Berlin is not classically beautiful. Not like Paris or Vienna, it’s not dripping in grandeur and polish. No, Berlin’s beauty is rough-edged, accidental, a little genuinely punky. It’s scrappy, graffitied, lived-in, and unexpectedly laid-back for a capital city that’s seen so much history.
The city wears its past in public. Bombed-out churches left as reminders, not restored. Buildings still peppered with bullet holes. Brass Stolpersteine embedded in the pavement… small plaques remembering the Jews and other victims of the Nazi regime who once lived and worked on these streets. It’s weirdly confronting, matter-of-fact, and very Berlin. There’s no sanitising history here… just a kind of honest, often awkward statement. I think that’s a good thing.
Our accommodation helped set the tone for a lovely week. A light, warm, extremely comfortable apartment in leafy Prenzlauer Berg… one of those neighbourhoods that used to be gritty and squatted, but now overflows with hipsters, organic bakeries, and stylish bike seats for toddlers.
And oh, the toilet paper. Let the record show… Germany leads the world in lavatory luxury. Quilted, thick, reliable. Just … superb. I do not say this lightly.
A few more Berlin things worth noting:
- Berliners do not rush. Mornings are slow. The city sleepily yawns its way into the day, but come lunchtime, bars, streets, and cafés are alive and stay so well into the night.
- Smoking is still a national pastime. Indoors, outdoors… it doesn’t matter.
- Everyone cycles. And walks. And crosses against the light like they were raised on chaos.
- Cash is supposedly king, but some places accept only card. Others, only cash. There is no rhyme, no reason that we could fathom.
- OMG Berlin airport involved far, far more queuing than I have seen in a long time. We’re talking old-school airport queues and plenty of them.
As for tourist spots… we did our fair share. Some felt obligatory, others nice surprises. The Wall still slices through the city in places… sometimes reverent, sometimes celebrated. But honestly, the bits we enjoyed most were probably the smaller, quieter ones… walking the streets, the Berlin architecture and courtyards, the scruffy parks.
Berlin isn’t one of those cities that tries to impress you. It simply is. A little battered and scarred, sure. But also thoughtful, weird, and lovely.
The Obligatory Blog 