Reviews of Germany

Berlin - city of the Gods if you ask me, I've been over there 3 times (twice with Lufthansa, once with BA - stick with Lufthansa, trust me) and cannot give it high enough praise it gets better each time you go!

The city was broken up into 4 quarters following the end of World War 2, the US, the Brits, the Russians and the French all claimed a piece and set about making the areas into their own, this is very much in evidence when you visit Berlin. The Russian Quarter has it's own particular feel and is a great place to visit, you really get a sense of the poverty and backwardness of the East in the years before the fall of the wall in 1989. The little quirks and follies are all around to see and it is my favourite part of the city. There are a lot of specific foods which have come from the communist influence there, the Stalin posters and monuments are no longer in evidence but the roadsigns are interesting and.....look out for the pelican crossings, little men in hats waiting and crossing rather than the standard ones we get in the UK, a really great place to go. East Berlin is developing now, it's 3 years since I was there so it is probably a lot better developed thgan it was, the central point is Alexandraplatz, a great TV tower in the centre of a bustling square, modern shops and advertisment boards are all round and the feeling is that they are trying to make it into East Berlin's version of Times Square or Piccadilly Circus, they have a rotating restaurante at the top of the tower, panoramic views a-go-go and ice skating outdoors in the winter (you WILL need to wrap up warm).

West Berlin is not quite so charming, they have a lot of nice bits, the zoo for instance and the central shopping district but, to me at least, it felt a bit too English/American (not surprising though as the place was held by us and the US for years) and did not have the feeling of the foreign exotic that the east did. Lots of McDonalds and Levis shops, H&M (ask my girlfriend - could not get her out of there) and the like, all stuff you'll get in the UK.

No visit to Berlin would be complete without a trip to the Brandenberg gate, a real monument to the history of this city. It's not a lot of fun, nothing really to do there but a great place for lots of pretty souvenir snaps and well worth the trip.

The Siegessäule (Victory Column), built at the order of Kaiser Wilhelm I two years after victory in the Franco-Prussian War of 1871 is a great place to visit, a huge golden statue at the top of a pillar with a spiral staircase in the middle, you pay your cash over and begin to climb (not for the faint hearted) you get up and have a great view of the city, it's in the middle of a great big roundabout so you get 4 roads coming in on you and a lot of parkland to peruse. (I had the above info DEAD wrong before the wonderful MALU helped me out, pointing me in the right direction. It's a while since I was there and I didn't remember everything quite right! Thanks MALU)

Fernsehturm is the TV tower in Alexanderplatz, the cost of the trip to the top is really little, they get you up in an express lift and you get to see the whole of the city from a height of about 300 metres up! Wow! I loved this one, a real "must do" for Berlin, the food was good, the prices steep (it's a posh restaurant) but it is well worth it. Not going up this would be like going to Blackpool and missing out on the tower.

East Side Gallery - a HUGE section of the Berlin wall has been preserved for viewing. The grafitti and murals are spectacular and you can even see the areas of checkpoints. Little plaques give you info on the wall and it's non-too-great history, they're in about 4 languages so you'll be OK to read them and get a little lesson while you're there.

You can not go wrong here. Berlin is a city which really comes alive at night. The East with its little bars and cozy snugs alongside the crazy heavy metal and euro Thrash clubs is great and the West with its posher pubs, its "English" and "Irish" boozers alongside the teeny-boppers paradise type of clubs is just as good.

The night usually begins at about 11.00pm, you would be mad to begin a night like in the UK as you'd be fast asleep by 10. The booze is that little bit different and REALLY cheap, you get a half litre for about £1 (or did when I was there last) and spirits are rediculously cheap and strong. The p[ubs cater for all tastes wit a great place based on the stock market in the East, your beer could begin the night at £2.50, rise with inflation to £7.00 then be struck by a crash and fall to £0.50 a pint - it's great.

If you want good beer, go to Germany, it's that simple. The bars all serve a huge variety, cheaply, and stay open all night (until about 5am), only to open again at 7am for breakfast, which you can get a beer with if you like! Madness, but fun while on your holidays.

I stayed with friends while I was in Berlin so I can't offer any comparisons or details on prices, the place is so cheap and exciting though it would be well worth it at up to £100 per night (if only I could afford, sigh).

The city's transport system is by far and away the best I've seen. You can get a weekly, monthly, daily, yearly ticket which l;asts for 24 hours a day. It covers all your travel throughout the city on Buses, Trams and the U-Bahn (underground) system. Everything is really well laid out as far as mapping the transport systems is concerned. I never once got lost and I'm the original dopey tourist when it comes to this kind of thing. The fares are cheap (cost about £14 for all my travel for the week) and the services are reliable and well kept. The city has really got it right as far as travel is concerned and there's something a little bit special about riding about on a tram, great fun to ride, not so good when you see them coming towards you on the street.

Getting there can be anything from £120 to £200 depending on your chosen airline, I much prefered Lufthansa to BA even though I had to transfer at Frankfurt - much nicer planes and staff and the flight just flew by (ooooooooh - bad pun, sorry).

Berlin has a lot of things to do, for a holiday or simple weekend break away it would be my firat choice. If you want history and culture it's there all around you, if you want to go out drinking all night and sleep all day - great, you'll fit in very well with the Germans out there.

You can't get a city with more diversity and excitment, it's got a great deal to offer yet never gets a lot of publicity, I'd recommend it to anyone with a broad mind (lots of amusing sites for the naive in the East - red light district is HUGE) and a desire to have a great time in the best city in Europe.

Get a weekend off and have a look! You'll thank me later. Roll on the return visit