There are now only four weeks until we fly back to Australia so last weekend we took off on our final European jaunt. We were in Berlin from Friday to Tuesday where we met up with Elizabeth and Roger. It was a great weekend which I will attempt to now summarise while Lillian naps.
Firstly, a bit about travelling with Lillian:
She did really well! She was great on both flights (slept for one was awake and happy for the return) and handled the full days of sight seeing with no problems. We actually forgot to pack her stroller but luckily had the connecta carrier so we took it in turns of carrying her and the day pack. She napped on the go in the carrier with a minimum of fuss and it was actually quite nice not to have to wrangle the stroller on public transport or in restaurants. All the restaurants we went to (except one quick lunch) had a high chair and she quite enjoyed sitting at the table and joining in the meal or drinking from her sippy cup.
A note about baby change rooms - the Novotel hotel lobby on Strasse des 17 Juni has a great baby change station in the disabled toilet. It was even equipped with nappies and wipes and was very clean. They didn't seem to mind us walking in off the street to feed Lil in the lounge and change her. I would have said this was the best baby change room we used but the baggage reclaim hall at Glasgow airport narrowly beat it. They had a mobile for the baby to look at while being changed, toys to play with and a comfortable nursing chair with a foot stool. Lil hates having her nappy changed in public places but tolerated both of these rooms!
Where we stayed:
We stayed in apartments in this converted brewery building. Elizabeth and Roger were on one side of the courtyard and we were opposite so we could wave across at each other. This was in a pretty handy location not too far to walk in to the central area or handy to the train. The apartments themselves were comfortable.
Some of the places we ate at:
Maxwell - this was in the same brewery building as the apartments and we went here for Dave's birthday dinner. (Which, by the way, everyone including Dave forgot until we saw a poster advertising something on his birthday which, oh!, is today.) This was probably the fanciest place we ate (we later saw it in a book called Cool Restaurants in Berlin) but they were great and didn't mind the baby at all and the food was delicious.
KaDeWe - Europe's largest department store! It has a huge food hall on the top floor and we had lunch here on Saturday.
Schwarzwaldstuben - this was not far from the apartments and recommended by the guide book. We went here for dinner with Elizabeth and Roger and also lunch on our final day. Yummy German food.
Oderquelle - This was in the Prenzlauer Berg neighbourhood and we ate here on our final night as it was recommended by the guidebook which said it was impossible to get a table after 8pm without a reservation. We rocked up with Lil just before 6pm and most of the tables were already reserved but they found a spot for us. Really good German food and Dave finally got his sausages and sauerkraut.
Sight-seeing:
Brandenburg Gate
Reichstag dome - tip: turn up with a baby and you get to jump the queue!
East Side Gallery - it's a bit disappointing that the graffiti has so much graffiti on it but still very interesting to see.
Pergamon Museum
We also did a lot of just walking around the city. On our final afternoon Dave and Lil and I went for a walk around the Prenzlauer Berg neighbourhood. This place has the highest birthrate in Germany and it was so bizarre! Everyone had a baby with them either on a bike, in a carrier or in a pram. We blended right in and were even asked for directions.
So that was our trip to Berlin! A lovely final fling in Europe, at least for the time being. All photos here.
Before I go, a quick Lillian update:
- She now has four teeth! The top two appeared (after many sleep interrupted nights) last week.
- She can now sit up by herself from lying on her stomach.
- Commando crawling is still her preferred method but she does try her knees out every now and then.
- She has started pulling herself up to standing and I can no longer turn my back for a second or I soon hear a thud followed by a waah!
- She says mumumum and bububub, but as hard as we try still no dadadad.
