A place in my heart: Berlin, Germany
June 5, 2008
© Romany KebarRomany Kebar, editor
Where? Berlin, Germany
Why? You can’t visit Berlin without being drawn into its history. Capital of Prussia, the roaring clubs of the twenties, divided by the wall after the War, and today a vibrant multicultural metropolis combining the best parts of Eastern and Western Europe. The extremely low cost of living makes it an excellent city for students and artists, and if you do travel there with money, even with a strong Euro you’ll get an awful lot for your pound.
Where would you stay? If you want to experience communist-era Berlin for yourself, then the Ostel in Mitte is a must – with bedrooms and bathrooms decorated in Ossi (East German) style, the only thing that’s missing is hidden cameras and listening devices.
But for an insight into the city as it is today, and the chance to get to know some natives into the bargain, then try finding a room in a WG (Wohngemeinschaft, or flatshare) for the duration of your stay – googling „wg suche“ will bring up plenty of websites set up for this purpose.
Best meal? Germany is renowned for its schnitzel and sauerkraut, but Berlin has much more to offer. As the city with the biggest Turkish population outside of Turkey, you can just as easily find yourself eating a kofte as a currywurst. My favourite meal, though, is Sunday brunch – starting mid-morning and ending mid-afternoon, many cafés in Berlin turn themselves over to a buffet, and Berliners will sit at the pavement tables all day.
Best way to spend an hour? Swimming outside, either in one of Berlin’s many lidos (entry normally around €3), the peaceful freshwater lakes in and around the city, or a combination of the two – Strandbad Wannsee is has its own beach as well as a water slide and a promenade of shops selling ice cream and the ubiquitous currywurst.
Top tips? Rent a bicycle, often costing as little as €5 for 24 hours, and travel through the city’s backstreets the way the locals do. Or if the exercise is too much for you, hire a Trabant, East Germany’s favourite (and pretty much only) car. Visit the fleamarkets on Sunday morning – there are good ones at Boxhagenerplatz in Friedrichshain and Mauerpark in Prenzlauer Berg - and pick up a custom-designed t-shirt, authentic East German kitchenware or the entire contents of somebody’s flat as they decide on a whim to reject consumerism.
For cold, snowy days (and Berlin has a few of them), my favourite museums are the Pergamon which contains amazing reconstructed buildings such as the Ishtar Gate of Babylon. If more recent history is your thing, then try the Stasi museum – it’s out in the east and harder to find, but absolutely worth it. Lots of spy equipment and illegitimately acquired records of people’s lives give you a spine-chilling feel of what it was like to live through the Stasi era.
