Through The Keen Eyes of a Tourist.

Amongst the over-eating and German-improving, I have fallen in love with Berlin and am sad to be leaving it with a feeling that I haven't even scratched the surface of the history it has to offer. While I have been living here as a citizen I have been doing the mundane things of learning/U Bahn commuting/S Bahn commuting/food shopping/eating/shopping lots, but those things wouldn't make for an interesting post, so instead I thought I'd focus on a small Tourismu Guide for Berlin.

It's a city of the utmost culture and history, varying from record shops to fleamarkets to museums to churches to ruins to castles; you name it and Berlin will have it. As a tourist, it really is a haven. Here lies an abundance of not only cheap cafes, but cheap hostels, cheap bars, and cheap(ish) tourist attractions. With my Lonely Planet Pocket Guide in hand and citymaps2go app in the other, I have been trying to wade my way through the various museums of Museum Island and the lesser known art galleries.

My parents surprised me this weekend in Berlin as they moved in (not with me, in a gorgeous hotel in the KuDam area) for a few days, and I made the most of my expertise and showed them around the main tourist hotspots (some of which you can read about in my last post) including*:

*I have provided links to each of the websites for the museums so you can read a bit more about them as my information is bound to be a bit sparse.

The DDR Museum

Located next to the Berliner Dom, parallel to the Spree River, which costs a mere €6 entry fee. It's been heralded as the most interactive museum in Berlin, which makes it great for kids and school groups. This, unfortunately, means that peak times must be avoided as it's a small space with lots to do and learn about so make sure you go early in the day and preferably on a weekday!

 Here you can learn all about the DDR rule over Ost Berlin and I loved it, and not just because I could smell DDR vodka and hold DDR pears (see above).

The East Side Gallery

This piece-of-history-turned-art-gallery is a must see in Berlin. Free of charge and completely outdoors, I can recommend combining this with a walking tour of Kreuzberg (the area of Berlin which sits opposite the gallery on the other side of the river) after lunch.

Kreuzberg has an abundance of cafes and if the sun is shining then the riverbanks are full of sunbathing Berliners. The gallery is really striking and is the largest remaining piece of the Wall left in the city - if you're cheeky then you can maybe etch your name into the wall like all the other tourists...I used the Kotti Tor U Bahn but there are closer stations too. See the link above for proper details! 

Dad and I. Happier post-strudel-and-beer.

A Boat Trip!

Okay, you caught me, after 30 blog posts and several trips, I can now admit that I am a massive tourist. Camera in hand with a map and a coffee, I have taken the world by storm. One tourist trap at a time, and as a tourist, I am a sucker for a good boat trip.

At only €11 per person, and beer and pastries served on board, this boat tour along the Spree was a great way to spend the afternoon on Saturday. As a new tourist, this trip will help you get your bearings - boats depart every half hour from various platforms both outside the DDR Museum and Hauptbahnhof (which is accessible for wheelchairs).

Even More Wall

Again, free of charge and perfect for a summer day - the Berlin Wall Memorial in the north of the city provides a great amount of history about the wall and is very educational. Frequented by fewer tourists, it begins at the Nordbahnhof station that played an important part in the wall's existence. Lacking in cafes but audio guides and features in abundance.

KW Institute for Contemporary Art

For €6, the art in this small gallery is unmissable. I had to give it a mention as not only is the gallery itself brilliant (I saw another Grayson Perry tapestry and swooned. Again.) it is located in a fantastic part of the city where every other 'shop' is a gallery in disguise, with all of them being free. Stop by the 'Milch Hutte' for cheesecake and chai lattes galore before heading off on your art afternoon - you shan't be disappointed.

Perganom Museum

And finally, if you're pushed for time but aching for some Real Culture, than the Perganom Museum is the only museum on Museum Island that I would visit. Admittedly I am not one for architecture or ancient history (gulp, I know how awful that sounds..) but this was well worth the trip. It sits at the northern tip of the island and is famous for the Perganom Altar which stands in the middle of the museum.

For us, there was renovation being undertaken, but the new exhibition is due to open in June. This may be more for the parents than for the kids, but I really enjoyed learning about just how this museum came to be, and the permanent Islamic art exhibition on the 3rd floor isn't to be missed.

And if, like me, your attention span is waning but you are still keen to attempt to learn, the audio guides (as in the other museums of Museum Island) are totally free. Ignore how ridiculous you may look and grab your headphones - you won't regret it.

Dive in, and, unlike London, have your wallet handy. The museums are wonderful but if you're a budding budgeter then pick wisely - museum 3 day passes start from €19 and cover most of the main museums on the Island. Enjoy!

Copenhagen/It's A Cure All Too.

So, my third and final gap year trip has commenced and I have found myself in Denmark - on the Zealand island, in Roskilde, to be precise. I am just a half hour train journey from Copenhagen and am learning to call the snow, the gorgeous people, and the near-death experiences with bikes home.

Copenhagen is the threes Cs: clean, character-full, and classy. All over. It’s exactly what the postcards suggest; a biking, foody, time-captured city with the most beautiful buildings and people to match. Lucy (full time Theology student at Leeds, part-time writer at Diva and my partner in crime) is visting from home for a week while we house-sit in Roskilde, and together we’ve been losing ourselves – quite literally – in Denmark’s capital city.

Blog, meet Lucy. Lucy, meet the internet.

Copenhagen has much to offer tourists, including a fabulous aray of museums and art galleries, shops, and lots of sight-seeing themed around 'The Killing' and Sarah Lund's fabulous jumpers. It is cold at the moment, and the cold season can last up to mid-May, so while Springtime is more the low season for tourists thus making it more attractive, wrap up warm and don the hat, gloves and scarf combo.

Already we have spent hours just walking around the city and looking at the architecture, while diving intermittently into coffee shops and bars to warm ourselves up, and this is most certainly a 'Look Up' kind of place. For the most aesthetically pleasing, you may want to head over to Nyhavn (translates as 'new harbour' - the Danes are very blatant) for the most colourful houses. The canal is lined with both restaurants and boat trips, both of which were heaving despite the sub zero temperatures. 

When in Copenhagen, do make sure to visit Rundtaaran, the city's answer to the Eiffel Tower, which gives you a bird eye's view of the skyline and across to Sweden for a mere 25kr. Furthermore, don't waste your energy walking to the Little Mermaid. I know, I know, and for this I am sorry, but do go for a drink in Norrebro or into Christiania for an alternative afternoon and skip this attraction - I think the bus loads of disappointed tourists we saw would agree. Do visit Christianborg Slot, and wander into Ameliaborg (the Queen's winter residence) to watch the changing of the guards. And finally, do take a free visit into Fredrik's Church for a bit of Theology-themed-sight-seeing.

Fredrik's Church - free viewing inside.

Lucy fangirling over the government building that 'FEATURED IN THE KILLING!' (that was me imitating Lucy's screeching..)

Nyhavn!

We took Copenhagen by storm, using the trains from Roskilde to get into the city. I have been very shocked  at the price of living here, and while Scandinavia is one of my favourite places (gay equality! Female prime minister! A minimum wage nearly triple the UK's! I could go on!) the cost of a coffee may set you back over £5 and the train fare was no mean feat either. I would definitely take that into account because, while Denmark has been a lot of fun, the cost is not wonderful for students on a budget. I'm not surprised that these cities are omitted on the interrailing trail...but overall, Copenhagen's attractions, pastries, and open-faced sandwiches get a big thumbs up from us. But a thumbs down from our wallets.

Horsing around in Churchill Parken.

Sorry Mermaid, but you get a big thumbs down from us.