After 6 weeks on the move I was glad to put down my pack for a while and explore Berlin. I arrived knowing only a couple of locals, but via the wonders of the Internet I was able to join up with a few different 'meet-up' groups, and although they mostly catered to ex-pats I was never short of something to do. A photography group run by an enthusiastic Australian, got me out on a some vaguely photo-themed day-trips, although there seemed to be more beer drunk than photos taken. I also joined a foodies group which headed out weekly to sample a different restaurant.
The food options in Berlin are diverse, reasonably priced and usually delicious. Against my better judgement, I even tried a few German delicacies, narrowly avoided a fatal encounter with an Eisbein, and discovered that Flammkuchen, a super-thin crust pizza from near the French border, is actually really good! Although Australian Asian food sets the bar very high, my local Vietnamese cafe did a decent Pho soup and there were plenty of Indian and Thai options if I needed a fix. I enjoyed a slightly more upmarket meal at an outstanding Mexican TaquerÃa, however the culinary highlight was definitely dinner-in-the-dark at the Nocti Vagus restaurant with my German friend Mandy.
The restaurant experience started with a briefing and browse of the menu and then we were escorted downstairs into a pitch-black room to enjoy our meal. The serving staff are all visually handicapped and able to function with relative ease, but for the rest of us, chasing food around our plates for 2-hours in total darkness was very unique. For the complete experience, Mandy and I both chose the 'secret menu' so we had to try and work out what were eating from only the taste and texture - It was a lot harder than I expected.
Although the restaurants are good, the staple diet of most Berliners is the Doner Kebab. Available everywhere, they are served in various breads with all kinds of fillings and at many different price-points. The best felafel I had was from Dada Felafel and cost an outrageous €3.50. Near my apartment in Schöneberg I could get a really tasty chicken and vegetable doner-im-brot for €2.50, a slightly less good lamb kebab for €2.00 and although I built up the nerve to actually try one, a dubious looking store advertised kebabs made from an undisclosed meat for €1.30. The way I figured it, a store charging €2 a kebab probably wasn't paying their immigrant employees much but with a store charging only €1.30, there was a fair chance the "mystery meat" might actually BE the employees!
Between the U-bahn, S-bahn, trams and buses getting around Berlin is a breeze however after I picked a second-hand bike I rode just about everywhere. My evening rides along the old Berlin Wall, past the Reichstag building and under the Brandenburg gate never got tiring and also helped me get to know the inner city quite well. A lot of the main roads have separated bike lines and although a few absent-minded pedestrians almost got cleaned up and I never wore a helmet, riding in Berlin felt much safer than back home.
I came to Berlin with very good intentions of learning German and left with the vocabulary of a one-year old that knows a lot about food. Although I spent a lot of time online, it wasn't a completely waste. Between the gaming and chatting, I managed to read several photography books, completed all the online Lightroom tutorials and sorting through a bunch of my old photos.
After a month in Berlin I did eventually make it out of the city for a 2-day hike around the Harz mountains with Mandy. We climbed a few hundred meters to the highest point in the area (which also happened to be one of the last communist outposts in Germany) and then wandered back down along a picturesque forest path called "The Witches Trail" which was lovely despite being crawling with old-people.
After living there for a bit over five weeks I feel qualified to rate Berlin as one of the world's great cities. It is alive with activity and excitement, the huge transient population makes it very easy to make new friends although the atmosphere is often described as 'dirty or gritty' I didn't once feel unsafe. But perhaps the thing I like most about Berlin is the sense of freedom and acceptance that I felt there. It is the kind of city where no matter what your race, job or style clothing people will treat you the same and accept you for who are. I look forward to returning some day soon.
