I never heard about Havel until some friends and me checked out the google earth for a trip at the weekend. We went there in the german winter, oh yes...in the winter. I loved this place because is a small city island with a lake (which was frozen at that time) and with lovely houses and an old mill. I have never been there in the summer but i can imagine how wonderful would be.

My favorite lake to visit during the warmest months. It's located in the southwestern part of Berlin and it's reacheable by public transportation, just around 40min from the city center.

Taking a little sun and walking around Paul Linke Ufer is always a good way to spend the afternoon and recharge batteries.

I never knew this neighbourhood existed and went to visit a friend and was instantly transported out of Berlin into some sort of 50's utopia. "The Hansaviertel is a prime example of modern architecture and urban planning in the fifties in Berlin. 36 individual buildings or ensembles still form the model of modern architecture and urban planning of the 1950s. The southern part of the war-damaged Hansaviertel, which lies between the S-Bahn line and Tiergarten, was chosen as the central demonstration area of ​​the International Building Exhibition in order to present the "city of tomorrow" - in deliberate contrast to the East Berlin Stalinallee and the restored tenement barracks." - berlin.de Also visit The Akademie der Künste, if not for the art then the architecture alone.

There's nothing more revigorating during the dark winter days than spending a couple of hours in a sauna. Germans have mastered the art of sauna and you can find amazing pieces of architecture in the public swimming pools (Stadtbad). I find Stadtbad Neukölln very peculiar in its neoclassic architecture and it's definitely a wallet-friendly option to enjoy some sauna time there. Be prepared to be naked in front of man and woman!