Berlin, Day 4

After a couple of days in Berlin, we decided to do a self-guided graffiti walking tour through the city.  We thought it'd be a great idea to walk from our hostel in Kreuzberg all the way to the Eastside gallery.  We were wrong.  After a solid 4km walk I was starting to get quite hungry, and so we stopped off at this burger place we walked, whose name I just cannot remember.  But here are the burgers - they were brill!

 

How cool are the door tables?

No one can look good whilst tucking into a big old burger, but those veggie burgers were delish.  Well worth it.  And only cost something in the real of €3, so were well priced on top of being tasty - a winning combination if you ask me.

But anyway, moving on from burgers.  We saw a heap of graffiti, and I took way too many pictures to put up on here.  So I shall put up some of my favourites, and if you'd like the locations of more then please let me know and I'll try and help.

We went to the Eastside gallery and the Hackesche Höfe to see most of the above pieces.  After more walking I was once again hungry, and managed to find myself some delicious strawberries, after which we went to the Kunsthalle to have a drink.

 

  

Visiting the Jewish memorial is a must do while you're in Berlin. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

 

By the time we made it back to the hostel, we were 2 very tired little vegemites in dire need of more sustenance.  So we walked down the Mehringdamm just around the corner from our hostel, and found an absolute gem of a food place called Amici Amici.  They have a proper sit down restaurant, and next door is a smaller bistro/take away version, which is where we decided to go.  Descriptions can't do the food justice, it was heavenly! And the service was hilarious, truly Italian.

I went for the mini pizza (by no means mini) whereas Chewy opted for the focaccia, both of which were made right in front of our eyes.  The focaccia has all sorts of fresh veggies in it, is then drizzled with olive oil and put in the oven, after which it gets a sprinkling of parmesan and some more olive oil and various herbs, and then its goes into your stomach.  The pizza I had was also incredibly nice, with no shortage of mushrooms.  Yum!

So all in all not the healthiest of days, but we walked it all off right?!

 

The Liquidrom in Berlin

I found this absolute gem of a place after a friend of mine posted photos of it on good old facebook, after she travelled to Berlin as part of a hen's trip.  The photos were enough to make me decide there and then (I think at the time I was in Manila in the Philippines) to go.  

The Liquidrom is a thermal bath type affair, with hot pools, saunas and steam rooms, a relaxing outdoor area, and a bar.  I'll let the photos do the talking.

 

The entrance.  All slate.  Beautiful.

 

This is the outside area.  The sun beds are lovely and tilt back for maximum relaxation!  The little pool is only about a foot deep and heated, just lovely.  

 

I was being 'healthy' with a vodka and cranberry juice, and Chewy had a mojito.  Totally healthy, right?

 

Sitting with my legs in the pool, outside in the sunshine, with a drink in my hand - perfection!

 

If you haven't already decided to go, these next photos will make you want to visit for sure.  The main pool is indoor, with a domed ceiling, and is filled with salt water and heated.  There are pool noodles to help you float if need be, and a lovely chilled soundtrack playing in the background.  The lighting is just amazing, and it is one of the most relaxing places on earth.  I could have spent hours and hours and hours in there.

 

I'll let you in on a little secret.  I was in a bit of a rush in the morning before we left for the Liquidrom, and as a result forgot to pack dry underwear, clever me.  Since my bikini was soaking when we left, I had to go commando.  It was wholly unpleasant.  Fortunately our hostel was only a 10 minute walk away, but it was probably the most uncomfortable walk of my life!

 

So now to some practicalities.  Tickets can be purchased for 2 hours, 4 hours or for a whole day.  We went for the 4 hour option which was a good amount of time to go, but if you can spare the time I would recommend a day ticket.  The Liquidrom can be found in Kreuzberg at Möckernstraße 10, and is easily accessible by the U-Bahn.  Also, we went on a weekday at about 11am.  Apparently on weekends it fills up alot and gets very busy, so I would give you the tip of going during working hours if possible.  They're open really late until 12am or 1am depending on the day, so going after work would be an option too (and a really great way to unwind I would imagine).

Please do visit, it is heaven on earth.  You would never think you were in the middle of Berlin when you're floating around in the pool, or sitting outside on the terrace.  Have you got any recommendations for me for similar places around the world?

Viasko Vegetarian Restaurant, Berlin

Having quickly googled 'vegetarian restaurants Berlin', I soon realised that the hardest thing would be choosing where to go.  So.  Much.  Choice.  

One evening, Chewy, his parents and I set out to Viasko in Kreuzberg.  

How good are the covers of the menus? Every menu seems to have a different cover.  (And they have menus in both English and German by the way, just incase you were getting worried). 

Just as a side note, everything at Viasko is fully vegan.  And things that are gluten free are clearly marked on the menu too. Nice!

So here goes.  I decided on the gyros plate.  It was soy gyros, turkish bread with herb 'butter', cabbage salad, tzatziki, hommus and olives.  The plate was enormous, and I couldn't even finish it all there was so much food!  It was beyond delicious though, and I'm not normally a huge fan of the soy 'meats', but this was incredible.

 

Chewy's dad went for the seitan medallions in mushroom sauce, with beetroot, cellery and violet potatoes.  I am told this was also very tasty!

 

Chewy had the homemade cheese spätzle with smoked tofu and fried onion, alongside baby spinach and radish salad.  I had some of the spätzle and they were also scrumptious!  I was only allowed one mouthful though, no more. 

Last but not least, Chewy's mum chose the sesame risotto with asparagus, and aubergine-walnut rolls.  Chewy managed to nab one of the aubergine-walnut rolls and raved about how tasty it was.  Lucky him.  Apparently the risotto itself was also delightful.

Unfortunately we didn't manage to sit outside, even though it was a lovely summer evening, because we arrived a little bit too late and the place was full.  We got this cute little seat in the corner though, which was hidden away from the hustle and bustle of the restaurant.

 

Viasko was absolutely great!  The waitress was knowledgeable and very friendly, and the food was incredible.  If you find yourself hungry in Berlin, I highly recommend grabbing a friend or 2 and taking them here!  You can find Viasko at Erkelenzdamm 49 by the way.

 

Mustafa's Kebabs, Berlin

The most sensational vegetarian kebabs I have ever had in my life.  I kid you not.

So anyway, one evening we caught up with some friends from Perth when we were in Berlin and had a few drinks.  A good time was had by all.  I had previously been given the recommendation of going to Mustafa's by someone at our hostel in Budapest, and conveniently it was just around the corner from us.  It is one of the best recommendations I have ever gotten, I cannot thank that person enough, and now I just want to share it with you all!

It was so lovely to see some familiar faces from Perth! 

The first time Chewy and I tried to make it to Mustafa's at 10pm, the line looked like this.  It was insane! We decided not to go that night because we didn't want to wait for the roughly 100 people in front of us in the line, but firmly set our sights on going the next night.  Anyway, the picture below shows the line that first night we tried to go.  Ridiculous right?!

If this is the line you face when you visit Mustafa's, do not be put off.  Go back later! The second time we went was after we'd caught up with our friends from Perth, and we went at 2am.  Thinking it would be shut, we walked around the corner to this.  A line of a mere 20 people, win!

You can order a vegetarian kebab or a vegetarian durum, and both are cheap as chips.  The vegetarian kebab will set you back a mere €2.50, and the durum €3.10.

"Krass lecker döner" means "wicked tasty doner".  Too true.  

And now check out these babies...

Mustafa's vegetarian kebabs are one of the best things I have ever eaten.  They fill them with fried sweet potato, pumpkin, zucchini/courgette, and other veggies, then add on tomatoes, cucumber, onions, feta cheese (optional) and sauce.  They can easily be made vegan for those of you wondering.

You should go too.  The stand can be found on the Mehringdamm in Kreuzberg, Berlin.  And Mustafa, you are amazing.