Berlin

12 and a half years after getting my German GCSE I finally got to it try out when I visited Berlin this week. I've been meaning to visit for a long time, especially as my younger sister was living there recently and absolutely fell in love with the city, and as people often draw comparisons between Berlin and Bristol, the city I now call home.
Finally I found the time to go, though not enough time as it turns out. We were looking forward to a break after working very hard and putting up with a freezing flat at the start of this year, so we booked ourselves into a posh hotel and packed our bags.
We turned up late on Wednesday and headed straight out for food. Bizarrely, we could find not a single place to eat, and after wandering many quiet streets we gave up and headed back to our hotel. Luckily where we were staying was clean, comfy and cosy, and some consolation.
After a good sleep we stepped onto Berlin's streets again, wandering hungrily for a little too long until we finally stopped at a cafe and filled our bellies with good food. We were surprised at how cheap our meals were. We made it to Ku'damm and sat down in another cafe, this time with a beer. After a swim in the hotel pool we headed north to take in the graffiti and hang out by the river, and ate at a wonderful sushi place where we were treated to no less than 34 pieces of sushi, and after drinks our bill still came to less than £20! We ended the night in a studenty area, drinking strong, tasty vodka based drinks and taking a taxi back to our lovely hotel.
We began the next day at the Turkish market in Kreuzburg, where we bought lots of edible treats, then sat in a Turkish cafe eating baklava, once again surprised by how cheap it is to eat in Berlin. Wandering the streets of Kreuzburg, eating and drinking beer took up the rest of the afternoon, and after a stop in the Topography of Terror museum, we were ready for another swim, sauna and spa. In the evening we visited Checkpoint Charlie, which was really expensive but really really interesting.
Berlin is a place crammed full of history, shopping and graffiti. It is culturally very diverse, despite its chequered past, and must be a wonderful place to be a student. I loved the metro, the food and the street art. Next time, I want to visit more museums, hire a bike and hang out in the sunshine. A few days is just not long enough.