Berlin

We managed to tick Berlin off our list of travel destinations a couple months ago. If you have the faintest interest in history, then Berlin is a must see. Our first stop after grabbing some grub was the East Side Gallery which was conveniently on the way to our hostel. The Berlin wall stood for 28 years and caused 139 deaths and divided families, but the remnants of the wall still standing in East Berlin has been turned into the largest open air mural collection with more than 100 paintings, a lot of them symbolizing peace. You have to dodge a lot of tourists to snap some cool photos but it's definitely worth it.

Berlin has old fashioned photo booths dotted all around the city for tourists and it's mandatory that you get a strip of black and white grainy photos to take home with you. Extra points if the booth is particularly grotty and graffitied.

We also passed through an old part of Berlin, Nikolaiviertel where a beautiful church built in 1200 stands and a few shops. It was zero degrees at midday, so we quickly took some pictures and made our way to the nearest pub for a beer.

Berlin isn't your typical 'pretty city' and maintains a lot of it's gritty history and charm. One thing you'll notice on a visit, is how cool everyone seems. Laid back layers and flat shoes are a must in the city. Especially if you're travelling via the U-Bahn.

We stopped by the Holocaust Memorial and then the Brandenburg Gate which are within 5 minutes walk of each other.

Dale had a Currywurst at the Christmas market and I made a bee line for the waffle stall.

Bebelplatz is a square at the centre of the Mitte district which was one of the sites of the Nazi book burnings in 1933. They burned books by Einstein, Karl Marx and many others totalling around 20,000.