Berlin!

This is now our third city-trip in Germany, and Berlin is so shockingly different than the other two German cities we went to that one would wonder how they’re related. In some ways it’s like any other European metropolitan city, with huge malls, neo-classical facades, and a well-maintained metro system. However, once you start looking, you find so much more...

While I don’t want to get into the political and economic history of what occurred there over the past 60+ years – mostly because people will inevitably disagree with any interpretation I give – I do want to point out this is precisely why it’s an interesting city from a travel perspective. Clearly there is a difference between the east and the west, although massive construction has significantly blurred that line in the past twenty years. However, Berlin’s true appeal today is how it has culturally handled that transition. What you had were two sets of people who were exactly the same but, because of where their houses / apartments were located, they were split. Almost fifty years later they were put back together, but in that timeframe they went in drastically different directions. So what happens now?

Well, you get a massive artistic explosion, for one. From architecture to music to fashion to just about anything, Berlin is not only on the cutting edge, they’re driving it. The number of modernist buildings is staggering; the entire city seems to be a playground for progressive architecture. Every street has some concept-building begging to be looked at, from small row apartments to large office buildings, and you could probably spend weeks trying to see them all.

Galleries and studios also proliferate, many of which have extremely interesting stuff. For instance – there’s a clothing store that, on the main floor, is just an empty white-plastered room, no signs or anything, and a lone staircase heading down. If you take the staircase, you get into this immaculate basement with crazy men’s/women’s clothing from local designers. In addition, you see a lot more Eastern European influence in many of the stores, which rarely ever makes its’ way into Switzerland or the US.

Another way in which Berlin is setting itself apart from the rest of Europe is in the bar / club scene. The only way to truly describe it would be as “completely out of control”. Any type of music you want to hear is being played somewhere – opera, jazz, alternative, balkan electronica – you name it. Just walking into stores you hear styles of music you’ve never even considered. This all leads into a lot of unique venues and concepts. For instance, one bar we went to was full of nooks and beanbags, which was great for lazing around with your honey! Another bar we went to was basically an art squat inside an old shopping mall that was apparently in the process of being demolished when the squatters took it over. There was graffiti everywhere and a couple of metal-working studios attached to it; you just don’t find this kind of thing in other cities!

Then the club scene…well, first of all, I’m too old for clubbing. However, Berlin is known for having the best clubs in Europe, if not the entire world, so of course I made Soph go to one with me. And of course, the first one we tried to go to, they took one look at us and said something in German that probably translated as “too old”, and wouldn’t let us in. Luckily there was another one up the street, and while we didn’t get any younger on the way there, they were letting everyone in, so it worked out. Good night – we made it out well past 3am!

As a side note, many of you are probably wondering how I was able to convince Soph to go to a club that plays electronic music. The answer is simple – I took her to get Asian food for lunch both days. Marriage is all about give and take…

At the end of the day, would I recommend Berlin? Actually a tough question; in some ways, it’s the most exciting and vibrant city we’ve been to, possibly anywhere. The energy is contagious, and the sub-culture is so far past any other city that it’s not even funny. That being said – if you take that element away, Berlin is just another city, albeit with some really cool architecture. The main sites are interesting enough that it’s hard to skip those in favor of exploring the rebuilding and soon-to-be gentrified neighborhoods – however, a good number of other European cities also have “main sites” that are just as interesting, if not moreso. However, what’s going on in parts of East Berlin is what makes it unique – which makes sense, because it’s still trying to catch up to the west. Buildings are being torn down and replaced; low rents are attracting international talent; I mean, we had coffees in a minimalist concrete-furnitured organic coffeeshop. Where else will you find something like that? That said, it will probably all be gone in another twenty years and replaced with a Starbucks. Speaking of which - check out how crowded the one below is!


Next trip: Loire Valley!