Berlin is not a city you will fall in love at first sight. If the word ‘Berlin’ is removed from all the signs, few will ever venture here. This city completely lacks those grand and magnificent architecture tourists expect to see when they come to Europe. Sascha, my co-worker, and friend, a real Berliner, took me around the city which I found at first too ordinary. Even then I immediately felt that this city is one of those special places you have to linger for a while, maybe even months, before you will finally appreciate what make it ‘Berlin.’
I stayed at a flat of Sascha’s friend in Neukölln, a working-class neighborhood in south Berlin, home of a large Turkish immigrant community. I ate mostly Turkish pizza, kebab, and Arabic food during my time here plus a few occasions slurping down my home-sweet-home noodle soups from Vietnamese restaurants just blocks away from where I stayed. Berlin is home not only to Turks but also to 10000 Vietnamese who came during communism and settled in the eastern part.
My arrival accidentally coincided with then president-nominee Obama’s giving a speech at the historic Brandenburg Gate. It was a huge event attracting significant interests from Germans, especially the people from liberal Berlin. Different kinds of people flocked to the street to see Obama speak. Young Germans are carrying and waving American flags. The scene was memorable especially at the time when anti-American was high in Europe.
– Brandenburg Gate: If you wonder why this gate reminds you of classical columns seen in Greek architectures, you are correct. The designer got his inspiration from Athens’ Acropolis. The Brandenburg Gate has been a fixture throughout the changing of German and European history, watching the rise and falls of different political powers from the Prussian Empire to the Nazi.
– Checkpoint Charlie: The crossing-point between west-east Berlin during the cold war.
– Berlin Wall: Most of the 140 km-long wall has been taken down. Pieces and bits of the walls still exist resembling an open-air museum and reminding people of the past and of course to give tourists something to see.
– East side gallery: The largest open-air gallery in the world is a 1.6-km long wall featuring 100 paintings by artists all over the world. (There is an interesting hostel located on a boat here.)
– Holocaust Memorial: The name is short for the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. The design of the memorial is strikingly simple, consisting of only rectangular slabs of various height neatly put together. I didn’t think much about it at first, but later on, when looking at photos, I found this memorial resemble a large field with nameless coffins of unknown people. It was such a chilling sight.
– Jewish Museum: Tell the history of Jews in Germany. When you walk around Berlin, sometimes you see police guarding in front of some buildings. Chance are these are Jewish institutions. For the historical reason which you probably know why all Jewish institutions are under police protection in Germany. Nowhere else in Europe like in Germany you find similar protection. It’s an attempt to right a terrible wrong, reflected in the words of the German chancellor, Angela Merkel: “Every attack on a Jewish institution is an assault on our democracy.”
– Alexander Platz: A crowded, messy square with a World Clock and the tall TV tower, making it a popular site for meeting up.
– Kunsthaus Tacheles: Call it whatever you want, a junkyard, squat, hippie gone wild, kindergarten playground or a ‘romantic’ coffee break. This odd-looking, scary-at-first building is a must-see for those who want to discover an alternative Berlin. In the ‘kindergarten playground,’ you can sit on swing, rusty bench and have coffee. Make sure to check out the Berlin-style gallery the in the basement where you find original arts and postcards you can proudly buy for friends but NOT for your mothers. To get down to the art gallery, you will first enter a vacant, creepy buildings full of graffiti. I was here with a local friend, so I felt secured the entire time. But solo female traveler might find it a bit too creepy.
– Yaam : Another alternative community in Berlin at the end of East Side Gallery. Be careful though as people told me this was not a safe area.
– Neukölln: The ‘Turkish headquarter’ in south Berlin where you can find many Kebab stands, Turkish restaurants, shop for fresh produces and bargains for all sorts of things at a large Turkish market.
German food is of Central European heavy cuisine with a lot of potatoes, meat, and sausages. The only German thing I ever ate in Germany was typical German sausages with Sauerkraut.
With large immigrant communities from many cultures, the best food in Berlin isn’t German. You can eat the best food if you go for an ethnic gastronomic adventure. Try delicious kebab, Turkish pizza, Arabic food and Vietnamese noodle soups.
Beer is a German national identity. Make sure you drink lots of them when you’re in Germany.
– Berlin-Schönefeld Airport (SXF) is served by low-cost airlines Ryanair, easyJet, Germanwings and flyPgs (Turkish airline). Major carriers operate from Berlin’s main airport at Tegel (TXL). There are direct buses and trains to the city center.
– The German rail website is not only a good resource for checking schedules, prices for German domestic and international trains but also for trains from other European countries. I saw many online commenters referring to this website for train information in other countries. (It’s no surprise given we are talking about the forever efficient and punctual Germans.)
– Germany is well connected via buses to rest of Europe including less popular countries like the former ex-Yugoslavia countries (Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Serbia, Slovenia). Major bus companies are Eurolines, Berlin Linienbus serving hundreds of destinations plus small companies catering to specific countries. Student Agency.eu/cz has routes from Berlin and a few other destinations in Germany to the Czech Republic. (Czech word for Germany is Nemecko). Salinea has buses from Berlin and a few other cities to Tuzla, Bosnia. I guess the bus will also stop at Sarajevo. (Croatian word for Germany is Njimacka).
– Carshare is very popular with Germans. This excellent carsharing website will enable you to check for rides, fares between many destinations in Germany and nearby countries e.g. Czech Republic. The site is entirely in German, but don’t worry you’ll surely figure it out. Use this site if you can’t find trains or buses going at the hours you want.
– Berlin has very good public transportation with frequent buses, trams, metro (U-Bahn) and trains (S-Bahn). A day pass will give you access to all these means of transportation.
The hosteling concept started in 1909 in Germany. A German teacher organized trips for his students, encountered a storm and had to seek refuge in an empty school. And the rest is what you see today. For backpackers, hosteling is Germany’s second best invention after the Mercedes.
| Accommodation – Hostel: from €3 (usually available in a suite and you have to book all the beds. Good for group travelers). – Apartment: from €5/person (triple room), €11/person (double room) – Budget hotel: from €16 / person (double room) |
Transporation – Daypass: €6.5 – Single ride: €1.5 – Carshare ride from Berlin to Prague: €15-25, Berlin to Dresden €10 |
| Food – Kebab, Turkish piazza : from €2 – Sausage: €2 – Beer: €3 |
Additional resource
Berlin’s route planer
[slickr-flickr type=”galleria” tag=”berlin” caption=”on” descriptions =”on”]
My name is Cindy, also rhymes with travel junkie. A friend said I was probably a gipsy in my previous life. One of my many secret missions in life is to convert you to run off every once in awhile.
