I love Berlin, it's such a relaxed, chilled out place plus it's incredibly cheap to visit. Germany was the first vacation we went on together as a couple and this time we spent a little time in Hamburg first before catching a train into Berlin.
Hamburg is very industrial in comparison to Berlin and is the largest deep-sea port in its region. We spent two days in Hamburg, which was enough time to get a feel for the place but really I was just itching to see Berlin again. It's a more energetic, vibrant city with a laid back attitude and a lot of passion for creativity. The walls are "messy" with graffiti and the streets are clean unlike London where the complete opposite is true. The food is awesome in Berlin, with lots to eat for anyone with vegan, gluten-free, or other dietary requirements; the falafel kebabs are just divine and I can't ever get enough of those pretzels.
For this break we wanted a bit more chill out time, we usually wake up early and pack so much into the day that I'm dead by the evening. This time we eased up a bit and enjoyed our time off; we visited a couple of museums, ate great food, drank soda in the sunshine, and chilled out in the Botanical Gardens.
If you're heading to Hamburg or Berlin any time soon, I can recommend a couple of "must visit" places. Hamburg is home to the astounding Miniatur Wunderland, you get to see incredible miniature versions of countries and see the creators at work; Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg is one of the most interesting museums I have visited, there is an amazing mix of ancient art, design, photography, and new media; for food, Slim Jim's Pizza is awesome - they have vegan options too. Although we didn't go this time around, the Berlin zoo is the best I have ever been to; the Museum für Naturkunde is home to the tallest dinosaur ever discovered and the wet specimin room is phenomenal; the Botanischer Garten und Botanisches Museum has a stunning 43 hectares of garden and around 22,000 different plant species, and if you're looking to chill out, I suggest visiting one of the many outdoor swimming baths and lakes or taking a picnic to Tempelhof Feld.
