Review: Berlin & Burgermeister

Over the weekend Boy and I spent a quick 24 hours in Berlin. There's so much more I feel we could've seen and would love to go back!

We both finished work late on Friday, leaving a measly 3 hour snooze before our friendly taxi whisked us along the M25 to Gatwick.

After a pit stop for breakfast we bundled onto the plane and took our seats. Flying over London just as daylight was breaking was a pretty impressive view. All those lights over the City looked like something straight from a movie.

We landed in Berlin just as snow started to fall and took a brisk walk to the train station half reading train timetables and half zipping up and tucking in every single layer of clothing possible.

First stop, the Fernsehturm in Alexanderplatz, Berlin's TV tower. Impressive 360 degree views from 368m up.

When we got back down to ground level we decided to start walking in the general direction of Kreuzberg for a lunch stop. Although we never seem to learn, the walk was much longer that it seemed on the map.

By this time we were ravenous and only one thing would do, Burgermeister. I'd heard great things about this little burger stand and after all the walking it was high time for some refuelling.

A small kiosk sheltered from the winter chill by its surrounding stickered fence, perched between a road and a U-bahn station. At first we did a couple of laps around to find the door, there was no way of seeing through all the stickers. Another couple must have taken pity on us and pointed to a small opening for us to push open.

Inside, a small kitchen and standing eating area and a few gas heaters dotted around. Full mostly of Berliner's, and very few tourists.

Boy and I ordered a cheeseburger, BBQ bacon burger and fries to share at the hatch, was presented with an order number and left to wiggle into a cosy (chilled) corner to wait for our food.

I'd say we waited around 10 minutes for our order, which isn't bad considering everything was cooked fresh from order.

Hand formed patties were perfectly cooked and seasoned. The brioche bun was perhaps my most favourite date. It may sound strange to say, but I've always found that brioche is always better outside of the UK. Grilled to perfection, a good balance between soft and grilled just enough to hold the integrity of the burger together.

Slightly warmed and content with burger lined stomachs, we took a short train ride back towards the centre of town to visit the next landmarks on our list.

Checkpoint Charlie was surreal and a bit strange that fragments of Berlin Wall were sold in a gift shop. Its strange to think of only how recently the wall between East and West had fallen and to have stepped over the cobbled border line.

Next, the Holocaust Memorial. 2711 columns form a maze-like memorial for the murdered Jews during the Holocaust. It was pretty moving to walk through the columns as they grew inside, think about those gas chambers.

Chilled and exhausted from our sightseeing, we stopped at a small restaurant local to our hotel for dinner. I ordered Bratwust with potatoes and Boy a Currywurst.

We stayed in Steigenberger am Kanzleramt, just round the corner from Berlin Hbf station. The hotel was gorgeous, ultra modern and possibly the best night sleep I've had in a hotel.

Unfortunately, it seemed a little remote and a long walk/train journey away from any other the restaurants I'd put on my list to try!