I took a trip from Birmingham Airport to a European city steeped in history - it was full of culture, great food and hidden secrets

When you think of the city of Berlin, you’d be forgiven for thinking that it will be a stereotypical German city i.e. efficient, sensible and without a definable character to it.

Having been at the epicentre of the East/West divide of the 1960s, 70s and 80s and famed for the eponymous wall which divided friends and families, the city carries a lot of history to it.

However, if you dig even a little bit deeper, you’ll find yourself in a multi-cultural, vibrant and very diverse city where there’s something new around every corner and where you’ll meet interesting people and see interesting sights.

I will admit that I had my own preconceptions about the German capital city, based on the history of being an Olympic city (the so-called Nazi games of 1936) and the aforementioned divided years, but I’d always been fascinated by it and wanted to learn more.

So, when I was invited to come for two nights in the centre of the city to learn more about the culture and experience the city beyond the history on July 3, I jumped at the chance.

It was worth the early, early morning at Birmingham Airport, going through the bearpit which is departures, then the miles of walking that is Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, before I finally landed on Terra Firma on German soil at midday.

Despite being tired and hot, it was good to be able to take the Metro from the airport through the suburbs of Berlin, taking in the busy neighbourhoods full of people working and living, and then with the sights getting bigger and more like a city centre, with the Spree river and the Berlin TV Tower clearly visible as you get in.

My hotel was near Hackescher Markt station, although I did do the typically British thing of just guessing which way to go and not actually consult the map, so went the wrong way, not that I’m complaining as I ended up walking through a large street market.

Full of rich smells, great looking food and lots of friendly chatter, it was a great introduction to the city, mixing with Berliners.

However, going back to being hot and tired, it was time to find my digs for the next two nights to clean up and have a quick rest.

Actually, when I say digs, I mean comfortable and luxurious surroundings of the Radisson Collection Berlin, a five-star hotel in the Mitte district of Berlin, overlooking the Spree, the Berlin Cathedral and Marx-Engels-Forum.

It doesn’t look much from the outside, a colourless building with only the Radisson Collection sign giving away its true identity, but take a step through the revolving doors and you enter a much different and much livelier hotel which feels almost like the Tardis for the amount of space inside.

The centrepiece of the hotel, indeed the view for anyone taking the lift or looking out of their windows, is the Living Tree, a remarkable structure which dominates the room, full of trees adorning a metal structure which has a walkway on top of it.

Although I have never been to Singapore, I have seen photographs of it and it reminded me of the structure inside the airport in the Asian country, which I think it may have been modelled on by the creator Dan Pearlman Markenarchitektur.

The Living Tree is now the centrepiece after what happened at the end of 2022, with hotel manager Marco having told me about the giant aquarium which used to be in its place.

That structure, the AquaDom, had been home to 1,500 fish and had been described as the largest free-standing cylindrical aquarium in the world, but burst in December 2022 and caused significant damage to the hotel, led to the deaths of hundreds of fish and injuries to two people and saw the hotel closed for a long time due to the damage caused.

Still, that was then and now, two and a half years later, the hotel is a popular and very comfortable place to spend some time working, relaxing, working out, eating, drinking and, because of being a hotel, sleeping.

With that being said, I found my room on the fourth floor, ideally situated near the four lifts, and took a quick look around. For your money (a Double room is €180 in low season, €300 in high season), you get a large shower with two settings, all the mod cons of the bathroom, a large TV, mini bar that you can stock, a huge bed, adaptable air conditioning, a desk for working, a separate big chair and a large window with two curtains.

I also found myself with an excellent view of the Spree and the Cathedral and a prime position in the summer sunshine to enjoy the ambience of the area.

I also had a box in the room which was a gift from the hotel. It was something of a surprise to find that I am now the proud owner of an original, authentic piece of the Berlin Wall (the certificate says so). It’s a bit different to taking home a shot glass or a fridge magnet, that's for certain

Having freshened up from the travel, I took to exploring my home for the next two nights, finding a very well stocked bar full of German beer, many different types of spirits and a very detailed cocktail menu, as well as a large seating area with power points and a range of books.

The interior of the hotel is very detailed, with lots of little things in place like books, plants and lights, meaning that there isn’t one specific look to it.

The restaurant area, which is called San Ena, is also worth a look, spread along a large area with the kitchen visible and the chefs busy at work putting together the varied Mediterranean menu (more on that later), as well as an outside area with a promenade alongside the Spree.

After exploring the street market and taking a walk around the area, as well as enjoying a nice Curry Wurst, as well enjoying the welcome fruit and chocolates provided by the hotel, I took the chance to grab a quick nap before meeting the rest of my touring group.

Led by Lea, a Croatian woman living in Berlin, and Simon, who both work for Radission, the group was a nice mixture of fashion and lifestyle writers, other journos and people working to provide images of the tour.

This included the flamboyant Ildo and Germano from Italy, the friendly Brazilian Mari, another British journalist who was also called James (although you couldn’t confuse as he was Mancunian, taller than me and still had his hair), and Piotr and Monika from Poland, with Alicia from Poland and Chloe from Italy joining us the next day.

After introductions and a tour of the hotel by the hotel manager Marco, we settled down to a welcome dinner outside San Ena, which promised a fine selection of Modern Greek cuisine in an elegant Mediterranean setting.

Having asked for and got a cold, refreshing glass of beer to start my evening, I saw the different dishes being brought out, starting with a nice selection of breads alongside spreads of Tzatziki, smoked eggplant dip and Fava, made from fava beans (I couldn’t help myself, I did a Hannibal Lector impersonation).

While the eggplant dip was something of an acquired taste, I loved the citrusy zing of the Tzatziki and the cooling taste of the Fava and found it a good start to the meal, followed by a Mykonian salad and Kayadif Halloumi.

Even a few months ago, I would have left the salad due to the cucumber and tomato, but tastes change and I found it to be fresh and delicious, whereas I love Halloumi and found it to be delightfully crisp on the outside and with a nice level of spice.

This followed on to a delicious main of seabass, chicken thigh souvlaki and a beetroot risotto, with crushed lemon potatoes and grilled asparagus on the side.

Leaving the beetroot (not got around to that yet), I very much enjoyed my main, full of flavour and texture and every bite felt like a new taste challenge along the way.