Berlin - you blow my mind with your coolness

Everyone I know kept telling me that I had to go to Berlin. How had I not yet been there. I would love it. It's a great city. It's interesting. It's crazy. And so they were true. Every word of that was true. Berlin is a fascinating city.

This city is one of the few that has accepted it's past, faced it and is sorely apologetic about it. To have the courage as a people to face the terrible things associated with the city makes it such a strong city, nay country. I've seen so many films about WWII, so many books read about it but never did I feel so immersed in what had happened. The sheer enormity of it all completely overwhelms you. There are memorials all over the city paying tribute to the lost and in turn recognising the terror of it all. Its a strong city.

The first full day was dedicated to the history of the city which began with a delicious hearty breakfast at Kafer atop the Reischtag parliament building. The new modern dome on the terrace of the historic grandeur building, is a beautiful mix of architecture. The restaurant reservation got us through the line very quickly and gave us a comfortable non-rushed view of this powerful building. I mean honestly which other parliament has a restaurant atop for visitors.

I'm glad we did this early in our trip as the audio guide of the dome and the circular walk around it gives you a quick and nice view of the entire city and its important monuments. In a snapshot you can take in everything Berlin has to offer. After spending the whole morning here it was time to brace ourselves cause what follows are some very emotionally heavy sites and museums. The Brandenburg gate followed by the Memorial to the Murdered Jews and Topography of Terror.

the government buildings around Reichstag

The Memorial for me was quite special, this large space filled with 2,771 concrete slabs is a mesmerising site. There are rows and rows of these and the ground below is not flat, it has a sort of wave to it. To appreciate this site fully you have to go to the museum beneath it and be prepared to take in some very confronting facts. After spending an hour or so in there I came out feeling completely drained and in need of a beer to help digest everything. To be honest I couldn't quite finish the entire museum cause tears kept flowing, but I am glad I went.

After a good dose of history and in dire need for some cheering up we made our way through the huge Tiergarten. On a gorgeous warm 32 degree summers day, this place was like heaven, a blanket of cool. It's a beautiful park and walking through it leads you to the crossroads where the Victory Tower now stands tall. Too hot to be bothered going up, we take our mandatory photos and head further through the park to the south west end of it heading towards Cafe Am neuen See. My favourite biergarten in Berlin. Tucked at the very west end of Tiergarten and along a beautiful pond, this biergarten has it all and of course you've got to try the 'Brezel und Kartoffelsalat'.

Making our way back to the hotel, we relaxed and got ready for some delicious Vietnamese, yes I know in Berlin and going for Vietnamese, but honestly, this place came highly recommended and it did not disappoint - Monsieur Vuong - fresh, healthy and yummy - its one of the best Vietnamese restaurants I've been to. The meal was to be followed by our, rather my, insistence on at least going and attempting to get into Berghain. Yes yes I know its a futile task, but it was such a fun experience just standing in the line and watching it all unfold. So this club, if you haven't hear is one of biggest clubs in Europe and is known for being very hard to get into. You have to be uber cool, speak german preferably, and clearly not look like a tourist :)

That half hour standing in line was worth with, you can hear the music pumping while you wait (to be rejected), with loads of people dressed in crazy outfits (one guy wore teddy bears knitted together!), quite drugged already, hoping the man at the door is going to let you know. He is quite a legend and has taught the rest on whats ok in his mind for someone to be allowed in his club. We didn't have him at the door, but we sure had the experience of the guy give us one look and say 'sorry you can't get in' and that was the end of it. Oh well we tried. Expected yet disheartened we headed for drinks along Simon-Dach-Strasse and continued the night.

The second day was dedicated to East Side. With brunch up in Kollwitzplatz at Cafe Anna Blume, a cute cafe connected to a florist with lovely outdoor seating. A delicious meal later we decided to wander around the neighbourhood and along the way I came across a tree stump and notice people around it being very intrigued, we walk up to this spot and found a great idea called Books on a Journey - www.bookcrossing.com - a movement of free exchange of books where everyone is invited to put books that are not needed into the 'book forest' to make them available for others. This is Berlin, absolutely free, crazy, independent, cool.

Still in 30 degree weather, we get in a tram heading towards Karl Marx Anne. Now its a long street and so walking it all is simply not advisable especially in this weather and so we pick the most popular stretch which is from Frankfurter Tor towards Strausberger Platz. Ideally I would advice biking, so much quicker and nicer to do this stretch and the city is so well planned for biking with its wide streets and dedicated lanes.

Everyone kind of thinks West Germany would be the cooler part to visit, but honestly the East is completely different and mesmerising. The identical housing all along this massive road gives you a good feel of what GDR Germany was like. Spending a good hour or two walking, stoping, photographing along, we make our way to the other end where we catch a glimpse of the famous Kino International theatre which opened in 1963 as a top venue right opposite the Cafe Moskau, the GDR conference space.

Once on this side of the city, the next natural spot was East Side Gallery, but before spending another hour in the basking sun, a rest at SNAP Natural Fast Food was a must. Refreshed and carrying a cold beer as we walk, there is another pit stop needed. Photoautomat is a must when in Berlin and so there we are getting some change from fellow Germans so we can get our touristy bit underway.

Back again en route to the gallery, it is quite something to see the wall, actually not very high, still standing there, now covered with some great graffiti. So many meaningful profound words are painted on this wall, one that stuck is - You have learnt what freedom means, and never again forget this. We didn't finish the entire 1.2 Km but decided to follow the music to the bank of the Spree, where the East Side Beach and Music festival was on. What more can one ask for, sunshine, great music, cold beer all while you're in one of the coolest cities in the world!

After a nice break and few beers, we made our way to Alexander Platz to get a close glimpse of the TV Tower, which as my friend calls it, the Beauty. It literally can be seen from everywhere and at 368 meters is the tallest structure in Germany. Another stunningly different building reminisce of GDR Berlin. A rest back at the hotel before heading out to Parter Garten for another fun biergarten experience and some local German food brings our second night to a successful close.

Our last day was a short good mix of museums along Museum Island and of course a bit of Shopping in Mitte. I would definitely recommend the DDR Museum even if you're not a museum person because it's actually more of an insight into the life in GDR Berlin and is laid out in a really interactive cool way (I know I have overused that adjective but its just apt for everything in this city). This was followed by a nice stroll along the Spree where you can take a look at the Berlin Cathedral before finding one of the many courtyards hidden in Mitte for a lunch while you rest your wallet from the amazing shopping. A perfect end to a great weekend getaway and a city I know I will see again not before long. Berlin I love you.