Mom and I flew from London directly to Berlin for our annual mother and daughter art tour. Berlin, due to its relative (to other world/European capitals) low cost of living, attracts hordes of young artists, and has over 170 museums of modern art. Not really our favorite, but we wanted to experience the whole scene.
Our first day was a private historical tour, and our guide was eminently capable, reviewing the long history of Berlin and Germany, as well as taking us to a local restaurant that was wonderful.
We then alternated museum tours with our own time and went out to the Turkish market one day, which we wandered through and experienced in our time-honored way!
The museums and their buildings were wonderful and so varied. We paused before deciding to visit a private modern art collection that is housed in a former bunker. The bunker was specifically for the public and built near the mass transportation hub for protection. The inside was fascinating, as was much of the art, but the highlight was definitely the enthusiasm of our guide. Really spectacular.
Quite serendipitously we were in Berlin during the festival of lights and the 30th anniversary of the fall of the wall. Incredible light shows on buildings all over the city, with the grandest projected onto the Brandenburg gate, the last remaining gate from those that surrounded the city in days gone by.
And of course we enjoyed sampling some award-winning cuisine
and a food tour with a lovely man
It was a stellar ending to a wonderful European tour for me; filled with such a wide range of experiences.