Always great to be in this lovely city, but many surprises for someone who is not a regular visitor: you can really see how sustainability is embraced in all aspects of life, and how the city drives the future in a way that its citizens like and make their own.

Mobility options are many, from e-scooters, S-bahn, trams and buses, taxis and car sharing, mostly with electric cars. Most of all, people bike everywhere and there is a cycling path on every street.

Despite the grim weather, we had a wonderful time: Valeria had never been so we started from the basics (Brandenburger Tor, Potsdamerplatz, Unter den Linden, Museuminsel and Tiergarten, where was our hotel). The Holocaust Memorial has an immediate and very direct impact on the visitor, no audioguide or brochure needed. We visited the very good DDR museum, which proved surprisingly engaging for us: perhaps life in the 70s in the DDR wasn’t so different, at least visually, from the one we experienced back then. We recognised many daily life objects and learned a lot on the life of an East German family, even by visiting a reconstruction of a typical apartment.

Topping our visit was a refined dinner at the vegetarian bistro Bonvivant, which was well worth the price and filled our senses with new flavours.

Both breakfasts were enjoyed at the Café am Neuen See, a hip place on a lake, which had about 3000 seats, all empty in the morning, but it gives an idea how popular the place is on weekends and on sunny summer evenings.