Driving between Munich and Berlin, an interesting sight for me, are the hop fields. Hops are not a desert crop. I can spot cotton, but I wouldn’t know hops if there hadn’t been an exhibit with a sample planter of hops plants growing at the Stary Bowar shopping mall a couple of years ago. Once you’ve seen them, the tall trellis is a real giveaway. Germany is the world’s leading producer of this beer ingredient, but we do occasionally see them in Poznan climbing up a fence as in the photo below.
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| Seen along the river on today’s bike ride |
Berlin was the last stop on our road trip with Lisa. She flew home from Tegel on Saturday and is already back at work and school. We’ve been to Berlin several times, and have another trip planned next month. Fortunately, the city has so much to offer that there’s always something new to do.
We were in Berlin for my birthday, so Ed suggested that we venture up to the top of the landmark TV tower. Built during communist times, the ball at the top reflects light in such a way, that when viewed at a distance, it forms the shape of a cross. That feature was unintentional and was referred to by some as the Pope’s revenge. The first tour guide we had in Berlin said that the tower was built with funds sent from the west meant for repairing churches damaged during WWII. I haven’t been able to confirm that last tidbit with a reliable source, like Wikipedia. 😉
Misappropriated funds or not, Ed had heard that there was a rotating restaurant up there in addition to the observation deck. The line had already formed when we arrived about 11 AM. After a 30 minute wait in line to buy tickets, we had to wait another hour before our group was called to go upstairs to the elevators, which quickly whisk you up 200 meters in less than a minute.
Last summer, we climbed to the top of the dome pictured above. At the time, it seemed like an amazing view of the city.
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| The Spree River loads with tour boats |
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| Tomato Consomme with Basil Foam at the top of the tower |
Not that our trip was all fine dining. You have to make time for a brat or curry wurst, and a visit to the Irish Pub, where the German staff speak English with an Irish accent.
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| Berlin is great for street food |
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| Kinkenny Irish Pub underneath the S-bahn station Hackescher Markt |
An accountant by trade and a food blogger since 2009, Lois Britton fell in love with Polish cuisine during the years she lived in Poznań, Poland. As the creator of PolishHousewife.com, she loves connecting readers with traditional Polish recipes. Lois has a graduate certificate in Food Writing and Photography from the University of South Florida. She is the author of The Polish Housewife Cookbook, available on Amazon and on her website.
Marianne
I love visiting Berlin too, you're right, there is so much to see and do! Oh, Happy Belated Birthday!
Lori
I was in this same area of Berlin for the German Fulbright Conference when doing my Fulbright in Hungary in 2010. Nice to see the neighborhood again. I particularly remember the street vendors. My visit was in March, so I don't remember any river tour boats. On the other hand we were so busy I couldn't have done it anyhow!