A review of this place: East and West — 1 year ago
Wow! This is the only word I can use to describe Berlin. I absolutely fell in love with this city even though I only stayed 3 days. The mix between old and new; glitzy West and lively East; remembrance of the past and vision towards the future; creates an amazing vibe. Berlin will get hold of your emotions and not let go. Sorrow in front of the monument to the murdered Jews of WW2; awe at the remaining Communist and Nazi buildings, complete with bullet holes; simple pleasure of walking in the parks or along the rivers… This is a place where history was created, or rather carved, sometimes very painfully.
Everybody was very tolerant of my broken German and it really made me want to keep trying. I was particularly proud of myself when I managed to buy a train ticket to Bratislava without resorting to English (yes I know, I am easy to please).
And then there is public transport: efficient, fast and reliable like Swiss clockwork. Maybe the Mayor of London should take his next holiday in Berlin?
In fact, there is only one negative thing to say about Berlin: I didn’t manage to find a decent Internet cafe that was fast and reliable anywhere. Come on guys, I had better service in Iquitos, in the middle of the Peruvian rain forest! Do a favour to the hordes of foreign tourists and get them internet cafes with decent broadband and computers that don’t crash.
Berlin, I’ll be back and next time I’ll make sure I also sample the night life (too tired, not enough time, bla, bla, bla and more feeble excuses for not having gone clubbing this time round).
