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Berlin
Sept 21, 2010 21:31:57 GMT
Post by betsie on Sept 21, 2010 21:31:57 GMT
Hi folks, just got back from 6 days in Berlin. It was my first visit since I lived in West Berlin, many years ago.
This city has everything: it's a cultural paradise, restaurants are much cheaper than other European countries and there's a terrific selection of restaurants of all kinds. Great street markets with wonderful varieties of food and lots of fresh, local produce. There are woods and lakes, dozens of interesting museums and a nightlife that is as flourishing as it was all those years ago. With only 3 million residents in such a huge city, housing is still affordable, and the public transport system (U-bahn and S-bahn) is excellent, so you can get anywhere in the city in very little time: a car is really not necessary. Berlin folk are very helpful if you need help with directions (admittedly I speak German, but I had the general impression that they would go out of their way to help any foreigner).
There's some marvellous new architecture alongside the old ugly Prussian stuff and the atmosphere is vibrant and exciting. Anything goes in Berlin, and I mean anything.
We also spent a day in Potsdam, which is well worth a visit.
I'll be posting some pix of both cities in the course of the week.
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Berlin
Sept 22, 2010 10:31:51 GMT
Post by hwinpp on Sept 22, 2010 10:31:51 GMT
Yes, I think Berlin is one of the more affordable capitals in Europe. If it just weren't for the Berliners...
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Berlin
Sept 22, 2010 11:33:08 GMT
Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2010 11:33:08 GMT
Yes, we all know that Berlin is perhaps the most liveable and cheap European capital -- it's just in the wrong place with the wrong weather! Hurry up with those pictures!
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Berlin
Sept 22, 2010 11:36:15 GMT
Post by onlymark on Sept 22, 2010 11:36:15 GMT
I love Berliners.
Especially the plain ones with sugar on top.
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Berlin
Sept 22, 2010 13:15:05 GMT
Post by bjd on Sept 22, 2010 13:15:05 GMT
Me too Mark. I have been to Berlin twice in the past 2 years. The first time I did not buy a key ring with a donut attached with Ich bin auch ein Berliner on it. This time (June) I went into every souvenir store and didn't find the old kind, just ugly new ones.
Agreed, it's a great city.
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Berlin
Sept 22, 2010 13:23:51 GMT
Post by betsie on Sept 22, 2010 13:23:51 GMT
Well I can see my comments on Berlin are superfluous to such a sophisticated group of travellers, so I won't burden you with any more.
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Berlin
Sept 22, 2010 13:25:24 GMT
Post by onlymark on Sept 22, 2010 13:25:24 GMT
Oops.
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Berlin
Sept 22, 2010 13:47:01 GMT
Post by bixaorellana on Sept 22, 2010 13:47:01 GMT
Hey Betsie ~~ great to see you back. I really appreciated your post, as I know nothing about Berlin. That is so surprising that such a major city has so few residents, relatively speaking.
I love that you reported on the new as well as the old, and can't wait to see the photos.
Are the woods and lakes incorporated into city parks, or part of the surrounding countryside? I guess some of the waves of guest workers over the past 50 years must have stayed and enhanced the restaurant and other culture. It sounds like a wonderful travel destination.
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Berlin
Sept 22, 2010 14:10:52 GMT
Post by lagatta on Sept 22, 2010 14:10:52 GMT
Betsie, I'm so pleased you've posted about Berlin. Really, the comments weren't intended to shut you down - I'd think that if nobody had responded, that would be more of a problem, no? I've never been to Berlin either, unfortunately. I've only been to Western German cities close to France or the Netherlands. I suppose the fact that Berlin was cut off from West Germany for so long contributes to the relative dearth of population, relative to the infrastructures? There must have been some population boost from making Berlin the Federal Republic capital again, no? Bonn has certainly experienced a decline. It sounds like a fascinating place, if not particularly harmonious given the old parts that stayed standing alongside postwar junk thrown up in a hurry, East German Plattenbauten en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plattenbau , modern architecture that is sometimes stunning and (to my mind) sometimes quite ugly.
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Berlin
Sept 22, 2010 15:49:49 GMT
Post by betsie on Sept 22, 2010 15:49:49 GMT
Betsie, I'm so pleased you've posted about Berlin. Really, the comments weren't intended to shut you down - I'd think that if nobody had responded, that would be more of a problem, no? I've never been to Berlin either, unfortunately. I've only been to Western German cities close to France or the Netherlands. I suppose the fact that Berlin was cut off from West Germany for so long contributes to the relative dearth of population, relative to the infrastructures? There must have been some population boost from making Berlin the Federal Republic capital again, no? Bonn has certainly experienced a decline. It sounds like a fascinating place, if not particularly harmonious given the old parts that stayed standing alongside postwar junk thrown up in a hurry, East German Plattenbauten en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plattenbau , modern architecture that is sometimes stunning and (to my mind) sometimes quite ugly. The problem in moving to Berlin is still employment, Lagatta. The whole area surrounding the city has little to offer: poor soil (marsh and sand) and no natural resources. My daughter has been thinking of moving there (her dad still lives there) but her prospects are not good, despite the fact hat she has been brought up trilingually and has a degree in management. Back in the day, when I lived there, it was mainly a student city, it was the scene, the place to be, and it was wonderful, though extremely polarised: it was them or us, and I recall how the police used to beat demonstrators up on Krufurstendam, while all the old ladies sat stuffing their faces on terrace cafes, shouting to the police to hit us harder! ;D Not much junk any more though: the communist flats are still there, but have been thoroughly renovated according to western standards.
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Berlin
Sept 22, 2010 15:57:41 GMT
Post by betsie on Sept 22, 2010 15:57:41 GMT
Hey Betsie ~~ great to see you back. I really appreciated your post, as I know nothing about Berlin. That is so surprising that such a major city has so few residents, relatively speaking. I love that you reported on the new as well as the old, and can't wait to see the photos. Are the woods and lakes incorporated into city parks, or part of the surrounding countryside? I guess some of the waves of guest workers over the past 50 years must have stayed and enhanced the restaurant and other culture. It sounds like a wonderful travel destination. There are parks everywhere, Bixa, and a huge park in the centre called the Tiergarten, which still has wild animals roving around. The woods and lakes are pretty natural and very large, people have sailing boats moored on them. We used to go swimming at midnight there in the heat of the summer (don't know why people complain of the climate, since the summers are ok, though the winters can be rough). The friends I stayed with have a large house in the south of Berlin. It's like living in the country, total silence, no traffic noises whatsoever, yet only 15 minutes from the city centre by S-Bahn. The guest workers have made their mark in some respects, but sadly the Turks, the largest group, are pretty much where they have always been: happy to live on welfare and still living in ghettos.
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