Berlin

Saying that Berlin is an exciting city is a gross understatement.

All I knew about this city before I came was that it was once home to the infamous Berlin Wall - which split Europe (and the rest of the world) into two halves. After a lot of research, I discovered 3 things about this city which I didn't know before:

1. Kebabs - Berlin is home to the inventor of the Doner Kebab (we Pinoys know it by its Arabic name: Shawarma) - the most popular fast food in the city. Serving it wrapped in pita bread was the brainchild of Mehmed Aygun, a 16 year old Turkish immigrant who set up his first Imbiss (or snack bar) in 1971.

2. Zoo Station - one of the major bus/tram/railway stations in Berlin, it served as the inspiration for one of U2's most famous albums (Zooroopa). This album was obviously recorded in Berlin - and the station is obviously next to the city Zoo (which is the official home of Knut the Polar Bear).


3. Dirty - it is a surprisingly dirty city - there are cigarette butts everywhere, and picking up after your dog is not a popular practice. As a result, you will sometimes encounter dog poo on train platforms, sidewalks, and even inside the train itself. Also, like Warsaw, Berliners love to smoke (cigarettes, that is) - and they do it everywhere.

I took a sleeper train from Warsaw to get to this city - I had no choice really, my Polish visa's 30-day limit was expiring in a few days and this was my last weekend to get out of the country (read this post for a background on my visa situation). Since I had a Schengen Visa, heading to Berlin was the cheapest (and easiest - but not the safest I heard) way to get a fresh stamp on my passport. The journey took about 8 hours - I had my own bed, and spent the night bunked in the couchette with 5 other Russian guys. It was a relatively uneventful trip - I was a bit buzzed (I had a "few" beers in Warsaw before boarding the train hehehe), and the only thing I remember about it was waking up a couple of times in the middle of the night to show my ticket and my passport (to a guy with a funny looking hat).

If you are a tourist, sightseeing is very, very convenient. Two double-decker buses (numbers 100 and 200) leave from Zoo station every 15 mins. They go around the city, passing through every major tourist attraction - you can get on and off anytime you like. These hop on/hop off buses are quite common in touristy places - the difference here is that you don't need to buy a special ticket for this - the regular public transportation ticket (which is valid also in all of the subways, trams, and trains) handles it all.

Quite cheap, a day pass costs only 6.10 euros (p384 - wow ang mura nga! Hehehe!).

Ok then, why do I think this city is so exciting?

It's the party scene of course - Berlin is THE home of techno music (or "Ugs-ugs" as my brother calls it). In fact, Paul Van Dyk who is the god of trance, grew up in East Berlin. Berliners party in empty warehouses and converted power stations - you'd never guess there was a club there by looking from the outside. There are no signs, and the entrance is usually located in some strange backalley that taxi drivers cannot find. Once you enter, it's a different world.



Astig no?