Star Rating: **** Pages: 314 First published in 2014 by John Blake Publishing “I don’t know why, but the dawn in South West London never seemed to have the same effect on me. Somehow, looking out of my bedroom window in London I’d never managed to get that…
As general sceptics of anything organised by others, it was a complete shock to my husband’s system when one night, during our planning stages, I turned round to him and announced that I had booked us onto an arranged walking tour of Berlin. With puzzlement on his face, he turned…
Whenever we visit a new destination there are two things we want to see: the landmarks that have made the place famous (yes, the ones that grace several pages of any well respected travel guide) and those places that only locals seem to be able to stumble upon. So, starting…
View from our Balcony On this beautiful sunny morning in Berlin it is hard to imagine that not 30 years ago this city was still cut in two. Sitting on our balcony of the Adina Apartment Hotel Hackescher Markt at this early hour I can hear nothing but a subtle…
The wrought iron bed, with its distinctive blood red throw decoration and the dark oak wood of the room makes this a perfect setting for not only a romantic evening away but also for one of ghost hunting. The pitted wood, complete with miniature cobwebs, simply adds to the old-worldly feeling…
Star Rating: *** Pages: 249 English translation first published by Secker and Warburg in 2003 Originally written in German and titled Herr Lehmann this story represents life in Berlin, for the twenty-something’s, before the wall came down. With no responsibility or sense of short-coming Herr Lehmann has embarked on a…
Star rating: *** Pages: 256 First published by Hogarth Press in 1939 Want to know what Germany was like pre WWII? Christopher Isherwood highlights the highs and lows of life in Berlin in his short biographical observations expertly put together within this novel. Split into six short stories, all with…
Star Rating: *** Pages: 204 First published in 2005 If you want a laugh-out-loud quick read about a family camping trip this is the book. We follow the adventures of a British family setting off on their annual summer holiday camping exploits in France and from the very beginning you…
Star Rating: ** Pages: 312 First published in 1991 After years of others raving about Bill Bryson and his novels I took the plunge and added a couple of his titles to my Christmas List. To say I am a little disappointed is probably an understatement. Other than his occasional…
After something quirky and different without a high price tag? Qbic London may be your answer. Opened for just a few months now, this hotel offers a unique concept that first started in Amsterdam – everything is recycled. You sleep in a room that has been created out of old…