Berlin Diary: Sunday 20 July 2025
Steps done: 16,033 steps
This is a continuation of the previous post introducing our latest trip to Berlin. See here for notes from our trips in June 2023 and May 2024.
8.30 AM: breakfast at Einstein Kaffee
A quick start to the day with coffee/ tea and apfelstrudel. Having a dedicated coffeeshop conveniently located in the shopping mall below our hotel, open daily from 8am to midnight, was truly wonderful.
9:00 AM: Berlin Zoological Garden
Entrance to the zoo
We have an architect friend who, when he was at university, was set a challenge to design a zoo. He submitted a design where the visitors were channeled through a tight multi-level vertical glass tunnel, with the animals roaming free on the outside.
The debate still continues whether it is ethical to keep animals in zoos. I have no answer save to say that some zoos already exist and certainly there was a lot of open space in Berlin Zoo for the animals. As a parent, my experience is that it is valuable for any child to visit a zoo and see a real animal (not everyone gets to go on a safari) and through that experience to learn about conservation of natural habitats.
We throughly enjoyed our morning. I don’t have a clue what the animals thought of us: some were obviously having fun (penguins, meerkats, otters, baby pandas), some were nonchalant (tigers, lions, chimpanzees), some were only interested in their breakfast (elephant, rhino, giraffe, father panda).
There was a lot to see and we spent four hours here. If I were to return again I would consider bringing a picnic lunch or better, book an outdoor terrace table at SO/ Berlin Das Stue which has a private entrance from the zoo.
The panda family is a main attraction at the zoo
How did a real bear evolve to a teddy bear?!
Cats: from the regal tiger to the cute sand cat. Note: the tigers are real but the background is painted
Penguins and pelicans
Animals you might see on a safari
To put into context, this is how far away the lion was from where we were standing at the edge of the open enclosure
Time for a break: we shared scoops of cherry hibiscus and lemon meringue ice cream
There are many more photos taken at the zoo but this I hope will give an idea of what you can see on a visit. In London, we live close to London Zoo, which makes another fine day out.
1:45PM: Check out of hotel
72 hours after checking-in, we left our bags at the hotel’s reception and headed out for a bowl of pho at a nearby Vietnamese restaurant recommended by the Guide Michelin. It was convenient on this occasion but I really prefer Monsieur Vuong in Prenzlauer Berg (Alte Schönhauser Straße 46, 10119 Berlin) which has more chillies, lower prices and a better vibe. It is also next to Paper and Tea (Alte Schönhauser Straße 50, 10119 Berlin), Five Elephant for coffee (Alte Schönhauser Straße 14, 10119 Berlin) and Cuore di Vetro (Max-Beer-Straße 33, 10119 Berlin) for ice cream. Mr Vuong is also open all day from noon to 10 pm, seven days a week.
We left ample time to get to the airport which was a good move, as one of the airport trains was cancelled and of itself, Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) is usually chaotic. It has but one business lounge serving all airlines. The one good thing (really, just the one) about the lounge is its own dedicated immigration counter. Upon exiting this brings you directly to the gate to board your British Airways flight. The only other lounge like this I have experienced was the one in Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) where there was a dedicated entrance to our BA plane from the lounge. In a world of tariffs, sanctions, controls, barriers, such ‘free movement’ is so welcome.
We are back in London and back to work. In the next post I will share a tomato salad recipe that I have now made three times in a week, with great success and a hit with all around our dining table.