I was awake early this morning after a reasonable sleep. Being in the roof of the hotel means it attracts the heat of the day and it stayed hot until at least 2am. Breakfast in the hotel was passable, though the staff were far from friendly. Not that they were nasty it was more that they found if difficult to muster a smile. Having witnessed the crowds of the evening before I decided to head off to the old town square before the masses. The Old Town Square's most notable sights are the Church of Our Lady before Tyn and the Old Town Hall Tower & Astronomical Clock . I entered to church (along with a few other earlier risers) only to discover that the seats inside were roped off and a craggy old character was ... read more

After my roadside conversation with the Armani shirt-selling guy I headed towards the Bendler Block, a memorial to German Resistance during the regime of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. Although the exhibition is totally in German it was still a very moving experience. Claus Graf von Stauffenberg, who was the driving force behind the assassination attempt, was executed following the failed attempt. (This assassination plot inspired the making of the film Valkyrie starring Tom Cruise). In total nearly 5 000 people were executed as a result of this failed assassination. In the courtyard there is a naked statue in rememberance of von Stauffenberg. He along with a number of co-conspiritors were executed by firing squad in this square. I left the exhibition and walked again to Potsdammer Platz for some lunch inside the Sony Centre - ... read more

I felt particularly energetic yesterday having enjoyed the buffet breakfast of the Hotel Concorde and so I chose to walk the four kilometres from my hotel to the Brandenberg Gate. Berlin must be one of the flattest cities I have ever visited and it is very popular with cyclists. I wandered through Tiergarten, both the name of the borough and the beautiful park in Berlin but had to be careful not to step into the dedicated cycle ways. Twice I was castigated by rapidly moving cyclists to get out of their lane - I didnt need much encouragement to do so as I nearly collided with one cyclist within the first 5 minutes of my walk! Prior to unification Tiergarten was part of West Berlin and in the centre of it stands the Siegessäule one of ... read more

I arrived in Berlin lunchtime Monday, the weather was hot and sunny and the local smiles were all genuine as I walked through Tegel Airport and grabbed a cab to my Hotel (The Hotel Concorde) which is just off the Kurfürstendamm, Berlin's major shopping strip. I think the Hotel Concorde was a great choice. It is probably a touch corporate but a level or two above the Hilton Riverside in London and it does have a substantial mini-bar! After a painless check-in (again assisted by extremely friendly staff) I head upstairs to my room for a quick shower. Refreshed, I headed out into the street for the usual reconnaissance mission to get an understanding of my surroundings. Very close to my hotel is the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche (Kaiser-Wilhelm-Memorial Ch... read more

The glitteringly white tables and modern curved chairs are the first things that catch my eye at Ottolenghi in Islington. My friend Mai is a big fan of this Israeli chef and so she booked a table for us at this hugely popular establishment. I have never heard of him but was always keen to try new food. The restaurant, in Upper Street Islington, seats about 50 people and serves small portions of food that are similar in size to tapas however the food is very sophisticated and quite scrumptious. I was happy to let Mai lead the ordering and we started with her choice of grilled peaches, goats cheese, rocket and balsamic vinegar dressing . The goats cheese was creamy and the saltiness cut through the sweetness of the grilled peaches. We next ordered char-grilled ... read more