Road Trip: Simon in Berlin

Our latest Road Trip article is from MD Simon Fogal. Back in February, he took a well-deserved break to one of his favourite places, the city with the dark history and a museum for everything! Who knew? Ich bin ein Berliner. 

This city draws me in every time I visit. I think it’s partly because the fall of the wall was one of the first historical moments I remember as a kid, plus it’s home to memories of many a stag do, many a rock and roll show, and a holiday destination. 

The reality with Berlin is that you can do all the history stuff, all the tourist stuff and you can also see the side of Berlin that is full of youthful energy and witness a city that had to stand up and be resilient and therefore it has this ridiculously cool edge to it. Although on my most recent visit, the city is a little quieter and calmer, It’s from March when the city comes alive. 

Food

Berlin has everything: kebab shops on every corner, vegan restaurants on every street, natural wine and small plate pop-ups everywhere, and burgers in the old toilet buildings. All of the aforementioned occurred during my most recent trip, and I even threw in a tasting menu for good measure. 

Vegans and vegetarians alike will enjoy Cookies Cream. There’s a lot going on, from trying to find the entrance via shopping centre bin store and looking for the hidden entrance. You can order 5, 6, or 7 dishes, each with their own wine pairing. My pick was decided because of the potato course being only available on the 7 course, and I have a sad weakness for both onions and potatoes.  The staff was extremely helpful and funny, plus our sommelier made an extra effort to explain the wines to us in English despite the fact that this was not his first tongue. Anyone that pairs food and orange wine is a big winner for me. 

Other food on the trip included Burgermeister (which I can confirm is still as good as it always was), vegan ramen (can you really go to Berlin without eating Ramen?) and we also ate some Vietnamese food on the last afternoon.

Coffee 

Silo was the coffee shop I was most familiar with before heading to Berlin, and Barn was the most famous roaster’s but the surprise was ‘19 grams’ which was fairly new to me but they seem to have a load of coffee shops around the city. Pretty much every coffee shop was full and was nice to see the scene so vibrant. I could write loads on coffee but in general, if you are going to Berlin, you will find good coffee almost everywhere.

Stay 

I really can’t move past the Michelburger Hotel. I have stayed in many other places in Berlin but this draws me back and back. From the free wine or beer talks each night of your stay, to the best hotel breakfast I have probably ever had, they also stock their own Barn coffee and two different roasts. The food is mostly sourced from their own farm too. The rooms are quirky, the pillow case menu is legit and even if you just sip (superb) cocktails in the hotel bar, chances are you will get talking to the guests as it provides a safe environment to do so. This time, I got talking to a screenwriter as he was in Berlin for the film festival. From the sauna in the courtyard to the cool merchandise to their own branded coconut water (which is also available around the whole city). It’s probably the place to stay plus it’s right near the East Side Gallery too.

What to do 

You can find those graffiti-hit nightclubs and bars with EDM beats pouring from the walls all over the city. Karaoke is surprisingly still very popular. Seeing Royksopp at Tempodrom was a nice surprise and such a beautiful venue. I know we are all seasoned travelers these days but I would always check local listings for anything interesting to get out and see, Berlin has many interesting shaped and cosy venues from Lido to Urban Spree, to the massive Mercedes arena. We visited as the Berlin Film Festival was on and there were red-carpet events everywhere (and Stephen Spielberg was picking up an award). 

For something different to do and to take our minds from all the war stuff, we opted for the Disgusting Food Museum, situated close to Check Point Charlie, you are handed a sick bag as your admission ticket. From here you are taken on a journey throughout the world of rather odd foods. The UK featured Spam, which is having something of a renaissance back in UK, it is the Asian countries that present you with some eye-opening experiences. Without giving anything away, we suggest you book in. By the end you are asked if you want to try any insects, I noted the blackboard had a note for the last person to be sick. 8 days ago (if you were wondering). 

If you want to do the darker stuff. East Side Gallery is a must, Checkpoint Charlie is also something of a moment of reflection and you can read the incredibly sad stories all around that part of town. The Wall – asisi Panorama museum was the highlight though, the artist Yadegar Asisi presents everyday life in the 1980s in Berlin’s Kreuzberg sector with this massive mural, the soundscape was very moving too. 

The Berliner Fernsehturm is cool if you can be arsed to wait in the long queues, and from here it leads to the long walk through Museum Island towards Brandenburg gate, the Reichstag, the Jewish memorial and all the embassies. On the trip, it was the anniversary of the start of the Ukraine War and the Russian Embassy was heavily guarded and it turns out we just missed the massive protests. 

The End 

Another Berlin moment is the Black and White Photomats everywhere, and the perfect souvenir. Have you ever been to Berlin without getting one? I crammed in so much stuff this time but I would highly recommend visiting, and get a Berlin card which you can use on S Bahn, U Bahn, buses, and regional trains. The new airport is HUGE but extremely well connected and easy to navigate to the centre.