Berlin - still a mixed up city

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We jumped on the train to Berlin, successfully avoiding being ripped off again by a Prague taxi driver. German rail impressed us but our trip was continually being interrupted by people who had reservations for our seats. The train was almost at capacity and the only place we could find was in the even more luxurious dining car - we had a three hour trip and felt like stowaways, hoping the waiter wouldn't kick us out - that bowl of soup had to last a long time :-)! Mind you, most of the dining car travellers appeared to be in a similar situation.

We spent about four days in Berlin, with the aim of travelling briefly to most corners of the city to try to get a feel for the diversity and enthusiasm that it is now renowned for. Almost twenty years after the fall of the Wall, Berlin still comes across as a divided city. In the centre and west, it is as alive and confident as any other major centre. In the central areas formerly near the Berlin Wall, glass-dominated architecture and bright lights have moved in but in a way which hasn't overwhelmed the history of the areas - Potsdamer Platz became one of my favourite places because of all these influences. In the east though, the city is bleak and appears to be struggling. Overall, though, a very liveable city.

It was a little surreal to walk through many of the areas made famous as a result of the Cold War. I was even more excited to visit the scenes of the Berlin-based spy novels that I've read (if you like, 'following in the footsteps' of Bernard Samson from the Len Deighton novels). We particularly enjoyed the History of Berlin museum and the Checkpoint Charlie outdoor displays, as well as the grim 300 metre stretch of the Berlin Wall that has become an open-air graffiti gallery.

NM

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Photos

Potsdamer Platz
Where the gap between East and West Germany was widest

East Side Gallery
A 300 metre long stretch of the Berlin Wall

A Berlin entrepreneur
Selling sausages on Friedrichstrasse - the portable bbq held on the waist would be very handy for social events!