Where to stay in Berlin? The Ritz-Carlton

It's been months since our last holiday abroad. We were really longing to escape from our normal routine. No stress, no planning, just to enjoy exploring this culturally rich city and unwind.

We stayed at the Ritz-Carlton, a chic, modern and, yet, old fashioned luxury hotel located in the Mitte quarter - near the main attractions and the iconic places to visit.

We occupied a spacious Deluxe bedroom with a panoramic view of Potsdamer Platz: very comfortable calm and classy.

We loved the large and luxurious marble tiled bathroom.

We were spoilt by the Asprey bath products...they smelled heavenly.

One of the things I truly enjoy is having a look around a hotel; it always feels like visiting a new home…

We loved the décor: everything is grandiose and takes you back to the old days. The charming corridors and the ostentatious stairway.

The sophisticated afternoon tea is served in the lounge, accompanied by live piano music. Sadly, sweetheart is not a fan, so we skipped it...

However, we both love authentic French cuisine... So, on the first night, we headed to the Restaurant Desbrosses, the hotel’s very own French brasserie with authentic furnishings salvaged from France. They serve delicious sustainable, regional and seasonal dishes.  Sweetheart described the cuisine as “French fusion”.

The European American breakfast was a moment of pure delight: each day we chose a different menu since the choice was varied.

Toasting our first holiday abroad of 2016 at the Curtain Club. We had an “Old Cuban” and an “Old Fashioned”

On subsequent visits we also tried the “Manhattan”, “Negroni” and “Moscow Mule” cocktails.

The small and cute fitness centre with pool and Jacuzzi.

The pleasant dressing room.

All in all, we enjoyed staying at the Ritz-Carlton. The service was friendly and efficient and here they don't skimp on quality!!

The Ritz-Carlton Berlin

Potsdamer Platz 3

10785 Berlin

Tel.: +49 30 337 777

Liebes Berlin

Last month we spent a sublime holiday in Berlin. The weather was magnificent, mainly fine and beautiful, contrary to the forecasts.

Because of this we decided to visit everything on foot, which is easy to do, since Berlin is a pleasant city to wander around. The avenues are wide and long, with their names clearly visible. The streets are very calm and uncluttered, with an absence of stressed people and no confusion. This was a surprise and a real pleasure.

For this review of Berlin I am writing how I felt about this famous city. There is no use trying to explain the city's history to you as it has already being well documented.

This time, I did not go to Germany to visit family and friends, but rather to have a romantic break and to get to know and explore Berlin. It was really splendid. Sweetheart and I thoroughly enjoyed our stay and we found the Berliners to be very friendly, attentive, open and efficient (yes, the latter is also important for me!!).

Thus, over the coming days, I will talk about our holiday: visits to museums and a palace, traditional restaurants and our divine hotel.

But, first of all, a tour of the city and its historic monuments - I hope you will enjoy it and I wish you a lovely week.

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. It is possible to walk in this pleasant labyrinth among the concrete slabs.

Brandenburg Gate is a triumphal arch in Berlin, and one of the best-known landmarks of Germany.

St. Hedwig's Cathedral is a beautiful Roman Catholic cathedral and its interior is very original. It is the seat of the archbishop of Berlin.

The Neo-Renaissance Berlin Cathedral and its amazing dome. It is located on Museum Island in the Mitte quarter.

I loved the rear view of the Neue Wache, converted into a war memorial since 1931. Inside there is a touching sculpture "Mother with her Dead Son".

Potsdamer Platz is the Berlin equivalent of New York's Time Square. This important public square is near the Brandenburg Gate and the German Parliament Building and close to the huge Tiergarten park.

The futurist roof of the Sony Center at night...

In the evening we came across Checkpoint Charlie, which was the name given by the Western Allies to the best-known crossing point between East and West Berlin during the Cold War.

Goethe statue in the Tiergarten, a huge urban park...

The Reichstag (German Parliament Building)...

A nice walk to the Museum Island...

Me at the Roman archaeology section of the extraordinary Pergamon Museum.

Berliner beer - a delicious “must try”.

Charlottenburg Palace is the largest surviving royal palace in Berlin.

Ruin of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, not rebuilt as a reminder of WW2, and its splendid interior...

Entrance to the Berlin Zoo, the first zoo in Germany which houses the widest variety of species of animals in the world.

East Side Gallery is a 1.3 km long international memorial to freedom. The Gallery consists of 105 paintings by artists from all over the world, painted in 1990 on the east side of the Berlin Wall.

The Oberbaum Bridge is a double-deck bridge crossing Berlin's River Spree, an important symbol of Berlin’s unity, and one of the city's landmarks. 

The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant (2014)

When Addie Baum’s 22-year-old granddaughter asks her about her childhood, Addie realises the moment has come to relive the full history that shaped her.

Addie Baum was a Boston girl, born in 1900 to immigrant Jewish parents who lived a very modest life. But Addie’s intelligence and curiosity propelled her towards a more modern path. Addie wanted to finish high school and to go to college. She wanted a career, to find true love. She wanted to escape the confines of her family - and she did.

Author: Anita Diamant is an American author who was born on 27 June 1951. She has so far published five novels. “The Boston Girl” is a New York Times bestseller. She has also published guides on contemporary Jewish themes.

My thoughts: I read “The Boston Girl” last month, but I first came across this book last summer in a book fair. Sadly, I didn't pay attention to it back then. Since then, I've heard good things about it and now I would recommend it to everyone! If I had to use one word to describe “The Boston Girl” it would be “captivating”. It is such a lovely book and very easy to read. Addie, now aged 85, tells her life story to her granddaughter, Ava: her education, friends, family, love affairs, happy marriage, jobs, hopes and struggles... Basically, she grew up in the early 1900s in the USA as a poor Jewish immigrant from Eastern Europe. “The Boston Girl” is a work of fiction, but it feels so real. Addie’s story is quite simple and gentle, but extremely absorbing. Whilst reading it I was reminded of “Angela's Ashes” by Frank McCourt. If you allow me to use one of my bizarre expressions, this book “reads like a candy”.

Strawberry Buttermilk Cake

At the end of March I saw this great fruit cake recipe in Monica's blog “Playing with flour”. I loved it and wanted to try it straightaway, which I did the following day. This is a simple little cake: easy to make and scandalously good.  It is the perfect combination of all the ingredients, with its softened strawberries and a hint of lemon.   I have slightly adapted Monica's recipe.

Bake this cake in a 20 cm diameter pan, since it's a thin cake (I actually used a 23 cm tin).

Ingredients

130g all-purpose flour

2g baking powder

2g baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

56g salted butter, softened

130g sugar

1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1 vanilla pod

1 large egg

118ml buttermilk

10 medium-sized fresh strawberries, sliced in half (I used 5 because my strawberries were big and sweet, but regret doing so because they shrank when cooked, so I advise you to use 10)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 190 °C. Lightly butter and flour the cake pan. Line the bottom of the pan with a round of greaseproof paper for easier removal later.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 

In another bowl, whisk together the butter and sugar. Add the lemon zest.  Beat the mixture at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Add the vanilla, then the egg. Beat well.

At low speed, mix the dry ingredients with the buttermilk in several batches. Mix until just combined and smooth. Scrape the batter into the cake pan, spreading it out and smoothing the top.  Place the fresh strawberry halves, cut-side down, evenly around the top.

Bake until the cake is golden (about 20-25 minutes).  Remove from the oven, place on a wire rack and let the cake cool for about 15 minutes in the pan. Carefully remove the cake from the pan and let it cool further on the wire rack.  For me, this cake is best served at room temperature.

Serves 8

A massive thanks to Monica!