Holidays

[faraway saint]

15 minutes ago, linwood buddie said:

Does Drew skateboard? well I never.

Naw, as I clearly indicated, ya trumpet.

[Sonny]

38 minutes ago, Drew said:

We've booked up for a very short city break in Berlin next month. Much cheapness, and only 2 nights, so only really one full day to see the sights.

I wouldn't normally only go for a couple of days but this was costing the same as a couple of nights in a hotel here, so we thought we'd go for it.

So.....

Berlin in a day, anyone? We've worked out a rough itinerary based on suggestions from a Lonely Planet guidebook, but I was wondering if anyone has any must see recommendations.

Berlin is a city I've always been keen to visit, so this will give us a brief flavour, with the hope that we'll be enticed to return.

Fantastic City. I was there for a week and still did not get round the places I wanted to visit. An Open Top bus is possibly the best way to see many famous locations.

There are plenty of things to see along and off the Unter den Linden (main drag!) - with the Brandenburg Gate dominating. All within walking distance but you may have a long day and sore feet at the end of it.

Dom - the Cathedral; Memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe; Reichstag: Tiergarten

Or along Friedrichstrasse to Checkpoint Charlie and Topography of Terror - museum built where Gestapo headquarters used to be.

And the Sony Centre at Potsdamer Platz.

The above are just a smidgeon of what is available but would take all day to visit just them! Will guarantee you will want to return after your weekend taster - enjoy!

(PS East Side Gallery, The Jewish Museum, Kaiser Wilhelm Church are also worth a visit but you won't get to see them all in 1 day as they are further out however the public transport system in Berlin is probably the best on the planet.)

 

 

Edited August 8, 2017 by Sonny

[Drew]

Aye, its a very short trip. Flights and a hotel for £170 (in total for both of us), though. Difficult to knock back. We'll be eating out, so that's an excuse to have a few beers.

Reckon it'll be the Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate, and Holocaust Memorial, with a few other bits and pieces thrown in before dinner.

Edited August 8, 2017 by Drew

[Drew]

2 minutes ago, Sonny said:

Fantastic City. I was there for a week and still did not get round the places I wanted to visit. An Open Top bus is possibly the best way to see many famous locations.

There are plenty of things to see along and off the Unter den Linden (main drag!) - with the Brandenburg Gate dominating. All within walking distance but you may have a long day and sore feet at the end of it.

Dom - the Cathedral; Memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe; Reichstag: Tiergarten

Or along Friedrichstrasse to Checkpoint Charlie and Topography of Terror - museum built where Gestapo headquarters used to be.

And the Sony Centre at Potsdamer Platz.

The above are just a smidgeon of what is available but would take all day to visit just them! Will guarantee you will want to return after your weekend taster - enjoy!

(PS East Side Gallery, The Jewish Museum, Kaiser Wilhelm Church are also worth a visit but you won't get to see them all in 1 day as they are further out however the public transport system in Berlin is probably the best on the planet.)

 

 

Cheers pal. Lots of great suggestions in there. We'll definitely go back. Flights from Glasgow are cheap, so will sort something else out after this taster.

[Sonny]

1 minute ago, Drew said:

Cheers pal. Lots of great suggestions in there. We'll definitely go back. Flights from Glasgow are cheap, so will sort something else out after this taster.

I think my return flight was about £70 and I stayed in a 'business' hotel in East Berlin near the railway that takes you to the airport and near a tram stop that takes you into Alexander Platz in East Berlin and then into the Unter den Linden. Hotel room for £40 a night. I was sharing with a mate so £140 for Hotel for the week, £70 for flights and a travel pass that cost 30 euros (valid on all trains, buses, trams and subways). That was 4 years ago. Bargain.

[FTOF]

14 minutes ago, Drew said:

Aye, its a very short trip. Flights and a hotel for £170 (in total for both of us), though. Difficult to knock back. We'll be eating out, so that's an excuse to have a few beers.

Reckon it'll be the Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate, and Holocaust Memorial, with a few other bits and pieces thrown in before dinner.

I wouldn't bother spending too much time at Checkpoint Charlie.

It's extremely touristy and it's a reconstruction of the original checkpoint in a different position from where it was originally.

I was in Berlin for a week and still didn't visit half the things I wanted to see.

The first thing the guy in the hotel told me was to avoid German cuisine as it was shit, when I told him that I was looking forward to sampling the local dishes.

 

[Guest TPAFKATS]

5 euros for 500ml beer in Vilamoura, Portugal at start of July.
Was in Budapest earlier in year, came back with money. Don't think I spent more than £2.50 a 'pint'.

[faraway saint]

3 minutes ago, TPAFKATS said:

5 euros for 500ml beer in Vilamoura, Portugal at start of July.
Was in Budapest earlier in year, came back with money. Don't think I spent more than £2.50 a 'pint'.

You done well making a pint last you all week.

[FTOF]

12 minutes ago, TPAFKATS said:

5 euros for 500ml beer in Vilamoura, Portugal at start of July.
Was in Budapest earlier in year, came back with money. Don't think I spent more than £2.50 a 'pint'.

Budapest is ridiculously cheap.

We had four nights in a stupendous hotel that was cheaper than two nights in the Edinburgh Sheraton, and had better facilities.

As you say, it was difficult to spend your money.

[pozbaird]

Loved Berlin. A must-do is to eat cake and have a coffee and buy chocolates at Fassbender & Rausch in Gendarmenmarkt..... https://www.rausch.de/en/schokoladenhaus/

Brandenburg Gate was smaller than I always thought from seeing on TV but was great. Very atmospheric.

The DDR museum was very good, as was the German History Museum.

Way, way too many places to mention them all. The food was great, the people were great. An absolute ton of stuff to see and do. Loved the place. 

Edited August 10, 2017 by pozbaird

[salmonbuddie]

I was in Berlin in 1976, really must get back and see it again, I hear it's changed a bit since then.

[zurich_allan]

I wanted to go to the moon, but I've heard there's not much of an atmosphere...

...I'll get my coat...

[Guest TPAFKATS]

I wanted to go to the moon, but I've heard there's not much of an atmosphere...

...I'll get my coat...

Will you need your coat if there's no atmosphere?

[faraway saint]

If your up north, Ballater, this might be worth a visit.

We used it plenty of times in the not too distant past but it really was run down.

Now, after over £2m being spent I'm sure it'll be well worth a visit..................

The Balmoral Arms hotel in Ballater has opened to the public following its £2.2million refurbishment.

[Rascal]

On 8/11/2017 at 4:05 AM, salmonbuddie said:

I was in Berlin in 1976, really must get back and see it again, I hear it's changed a bit since then.

I have visited Berlin a couple of times. A Big, busy city. Lots to do if you like ticking things off your list but not one of my favourite European Cities. My favourite German speaking city is Vienna. Magnificent.

[faraway saint]

One of the downsides of going on holiday is weight gain.

6lbs added on for me in a week. 

[Rascal]

Travelled so much with work that holidays at home were welcomed. I liked Zanzibar. Clear waters of the Indian Ocean, nice beaches, traditional fishing and yoga classes on the beach outside my room. 

[faraway saint]

^^^^ Like a bad smell. 

[Rascal]

13 minutes ago, faraway saint said:

^^^^ Like a bad smell. 

Has someone told you at last? Regular showers and cutting back on the booze might help.

[Rascal]

One place that isn’t on most peoples places to visit on holiday but is well worth it is Muscat in Oman. I’ve stayed at a few of these hotels. If you want sun, sand and great hospitality as well as warm sea water it’s hard to beahttps://luxuryhotel.guru/muscat-oman/five_star/t.