We love Berlin. Been there about five times now. Such an interesting city. It has so many things that make it interesting. The main reason, for me, is the recent (last 100 years) history and the effect that it has on it's inhabitants today. I shall explain.
Hitler's rise to power and subsequent rule, was based on conformity. If you were gay, a Gipsy, of the 'wrong' political persuasion, Jewish, mentally ill, physically disabled, in fact, anything defined on a fluid scale that did not conform to what the government wanted, you were singled out, persecuted by propaganda, by public. You would end up in a camp and more likely die.
During the Soviet rule of East Germany the same thing happened. It was about conformity. People who tried to alter their clothing to look like jeans, thought different thoughts to what they were supposed to, did their hair a bit different, were picked out, spied on and eventually dragged in to face charges of not conforming.
In both instances, the conforming was at the behest of a political ideology that was paranoid and insane. It meant that any act could be seen as an anti-government thing, The way you styled your hair could make you a dangerous subversive. Both sets of rulers were trying to heavily control the people. Many of the public conformed and through fear reported those that did not. During the Stasi era, if your neighbour had made his trousers look like jeans, played western music he would get reported. If it had been going on some time, you yourself may get taken in for questioning because you did not report it earlier. You could be seen as being sympathetic to his dangerous ways.
Nothing highlights, for me, the modern Berlin like Maurpark. This symbolic park (it translates as Wall Park) is on the site of where the old Berlin Wall ran. On a Sunday they have a fantastic market one side and people just gather on the other to enjoy each other and themselves. Bands just turn up, set up and play. They have something called the Bear Pit Karaoke where all sorts of people sing to a massive crowd. Others just laze in groups enjoying beer, food and smoking.
Punks sit next to grandparents who sit next to average teens who mingle with families. Rock, funk, punk, traditional German music are to be heard all over the place. There is no trouble. No sneering. No cynicism. People of one group are not staring at others, ridiculing them or complaining about them.
There are two things at work here.
One, is that after the years of conforming, diversity is good. The feeling is almost, if you have a neon pink mohawk, then so do I. If I dress in a more traditional style, then so do you. By accepting each others differences, we become the same. We're Berliners. The wider the gap between how I look and what I like, as to how you look and what you like, is a measure of our diversity. That diversity makes us great. It is celebrated.
The other thing at work is that they do not care. This is not in a negative sense. It is completely positive. Go to a club dressed as a vampire wearing buckets for shoes. Hardly anyone notices. This must be quite annoying for attention whores. For everyone else, it is about not caring what you look like as I am here to have a good time for myself. Not spend the night slagging others off for what they're doing.
These two ideas sound as though they can't work together, how can you celebrate how different someone is to you if you do not care what they look like. I don't really know how to answer it. The fact is, go to Berlin. Travel around on the public transport system, go to clubs or social gatherings, and you will see what I mean.
In all the trips that I have made, the only person looking at others and how they are is me.
Anyway, I wrote this to try to help you understand why I think It is the greatest city in the world. I'm sure it has its problems, which city doesn't? But for people living alongside each other with no fuss, it can not be beat.
My main aim in this blog is to invite you on the journeys we have taken. What we found, what we liked, what we didn't. I don't think I have the best taste in the world, if this serves as nothing more than a site full of things you want to avoid, I have contributed to your Berlin experience. I don't claim to be a travel expert or an expert on Berlin, I do claim to be an expert on what I like.
The truth of the matter is that any place in the world is best discovered by yourself. If anyone reading this wants to correct any information, provide a review themselves, applaud me for my writing prowess or slag me off for the utter shit I have posted here, I am extremeley happy to accommodate, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Thanks,
@lolwarlol
Arriving
Each time we have been, we have flown from Heathrow to Tegal airport in Berlin. However, as you will notice from this snippet I have stolen from here....
I love Tegal, it is small (compared to Heathrow) and functional. From plane to taxi is no more than a 10 minute walk (maybe 15, depending on how much luggage you have). If you want to, you can catch a bus from the airport into the city centre, given that you're carrying bags and that taxis are fairly cheap, a taxi is the best option. All cabs are clean and cool. Depending on the journey we've paid between (No Euro symbol on my keypad, so all prices show £ but mean Euros) £20 and £45. All the drivers we have had have driven a correct route and not took the piss.
If you really want to, you can get a travel pass at the airport. They have a couple of varieties, we normally go for the one that cost £35 one. They allow you to travel on all trains, buses and trams in Berlin for 5 days. They are fantastic value. It is true that we have only been asked to show them once in all thee time we have been there, but on that occasion, we were able to provide them, unlike a fellow passenger who was taken off and promptly nicked. We prefer worry free travel, and again, they are fantastic value for money. There is one that is available that gets you discounts on various tourist attractions, also worth it if you plan to run around the various and numerous museums and attractions, it may well be worth it.
BERLIN — More than 20 years in the making, Berlin’s new airport is set to open on June 3. With its 70-acre steel, glass and granite terminal, Berlin Brandenburg Airport will bring the city’s passengers into the world of 21st-century air travel. And that, for many, is precisely the problem — they prefer the 20th century.
I love Tegal, it is small (compared to Heathrow) and functional. From plane to taxi is no more than a 10 minute walk (maybe 15, depending on how much luggage you have). If you want to, you can catch a bus from the airport into the city centre, given that you're carrying bags and that taxis are fairly cheap, a taxi is the best option. All cabs are clean and cool. Depending on the journey we've paid between (No Euro symbol on my keypad, so all prices show £ but mean Euros) £20 and £45. All the drivers we have had have driven a correct route and not took the piss.
If you really want to, you can get a travel pass at the airport. They have a couple of varieties, we normally go for the one that cost £35 one. They allow you to travel on all trains, buses and trams in Berlin for 5 days. They are fantastic value. It is true that we have only been asked to show them once in all thee time we have been there, but on that occasion, we were able to provide them, unlike a fellow passenger who was taken off and promptly nicked. We prefer worry free travel, and again, they are fantastic value for money. There is one that is available that gets you discounts on various tourist attractions, also worth it if you plan to run around the various and numerous museums and attractions, it may well be worth it.
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