Four fantastic cultural visits in Berlin

Hello dear readers! I hope you had a great weekend. Ours was very nice and the weather was kind to us. Thursday was a bank holiday and, for many of us, it was a long weekend.

We got away to a picturesque Swiss town and visited an old friend, Mr Charlie Chaplin... I will tell to you all about that later. Okay?

For now, I leave you with four fantastic suggestions for cultural visits in Berlin. Two museums, one palace and an open air gallery.

Note that there is a day ticket that allows you to visit several museums in one day for an attractive price. However, I would not recommend more than two museums per day because you will not have the time to enjoy the exhibits at their just value. Personally I prefer quality rather than quantity!

Pergamonmuseum

The Pergamonmuseum is a fascinating window onto the ancient world. The three-wing complex unites classical sculpture and monumental architecture from Greece, Rome, Babylon and the Middle East.

Note that the Museum is undergoing renovation works. The Pergamon Altar is closed to the public until 2019.

The Market Gate of Miletus is a large marble monument built in Miletus in the 2^nd century AD and destroyed in an earthquake in the 10^th or 11^th century. In the early 1900s, it was excavated, rebuilt, and placed on display in the museum.

Roman Emperor Statue

A Lamassu in the Assyrian Room

Assyrian Lion Sculpture in the Assyrian Room

NEUES MUSEUM

The Neues Museum was built between 1843 and 1855 and it was closed at the beginning of WW2, it was heavily damaged during the bombing of Berlin. The rebuilding was overseen by an English architect and the museum officially reopened in October 2009. Exhibits include the Egyptian and Prehistory and Early History collections. The artifacts it houses the iconic bust of the Egyptian queen Nefertiti.

Egyptian Courtyard

“Fourteen murals conveyed an impression of the sites of the ancient monuments in the Nile Valley in the former Egyptian courtyard which emulated a temple courtyard of the New Kingdom…”

Colossal statue of Helios

Colossal statue of a goddess

Egyptian Tombs Room: Sarcophagus of the general Pede-Esi, Sarcophagus of Meryt, official of auxiliary forces, Highpriest of Rê, Sarcophagus of Hori, Highpriest of Memphis

Schloss Charlottenburg

Is an exquisite baroque palace and one of the few sites in Berlin that still reflects the one-time grandeur of the royal Hohenzollern clan, who ruled from 1415 until 1918.

Golden Gallery originally known as the Grand Gallery, is one of the most important creations of rococo interior design from the reign of Frederick the Great. It is a magnificent example of the decorative arts of the 18^th century.

The Belvedere King Frederick William II of Prussia had the small garden palace built as a place for private retreat in 1788. Inside is displayed one of the most important collections of Berlin porcelain art worldwide.

The Mausoleum, the burial place of the Hohenzollern family, following the sudden death of Queen Luise of Prussia King Frederick William III had this mausoleum built for his beloved wife at the end of a pine avenue in 1810 in the style of a Doric temple.

The Monument for Queen Luise of Prussia, made between 1811 and 1814, is artistically the most significant.

East Side Gallery

The Berlin Wall is a 1.3 km long international memorial to freedom. And the world’s largest open air-mural collection, the Gallery consists of 105 paintings by artists from all over the world.

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.