my worst nightmare. When the food was brought out we were overjoyed that it was a dense brown slice with ham, tomato basil and cheese. The Germans always do things right I don't know why I doubted them. 

Each back street in Berlin always led to something that caused us to stop and stare for a moment or two. Walking down random streets not knowing what you may find is the most exciting part of travelling and here I think were our best finds. 

There is amazing graffiti street art everywhere!

The street markets filled with produce and yummy treats.

A bike ride across Berlin

Berlin is known for being "bike friendly" but that doesn't change the fact that I'm not very bike friendly. Its a love hate relationship, the hate is mostly influenced by the fear of falling off or dying from a car purposely crashing into me. Despite this, we hired bikes for the day and those crazy, metal concoctions ended up taking us from the eastern side of town to the other side of the western side of town. By the end of our journey I loved my bike and I continually reminisced about our good times the duration of the trip.

We walked along the East Side Gallery, an open air gallery with artwork that stemmed for over a kilometre. 

This is my favourite, I named it "The bum that grew one ugly hoof"

After a solid few hours cycling those pedals we were parched. We found a "beach bar", a bar on the river covered in sand and beach chairs. 

I was trying so hard to race up to the front, my legs were doing a rapid circumference of those wheels, but Matt is just a speed demon. 

We rode to the other side of the city where the remains of some of the western Berlin wall stand. It was slightly surreal seeing where people had apparently hacked away at the wall to bring it down. 

Being naughty and taking a selfy whilst riding, he's outrageous.