Category Archives: Travel

Weekend in Edinburgh

After three relaxing train trips through Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic our next travel day involved flying from Berlin to Edinburgh via London. Passport control and security checks leaving Berlin were fairly straight forward, however it is a major process at Heathrow including being photographed on entry and exit to the transit area.

Our stopover at Heathrow was short, just long enough to check the scores for the Lords Test – wish I hadn’t!

We had eyed The Balmoral off as the place to stay but it was booked out, as was most accommodation that we had considered.

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More Berlin

Having covered so many sights on our first day we decided on a leisurely next couple of days.

This was certainly helped by morning visits to the gym and watching the previous days highlights of the Tour de France as well as quite surprisingly finding that Foxtel Go worked on my iPad and iPhone.

Late breakfasts in the Wintergarten Coffee Shop, a new leader in the best coffee stakes, were also part of our leisurely starts to the day.

Whilst walking through Berlin we had become fascinated with the painted fibre glass bears that were spread throughout the city.

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Berlin – Second World War and The Wall

After a long train trip we arrived in Berlin.

Berlin feels much more normal than the tourist filled Prague. A short taxi ride for a sensible fare and we are at our hotel, which overlooks the Berlin Zoo and is away from the centre of the city. It had been a debate about whether to stay in the West which is a little more conservative or in the East which is apparently more edgy and cool. An upgrade from a room to a small suite made the answer to that question easy! Our hotel is the former Danish Embassy building and is also next door to the Spanish Embassy.

After a week and a half I couldn’t get to the hotel gym fast enough. Won’t make up for all the holiday excesses but its a start!

Our first full day was all about the Wall and the Second World War.

We started at Check Point Charlie and The Wall. All interesting Continue reading →

Prague – what to make of it?

So as we leave Prague for Berlin what do I take from our time in Prague?

It wasn’t what we expected, however I am not sure what we did expect.

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More Prague and Less Crowds

I remember when we were in New York with our children that I found the crowds overwhelming. The same could be said of our first day in Prague – so many tourists. Yes, I know we are tourists too!

My goal for our remaining time in Prague is to avoid, as much as possible, the crowds now that we have seen Prague Castle, the Astronomical Clock and Charles Bridge.

For Day Two, we had an early start Continue reading →