Taking the Kids: Zip Lining into Berlin

Even if you aren't Jewish, take time at the Jewish Museum Berlin, one of the largest Jewish Museums in Europe, which encompasses three buildings two designed by architect Daniel Libeskind with a line of "voids" (empty spaces over 60 feet tall that represent the loss to society, as a result of all of the Jewish lives lost during the Holocaust). There is an exhibit that asks kids what they would take if leaving home forever, showing what some German children chose -- a poetry album, a compass, a toy construction kit.

But I don't want to give the impression that Berlin is one sober site after another. In fact, it's a terrifically vibrant city that enables you to teach the kids some history while you explore a city where technology, tolerance and the arts, including fashion and modern design, have all come together. Teens especially will love the hip vibe.

It's also a bargain, with hotel rates considerably less than London and Paris, according to trivago, the mega hotel search engine, especially in winter and early spring. You might be able to get a room for a little over $100 a night. (The Westin Grand Berlin, in Berlin's historic center, for example, is $190 a night; Flights can also be cheaper. Lufthansa has a deal with flights some $300 less than in summer and bargains on their premium economy too; You'll also find deals on Air Berlin right now with new service from Dallas,Boston and San Francisco.)

The fashionistas in your crowd will love the trendy boutiques, as well as the Mall of Berlin filled with hundreds of shops. Incidentally, the mall is built on the site where Europe's largest department store once stood. The foodies will love the vibrant food scene -- we certainly did -- from the local sausages served on crisp rolls, the historic covered markets (the 120-year-old Markthalle Neun hosts Street Food Thursday markets) to Michelin starred eateries like Nobelhart and Schmutzig where everyone sits at the counter watching the chefs and eats hyper local. Herbs and spices not grown locally aren't used, nor is chocolate, explained restaurateur Billy Wagner and his chef Micha Schafer. Teens will love the pure theater of it -- the small, beautifully plated 10-course meals, which at about $86 seems a bargain.

Younger families, as well as those with older kids, will be thoroughly at home at La Soupe Populaire in what was once the huge Botow Brewery in East Berlin, but today is the restaurant spearheaded by celebrity chef Tim Raue, an art gallery and Le Croco Bleu bar with its artisanal cocktails and rare spirits. You look down on the art as you eat Berlin classics (or a menu that is inspired by the art). Local food critics say this is one of the best value-for-money deals. Maybe that's why reservations are so hard to get.

Chef Michael Jaeger told me the favorite hands-down is Konigsberger Klopse, a traditional meatball dish with mashed potatoes and pickled red beets.

I have to agree. I'm guessing President Obama did too when he was served this dish in Berlin. Another meatball, please!

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(For more on Eileen's trip to Berlin and Germany, read her trip diaries at www.takingthekids.com Follow @takingthekids on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.)