A couple weeks ago I post part one of this mini-series about Berlin (here), which covered much of the history and culture that Berlin has to offer, but today is a completely different side of the city.
If I had to think of one word to describe Berlin it would be "cool".
Berlin is a city which oozes cool from it's very pores and has something about it that makes you want to go back again and again.
It is definitely a city that is very much shaped by its history, evident from the remains of the Berlin Wall throughout the city, but it is also an incredibly modern city with a flourishing culture of art, music, and sense of individuality. Like most cities, Berlin has a side that is slightly more hidden than the typical tourist traps that we all know (and love), but if you make the effort to dig a little deeper it's a rewarding insight into Germany's biggest city.
Maybe that is why, when planning a reunion with some friends made in China, I didn't mind heading back to Berlin to explore the city for the second time.
Day two was dedicated to the alternative side of Berlin that people may not automatically think of. I think everyone knows about the imense amount of history in Berlin: the Nazis, their legacy, and Berlin wall...there's plenty of history to fill an entire trip; but Berlin has another more modern and more edgy side to it. A side that, unless you are looking for it, most tourists might miss. Here is what I did to get a better understanding of Berlin's cool side.
If I had to think of one word to describe Berlin it would be "cool".
Berlin is a city which oozes cool from it's very pores and has something about it that makes you want to go back again and again.
It is definitely a city that is very much shaped by its history, evident from the remains of the Berlin Wall throughout the city, but it is also an incredibly modern city with a flourishing culture of art, music, and sense of individuality. Like most cities, Berlin has a side that is slightly more hidden than the typical tourist traps that we all know (and love), but if you make the effort to dig a little deeper it's a rewarding insight into Germany's biggest city.
Maybe that is why, when planning a reunion with some friends made in China, I didn't mind heading back to Berlin to explore the city for the second time.
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| Street Art in Yaam |
Day 2: Cool
Day two was dedicated to the alternative side of Berlin that people may not automatically think of. I think everyone knows about the imense amount of history in Berlin: the Nazis, their legacy, and Berlin wall...there's plenty of history to fill an entire trip; but Berlin has another more modern and more edgy side to it. A side that, unless you are looking for it, most tourists might miss. Here is what I did to get a better understanding of Berlin's cool side.- We started the day with the Alternative Berlin Walking tour (link). It works the same way as many free walking tours around the world; a guide gives you a tour of the city and in exchange you pay what you think the tour was worth at the end. But the Alternative Walking Tour, as the name suggests, is a little different. It doesn't take you to any of the major sights, but instead focuses on the subculture of the city, it's art, the lesser known history. Basically it shows you a side of the city you might normally completely miss. Our guide Benjamin was great and took us on a three hour tour covering everything from graffiti, and the Turkish subculture, to the community spirit that gives Berlin it's charm. My favourite street art were the pasted dancing girls covered in confetti, the best thing about them is that they are real girls. The artist took photos in clubs of girls dancing like no one was watching and then immortalised them on the streets of Berlin. I don't want to give too much away but it was a great tour and I would definitely recommend it. The tours run twice daily, at 11 am and 1 pm, from outside the Starbucks in Alexanderplatz, and are around 3 hours long.
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| Cosmonaut by Victor Ash |
- The tour finished in Yaam, a reggae hangout by the river with a beach and plenty of food stalls, but we didn't hang around long and walked the 5 minutes down to the East Side Gallery.
- The East Side Gallery (Ostbahnhof U-bahn station) is the longest remaining section of the Berlin Wall, which was given over to artists who then decorated it in every way imaginable. The side closest to the river is covered in graffiti, and the other side has commissioned work by artists from all over the world. All of it is worth a look. It is here you can find the famous mural of Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev and the Eastern Germany President Erich Honecker kissing.
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| What a kiss! |
- After we'd had our fill of art we headed back to the hostel to get ready for dinner and drinks at White Trash - Fast Food restaurant, (link) (Warschauer U-bahn and S-bahn) and what a crazy place that turned out to be! The food was good, (think big burgers, BBQ and Mexican food), the drinks were strong, and the Drag Queen DJ was the icing on the cake! It was a lot of fun but definitely not somewhere to go for a quiet night!
WORD TO THE WISE: good food, great fun, but by no stretch of the imagination "fast". It's a busy place, expect to wait for food and drink, but it's not too painful! Sit back and soak up the atmosphere!
After White Trash we ended up going out and didn't see our beds until close to 8am the next morning, Berlin definitely impressed me with it's cool side!
Cool ✓
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