Berliner Weekend. Day2

I woke up quite late. In my hotel there is no proper breakfast, but at 12:30 I had the reservation at Hallesches Haus for the brunch. Very nice place with good food, the garden and friendly personnel.

For today the main event would be visiting The Berlinische Galerie, which is located in the Kreuzberg district. The museum is in a cool, modern building, and it does not look overcrowded.

The museum shows art, photography and architecture by Berlin artists from the 1800s to today, featuring works from such artists as Otto Dix and Hannah Höch.

I should admit, it is a very calm space to enjoy thought-provoking art and learn how Berlin’s history has shaped its creativity.

The rest of the day I have spent strolling around the Museum Island. I love this area so much! Surrounded by grand neoclassical buildings like the Altes Museum, Pergamon Museum and Berlin Cathedral, the whole area feels like an open-air gallery.

It was a good time in Berlin, and I would love to come here for another weekend very soon. I would say, you never really "finish" seeing Berlin. Museums, galleries, monuments, hidden bars, flea markets, rooftop views or just streets, which can be elegant or full of chaos here. So many things to see, to experience and to admire.

Full of nice experiences and with Pretzel in hands I am on the way back to cozy and romantic Prague. 

Berliner Weekend. Day1

Another attempt to pal up with Berlin. The first one was almost a year ago, and at that time I have noticed that the city was very diverse, but quite gloomy and not very friendly.

I came to Berlin with the train. I think we even do not have any direct flights from Prague. However, if you set off early in the morning, you would still most probably feel sleepy, so you can sleep on the train some hours.

The spring has just come to the city. Not much greenery and leaves on the trees.

Wide streets in the city centre. Very pedestrian-friendly, with large sidewalks, bike lanes, and well-marked crossings.

Here is the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. A powerful symbol of the destruction of war and the resilience of peace. It was largely destroyed in a bombing raid in 1943 during World War II, but nowadays it is preserved in its ruined state as a memorial to remind the horrors of war.

I am staying at SORAT hotel, a small, cozy city hotel in a prime location directly on Wittenbergplatz, located in Berlin's Schoneberg district, at the edge of the famous shopping boulevard Kurfurstendamm. One of the main attractions here is the iconic KaDeWe (Kaufhaus des Westens), a Berlin institution and the largest department store in continental Europe.

The late lunch I had in some traditional restaurant. And in that traditional restaurant I tried the traditional food - the Schnitzel. To tell the truth, Schnitzel originated in Austria. But it has become a beloved and widespread dish in German cuisine too. In Germany, the most common version is Schnitzel "Wiener Art" (Viennese-style Schnitzel), usually made with pork instead of veal. The Schnitzel was served here with potato salad (Kartoffelsalat). Very delicious and very heavy :-)

The day was not finished with Schnitzel, of course. After having a nap at the hotel I had a long walking in the neighborhood of Wittenbergplatz, visiting many local bars. Yet, the night life in Berlin is more exciting than the daylight life.

The Swiss Alps

Early in the morning I have started my excursion to the Alps. Waking up so early is another opportunity to see the empty Cathedral square and admire the interiors of deserted Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, but I was still sleepy.

So, the part of our journey was a 3-hour trip on a bus to the town St.Moritz in Switzerland, where the red train should be awaiting for us.

The city of St. Moritz, surrounded by Alps peaks towering 3000 meters, is located at 1822 meters above sea level. And with a population of 5000 it is considered to be one of the world’s richest places. Another interesting fact about the city is that it has twice hosted the Winter Olympics, in 1928 and 1948.

After a break for lunch at St.Moritz we finally boarded the train. And our marvelous journey through the mountains has started...

During our trip we were allowed to open the windows to make our pictures more clear. It was freezing cold in the carriage, but nobody complained.

We had a 2.5 hour trip on a train, which delivered us to the Italian city of Tirano, where we continued our journey back to Milano by bus.

In short, it was amazing experience. I have never been in the Alps before, but now I have a strong desire to come back here and enjoy the scenery during the different seasons. Hope, I can do it very soon.