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I have been walking a lot and riding the buses and trains on the best public transportation system in the world, well at least compared with everywhere I've been. There are fast inter-city trains, regional stopper trains, S bahn, U bahn and where these don't go, the buses and trams fill in the gaps. You can zip across the city in a few minutes on the S bahn, literally Schnell Bahn or fast train. And it seems that everyone takes public transport here in Berlin.
My first day in Berlin was quite an adventure. I arrived mid-afternoon on Saturday at a station in the south, but I wasn't sure where until I examined the transit map in some detail. I figured out where I was and took the local transport to the hostel I intended on staying at. I walked onto the street and was greated by about one dozen working girls working the streets. I politely declined and started walking one way, then I had to back track past the ladies again, who erroneously thought I was reconsidering. Sorry ladies, I was just lost. I started walking in the direction I thought was the hostel, and kept walking and
walking. I walked into a new district watching the street numbers go in the right direction, but I never did find the hostel. It turned out I had the wrong steet entirely. I found another hostel, but they were booked up. So after over an hour of walking with my backpack I had had enough and checked into Motel One. Slick, new and part of a chain of hotels. I had a nice room, television, shower and some privacy for the first time and all for a mere €60 per night. I stayed two nights. That evening I set out to find that hostel to book for later. After finding the right street and reception of the hostel, it turns out they are booked solid anyway.
The next morning, I went to find another place to stay. While a hotel is nice, hostels are 3 to 4 times cheaper and allow me to stay in Europe 3 to 4 times longer. Lonely Planet recommended another place in Mitte, part of what was East Berlin, so that's what I booked for the remainder of my stay in Berlin.
My first day I rode the buses back and forth from
the Zoo Station in the west to Alexanderplatz in the east. I also went into the Deutsches Museum to see the history of Germany, from pre-Roman to reunification in 1989. Berlin has such a tumultuous and fascinating history, it's everywhere you turn. From the Brandenburg Gate, to the Reichstag, to Potsdamer Platz, to the Kaiser Wilhelm Church to the East Side Gallery. I saw it all that first day.
I also visited the Pergammon Museum. I did so also on my first visit to Berlin five years ago. I especially wanted to re-visit the artifacts from Mesopotamia. It was crowed inside, but once you pass the Pergammon Alter, the museum becomes more subdued and sane, such as a museum should be. That evening I went to Potsdamer Platz and the Sony Centre to see Star Trek. And it was in English with no sub-titles. No wonder the Germans are so good at English.
I took the regional train out to Potsdam yesterday. I could see in the morning that the weather was going to be great, and it didn't disappoint. Indeed, the afternoon got quite warm and humid. Potsdam was the summer residence of Frederick the Great and
it was the site of the first post War conference in June 1945 with Stalin, Churchill and Truman, where Truman whispered in Stalin's ear, "we've got a new weapon" and Stalin replied that he already knew this secret. Potsdam is very beautiful among the trees, flowers and a few fountains and beneath a sunny sky.
This morning I went to the East Side gallery, the last remaining portion of the wall, about one kilometer long and covered in art, but some might call it grafitti. Much of it was behind fencing and tarpaulin because it is being restored. Restoring the wall, you ask? This remaining portion is painted by artists, and needs to be repainted every few years to maintain it's quality, simply because it's outside and exposed. The paint only lasts so long, and so they invite the artists back to restore their work. I personally watched at the artist re-painted that famous Trebant. Berliners can't simply ignore their history and destroy all the wall, so they've chosen to keep one small portion. It's now very kitsch for us tourists, but we shouldn't forget that it must have awful to live with a wall through the centre of
your city, separating families and friends.
I really like Berlin for a number of reasons. Some call it cold and impersonal, and it certainly doesn't have the cache of Paris, or the charm of Prague. But it's a big city with a great public transport system, a compelling history, which surrounds you everywhere. There is a lot going on, it's a party town for some, a history town for others, a business town for another group, and an artistic town for yet others. It's also quite cheap, which is a bonus. It's not hard to spend only a few euros for dinner. But you could also stay at the Hotel Adlon and eat like a King and go into debt. Berlin's got it all.
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Mat
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You wrote: "And it was in English with no sub-titles. No wonder the Germans are so good at English. " Well, that ist not true. Normally all films shown in TV and cimemas are dubbed into German. In live in a city of 200.000 (Kassel) and nearly never there arent films show in the origional language in cinema. Everything dubbed into german. Obviously only in some cinemas in very big german cities such as berlin they show foreign films (american films) in their origional (language) version. This ist different in many other european countries. For instance Denmark and the netherlands and even France. Therefore (and because of other reasons) the duch or danish people all (even blue collar workers) speak english very well, while here in Germany only the young and well educated speak english well. (or at all)