Berlin is the most interesting city I’ve ever been to. On one hand it’s quite ugly, with a lot of hideous 70s, 80s and 90s architecture, there are graffiti tags on everything and there are obvious drug problems (as witnessed by the syringe sticking out of a turd we found in a Kreutzberg park).
Despite this it’s also really beautiful once you start digging around. There’s street art everywhere, there’s abandoned buildings that have been taken over by squatters and turned into thriving communities and artist collectives, there are more interesting bars than I’ve ever seen, catering to every taste imaginable, and there’s markets everywhere, particularly on the weekend.
It’s also incredibly multi-cultural (migrants were attracted by the cheap rent and work opportunities after the war), which means there is a dazzling array of really good food!
The history is also fascinating. There’s the obvious holocaust memorials and museums, but my favourite was the Stasi museum. It documents how the Stasi established itself in East Berlin, and slowly progressed towards a police state that terrorised its citizens. The original offices of the top echelon were preserved and are on display – it’s like walking into a set from Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy – and it’s eerie to walk around where such perverse decisions were made.
Oh, and there’s also a really great network of dedicated bicycle lanes, with signs to all the key areas, so it’s really easy to get around on the bike.
We had five days in Berlin, but it wasn’t half enough, and we both left wanting much more.
4ks an hour 