travelblogger | Selectively Curious

Berlin, I love you

Posted on March 20, 2017 by Selectively Curious

I would like to share my Berlin trip.

It started with me landing:

Immigration was super fast, just as I expected and I stepped out with my luggage. As I walked out, a man in a taxi yells at me “Taxi?” Without thinking about it for a moment, bearing in mind it was my first time in Berlin and the first time I was completely on my own in a new place, I said yes. He helped me with my suitcase, and off we went. I told him where I was staying:

The cab journey was quite enjoyable, on the way to the hotel, he told me about all the places I must see during my stay. His name was Thomas and he was the most friendly cab driver I ever met, we spoke throughout the car ride and he wished me a pleasant stay.

As I was settling into my hotel, I remembered that a friend of mine, I went to university with, whom I haven’t spoken to in some time lived in Berlin. I got in touch with him and we had dinner together every day. It was nice to have someone to eat with. We even went to the Blue Man Group show, which was, well weird so say the least. It was an experience though but I didn’t enjoy it as I thought I would. At the end of the show, one of the members of the Blue Man Group, took a selfie from my phone:

I was only there for almost two days and managed to see quite a few places, before I took the train to Hamburg, where I attended a work event. Berlin also made me realise how small the world is and I loved it. I bumped into an old classmate of mine, we were in law school together and it was almost surreal catching up with him on a random street in Berlin.

During the day, when I was by myself, I saw a few touristy places such as Victory Column:

Before I got to the column, I had to go through an underground pass and I was slightly obsessed with:

Here’s a full photo of the column:

I also went here, which was more of a stop over. I wasn’t entirely sure what it was, at first I thought it was graves as the cab driver pointed it out. I then read all the information about it and it turned out to be a memorial for all the lives lost as a result of the holocaust. Human beings always shock me.

I then walked to Brandenburger Tor:

Let’s not forget about the remnants of the Berlin wall:

And last but most certainly not the least:

I have a lot more photos, but that’s basically the highlights of my trip. I would most certainly go back to Berlin as I was mostly on west Berlin, during my stay and have missed out entirely on East Berlin.

It was one of my favourite trips, mostly because I was never brave enough to go to a place entirely on my own and when I went I wasn’t even the least bit anxious. I had a great time, even when I didn’t bump into random people I knew.

Until, next time Berlin, I will see you soon:

Selectively Curious©

The City of Bath

Posted on February 26, 2017 by Selectively Curious

I went on a road trip to Bath with my best friend.

It was one of those holidays I want to re-live over and over again. It was just before the christmas market stalls were set up, so the magic of christmas was everywhere. I love the way the air felt when we got out of the car and took our luggage out. We were quite lucky, it was a sunny day and we had the chance to really enjoy the city.

This is where we stayed:

It was the cutest little hotel and in such a convenient location. It had a really satisfying english breakfast and the best pecan danish I have ever had. I LOVE pecan danishes, it’s probably my favourite pastry. It was perfectly crisp and fresh and the pecans were crunchy, just as they should be. It was delightful.

We were only there for one night and when we woke up the next morning, I nudged my friend awake. We were just getting our teas when I noticed that we could climb out of our windows and sit on the roof. This was our view:

We sat there for a few minutes just taking in the freezing air. Crazy how things have changed so much since that day, she’s married now, with the cutest kid I’ve ever met, I moved away and I feel our lives have gone in such opposite directions, it breaks my heart at times. I feel I don’t have much in common with her anymore, however I do have a tendency of over exaggerating things in my mind. Well, regardless of how things pan out in the future and where our lives take us next, we will always have Bath, London and Scotland (all the places we’ve been together) and she will always be my best friend. It boggles my mind how it’s been almost three years since we sat on the roof, enjoying the view, not even speaking. It was pure bliss.

Saying that I miss it is an understatement and it’s weird because I haven’t really thought about that trip of mine until today, as I was flicking through my photos and remembered it. Bath is a beautiful city and here are a few photos of the city:

We were only there a day and a half and I think we covered all the main attractions. Things you must see/do:

the Roman Baths (of course), it’s a natural spring and the water is naturally warm, the temperature ranges from 69 -96 degrees celsius. Quite fascinating.
You have to eat a Bath bun, I’m salivating by just mentioning it.
You must also try their fudge, it’s divine.
We did a very touristy thing, which was to have high tea at the Pump room, it was my favourite part. I love tea and scones and everything that represents high tea.
Bath Abbey
The Royal Crescent and the Circus (shame the trees were so bare, otherwise the circus is quite a sight)

Would I go back? Absolutely. It’s no wonder Jane Austen was such a good author, aside from her talents, she lived in a place that I feel does inspire so much creativity.

The city has so much character, it’s charming around every corner, not to mention it’s drenched in such rich history. The people are equally charming. 🙂