So  bfoxxe and I are flying to Germany in a week. We'll have several days to run around Berlin before EF happens. We've only got one day planned -- we're meeting up with a local birdwatcher to hit some spots where we can hopefully catch some new species, at least those that are active in mid-August.

What else should we do? Anything in the Berlin area that we absolutely must see? Places where we must eat/drink? Post your suggestions in the comments!

Also what's the best way to stay connected to the internet in Germany? We're planning on keeping our phones for voice and text, but turning off data because it's too expensive, but we don't want to be constantly looking around for places with free wifi just to stay in touch when we're away from EF. Should we pick up a cheap pay-as-you go phone/hotspot for the two weeks that we're there? Where would you go to find that sort of thing?

Thanks for your suggestions! Hope to see some of you there! We're really looking forward to EF, even if we don't feel at all prepared.