German History with Cake on the Side

NOW SADLY CLOSED DOWN

One of the things I love about Berlin is the little pockets of history that you can discover all over the city. The fact that you can cycle to them without battling aggressive drivers just makes it all the better. So the other day, as it was beautifully sunny, we decided to hop on our bikes and head up to Pankow. I had read in Slow Travel Berlin that a number of the dignitaries of the ruling party of the former East Germany had lived on one street in the suburb at Berlin's northern edge. Being suckers for old DDR stuff we headed up the, thankfully gentle, hill of Schönhauser Allee to check it out.

Review: Mariage Frères, Paris

A few weeks ago Coffee Boy and I popped to Paris on our way to Berlin. It sounds very extravagant but actually, because for once I was organised, the journey cost us less than our usual flights to Berlin (perhaps I could learn something from this...). It gave me the perfect excuse to visit Mariage Frères - the mother of all French Salons de Thé. Sixteen years ago we used to live in Paris but I had no more than a passing interest in tea in those days so I'd never even heard of Mariage Frères at that time, let alone visited.