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Lauren says, “I would recommend Celso y Manolo (Calle de la Libertad, 1,) and Sala de Despiece (Calle de Ponzano, 11,) as two great more modern options. El Rastro is located along Plaza de Cascorro and Ribera de Curtidores, between Calle Embajadores and the Ronda de Toledo (just south of the La Latina metro station). Also from the Puerta del Sol area, it's easy walking to the Gran Via and north up Calle Fuencarral to the trendy Chueca and Malasaña neighborhoods where you'll discover the best in idiosyncratic and stylish shops, bars, and restaurants. There are also several other reasonable hotels within easy walking distance of Sol, such as Petit Palace Arenal, Petit Palace Puerta del Sol, and the Hotel Regina.

The curriculum offers different levels, from beginner on up, and a variety of workouts (yoga, cardio, strength, even Tai Chi) so both Tom and I can find a class that calls to us. Without having to go out to the health club, and without having to dress the part (Tom doesn’t do yoga pants), many of the impediments to working out vanish when you choose Silver&Fit online classes. Because of our different fitness levels and interests, Tom and I naturally select different Silver&Fit classes. Tom selected an international yoga class delivered from the beaches of Huatulco, Mexico, through the Silver&Fit YouTube Channel.

Our Berlin experiences included seeing top historic sites like the Berlin Wall and the Brandenburg Gate, visiting galleries and museums, taking a guided tour concerning the Berlin art scene, walking through many neighborhoods, using Berlin’s impressive mass transit systems, traveling for a day trip to Potsdam, and sampling a good number of bars, restaurants and hotels. One recommendation we took to heart (from the helpful staff at Kempinski Bristol Hotel) was a visit to the Käthe Kollwitz Museum. The five museums are the Pergamom Museum, the Bode Museum, the Neues (New) Museum, the Old National Gallery, and the Altes Museum. The business was originally founded as a wine shop and restaurant, and after World War II, when family returned to re-open the restaurant, they learned the restaurant license was only available with hotel rooms.

When you visit the monumental Soviet War Memorial in Berlin, you realize that most Americans don't usually hear or know much about the Soviets' role in the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945. Or that the final battle on the European front of the war, the Battle of Berlin, was the Russians vs. the Germans and that the Americans and British were still a long way away from Berlin. So, if you know a little about that battle, you'll know that the Germans defended their capital ferociously, and that about 22,000 Red Army soldiers were killed just in the final push to take the city. It was built in the Socialist Realist style by the Soviet architect Yakov Belopolsky to commemorate 7,000 of the 80,000 Red Army soldiers who fell in the Battle of Berlin in April and May of 1945.