A weekend in Berlin
A weekend in Berlin
Berlin is a very interesting city but you need to arrive in the right mindset. The starkness of the city itself and, of course, its history make for a bleak background. The good part is that once you get past Berlin’s grey past there is a plethora of things to do 24 hours a day. The public transportation runs, as expected, like German clockwork and getting around is easy and economical.
These main draws are historical but must be seen as this is what old Berlin is about:
-The remaining sector of the Berlin Wall
-The Jewish Museum
-The Brandenburg Gate
-Checkpoint Charlie
These four locations will take up a full day at least and if you are in Berlin for more than a weekend you may wish to devote more time to them. We spent two nights in Berlin but were able to get a very good grasp of these and I don’t feel I missed anything.
Other main attractions are the Alexanderplatz, which is the main transportation hub, and the fantastic museums and galleries. Photo opportunities are as abundant as the beer and bratwurst. Shopping is a popular pastime in Berlin and the shops range from everyday market stalls to the designers on the Jägerstraße. Another sight for me was the fact that there is a Volkwagen/Bugatti dealership in the centre of the city…a haven for petrol heads in the midst of the shopping.
After a day of sightseeing, I don’t think we were prepared for the fact that many of the bars never close. We discovered that the cleaners arrive in the morning to tidy up around the survivers but the party keeps going on. Berlin has an amazing night life which offers something for all walks of life. The ravers can dance all night but there are, also, bars that are more akin to coffee houses where friends can chat the night away and nobody shouts last call.
Before our night on the town we filled ourselves on traditional German fare and I was pleasantly surprised to find cabbage rolls on the menu. I grew up in a household with a strong German influence and the food was a warm reminder of meals long past. While all the normal fast food joints are available, quick snacks can be had from the bratwurst vendors or great restaurants are abundant wherever you are downtown.
We stayed in the old, Eastern, part of Berlin and found that the food options were fewer and definitely not as good as downtown. While the hotels are cheaper outside the centre I’d suggest dining before you get the train back. I also found that the people were much more reserved in the old town and that English was less spoken but the ambience was more traditional…central Berlin is very flash.
A trip to Berlin is, I believe, a must if just to reflect on the past but the new city has so much more to offer. Flights are available to Berlin Schoenefeld from various UK airports and the train is easy to get into the centre. English is widely spoken and getting around shouldn’t be an issue for even the most reserved traveller. I recommend Berlin for a 2-3 night break but it can also be incorporated into a more comprehensive rail or coach trip.
