Day 2: A Rainy Day in Berlin

Today started with a 7 am run to Brandenburg Gate, along the big park and to a cafe for breakfast. We ate our pastries and then headed over to wait for the zoo to open at 9. The zoo wasn't on our original plan, but once Alison found out there were pandas it was a must do!!! And we're so glad we did. Such a great zoo! The animals were active, SO close to you, but also had big enclosures. Very well done. We had fun exploring and could have spent hours there, but we had big plans!!

After we did another 3 mile run back to our hotel through the park, we got cleaned up and headed to our lunch reservation at Tim Raue. At some point this was the #34 restaurant in the world, but it fell to #48 this year. Still amazing though and we enjoyed 6 courses each. So yummy and pretty! Here are just some of the plates we had:

Right before we arrived at Tim Raue, it started raining and rained on and off most of the day. A bit of a  bust, but we survived. After lunch, we headed over to see Checkpoint Charlie and then The Topography of Terror exhibit. Very impressive free exhibit with lots of info on the history of Berlin and what set the stage for the building of the wall.

After that I wanted some German food treasures, so we went to get Spätzle. However, the place I choose was out on holiday once we arrived. :/ We were wet from the rain and tired from the walk, so we went a couple doors down to a brewery (Hops and Barley) and had a nice time just drying off and enjoying the beer (and cider).

To continue my German food checklist, we went on the hunt for schnitzel. We didn't want a big sit down meal, so we found a decent fast food version and split a double portion. Definitely served its purpose. We ate our yummy food overlooking the East Side Gallery and took a rainy stroll down the 1000 meter section of the wall post dinner.

Then, it was off for more food treasures! We had plans to go to a dessert bar, but it was also closed for holiday. :/ Double bummer! But we did make it to a nice craft beer bar on
Michael's list, so that was a win!

Then it was back to our hotel to get a few hours of sleep before our early AM flight to Amsterdam!!