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Bad Wilsnack
Under the sea… Autumn is officially here and I’m cold. If you are feeling the chill, I know the perfect place to warm yourselves up. Bad Wilsnack is an hour by train from Berlin, but still in Brandenburg State, so you can get a nice cheap ticket (€23) for yourself and four friends as long as you travel together. [A sneaky insiders tip: sit on the right side of the train and look out of the window just after you leave the main bit of Berlin and you can get a lucky glimpse into the naked world of men who like to wander around without clothing and sunbathe. I was a little shocked…
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Erfurt – right in the middle of Germany
Listen to your heart… Erfurt is the capital of Thuringia and just about the most centrally geographically part of Germany you can find yourself in – so it’s often called the ‘heart of Germany’. I’d heard of this city before, but only really the name. We were recommended it by some friends and after a wonderful day in Leipzig we thought it would be rude not to pop in and check out this place, especially as it’s famous for sausages!! This city is typically German, there were few tourists even in the peak summer season and those visitors we saw were German, so there were no English-language tours. The city (town?) is tiny…
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Leipzig – a wonderful day out
Das Essen soll zuerst das Augeerfreuen und dann den Magen [feast the eyes before feeding the stomach] . – Goethe My Japanese grandmother spends around two summer months in England every year, as Tokyo is just too hot and humid to breathe in, let alone live in. Once again she came to visit us in Berlin and this time we wanted to grab a car and see a new part of Germany, so off to Leipzig we went. We actually accidentally timed our arrival at 13:30 perfectly, as it was the beginning of the English-language walking and bus tour. It was around 35 degrees and blinding sunshine, so a quick…
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Sacrower See
The Big Bad Wolf… Known as possibly the ‘best water quality of all the lakes in and around Berlin‘, Sacrower See is just half an hour drive from the capital towards Potsdam. It’s a bit of a hidden gem that only the locals know about, so even on a boiling hot Sunday we managed to find a perfect spot on the sandy beach and have a picnic/ swim-fest. It felt like a holiday. Once you manage to get into the freezing cold water, you can swim out to wonderful views and the water is beautifully clear. There’s even a little restaurant and chip/ ice cream stand when you get peckish.…
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Pfaueninsel – Peacock Island
Last week, we finally paid a visit to a tourist spot for the locals in Berlin… the UNESCO World Heritage Site — Pfaueninsel (Peacock Island). The island is located in the middle of Havel river in Wannsee, just in the south-west of Berlin and not too far from the L&A headquarters. In order to get to the island, you have to have to take a bus (or cycle) from Wannsee station to a small jetty where a ferry pops back and forth over the 200m stretch of water between the mainland and island every few minutes. It costs just 4 EUR for a return trip on the ferry, and it is your only…
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The Spreewald
You’re beautiful… After deciding to stay at the ridiculous pickled gherkin barrel accommodation, we had to find something to do in the local area of the Spreewald. Luckily, there are lots of things to choose from and it’s a stunning area to check out just one hour outside of Berlin. The main town is Luebbenau and it’s small enough to walk everywhere. This UNESCO area is full of lakes, forests and canals. Bike rental is available on every corner and there are ample bike lanes and routes to choose from. You absolutely cannot leave without being punted on the canals. It was lovely just floating slowly along the water. The trip lasts…
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Sleeping in a Cucumber Barrel
As cool as a cucumber… Well, we did it yet again. We saw the most hilarious accommodation ever and decided to visit the surrounding area because of it. Yup, you guessed it, we stayed in a pickled gherkin barrel (Gurkenfass) in the Spreewald, a UNESCO area just one hour south of Berlin by car. I have to say I was a bit apprehensive of four people squashing together in one of these little vessels and when the owner suggested we take two huts we nearly caved in, but it’s an adventure and I thought it would be a giggle with Jason and I on the bottom and my brother and his…
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Müritz National Park – The perfect weekend trip from Berlin
I will give you 24 hours baby… We love exploring and finding new things in Berlin, however even in London we used to grab our stuff, jump in the car and go off to somewhere random for the weekend. We have carried on this tradition in Germany too and luckily for you this is one wonderful trip we are going to share with you all. I think it may have actually been my favourite mini-trip in Germany yet! We rented a car and drove up to Waren, a small town in the UNESCO area of the Müritz National Park. The drive up was pretty in surroundings and pretty crazy in weather…
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Potsdam – a wonderful day trip from Berlin
We’re all going on a summer holiday… We tell all our guests to go to Potsdam – it’s a beautiful town with an amazing summer palace surrounded by enormous parks just one hour from the centre of Berlin. We often pop down there for a walk on a sunny day and can only recommend it to you all. Last time we started our wanderings from Potsdam Park Sanssouci station, which starts you off bang in the middle of the park. You go via the forests and fields up towards the Sanssouci Palace. On your way you will see a windmill, ice cream shop for those necessary snacks and plenty of…