BERLIN

[Kate]

YES it's the latest in the series of me asking advice about a planned city break and Lolly INVARIABLY replying as he appears to have been to every city in the WHOLE OF EUROPE

So what area is best to stay in, basically...

[lolly]

GUESS WHAT :D

I'd say DON'T stay in what was West Berlin, where most of the chain hotels seem to be. What used to be East Berlin is much more interesting. There are a couple of areas in particular that I remembered would be great to stay in if I returned, but I've forgotten them and I'm at work so can't remind myself with my guide books.

It's not a beautiful city by any means, but it's certainly an interesting one.

[Kate]

Ooh. So something just east of the Brandenburger gate, perhaps?

There are some DIRT cheap deals on Lastminute :o

[lolly]

Yes, that would be a good location. Mitte is one of the areas I was thinking of, and I think the other was called Prenzlauer Berg or something similar to that spelling.

Berlin is a big city; it's not like Prague where you can walk across the central bit in about 30 minutes, so location is quite important.

[VoR]

You can look forward to hearing lots of Melanie C on the radio....

[Kate]

Good good. We want to be near as much WWII related stuff as possible I suppose...

I don't suppose you've ever been at Christmas time? I was wondering if they have a big Christmas market like other German cities

[Apocalypt_flyer]

Well, if you talk about Christmas markets then there's only Nürnberg. :D

However, if you ask Harm, I think he'll be happy to fill you in about Berlin :smoke: ..

[Donna Winter]

Ooh I was just thinking about Berlin this morning as I was there for two months TEN YEARS AGO :zombie:

I stayed in Prenzlauer Berg and it was VERY NICE

[lolly]

There are some DIRT cheap deals on Lastminute :o

We got a good deal as well. We were in the Crowne Plaza which was a great hotel with a pool and sauna, if a little bland in the way chain hotels can be. But we were just off the main shopping road in what was West Berlin, and it was a bit of a pain having to get the tube all the time.

There is a Guggenheim in Berlin. It's only a tiny one with no permanent collection so whether you'll enjoy it depends very much on who they are exhibiting, but it may be worth checking their website.

When I get home I'll have a look at my photos and try to remember the bits I enjoyed most!

[Donna Winter]

Apart from the fact that I had NOTHING to do because of general university HOPELESSNESS, and even in Berlin there's only SO MUCH TIME you can spend mooching about with no money to spend, missing one's BELOVED

Otherwise it was GRAND. If a bit COLD

[Weltmeister]

Oh, GREAT!

Should we meet each other in a club? :D

Do you want to stay "exclusive" or "cheap"?

Mitte is very "trendy", but expensive. Friedrichshain is cheap, but also EAST! And yes, right now East Berlin is the more interesting part. Could changing next year during the World Cup.

Oh, this topic fits soo to my new avatar! Just uploaded it! ;)

[Kate]

Well, if you talk about Christmas markets then there's only Nürnberg. :D

Oh, I thought it was a general German thing :(

[lolly]

I remember we were in some area in the south of the city, just having a wander, and I read in the guidebook that the cemetery where Marlene Dietrich was buried was right around the corner, so being RUBBISH GAYS we had a look for the grave. We were trundling around endlessly trying to find it, when some old German woman asked if she could help us. She thought we were utterly BARMY for trying to find it.

[Weltmeister]

There is a Guggenheim in Berlin. It's only a tiny one with no permanent collection so whether you'll enjoy it depends very much on who they are exhibiting, but it may be worth checking their website.


I think it's for free on mondays! At least for student groups!

I think it's boooring! :D

[Weltmeister]

Well, if you talk about Christmas markets then there's only Nürnberg. :D

However, if you ask Harm, I think he'll be happy to fill you in about Berlin :smoke: ..

Oh, Berlin has a lot of Christmas Markets. Well, I guess there are better ones in other cities, but here are very good ones aswell. I'm not such a christmas market visitor. :shy:

The one at the Gendarmen Markt is good. You even have to pay an € entry or so! ;)

[Kate]

Oh, GREAT!

Should we meet each other in a club? :D

Do you want to stay "exclusive" or "cheap"?

Mitte is very "trendy", but expensive. Friedrichshain is cheap, but also EAST! And yes, right now East Berlin is the more interesting part. Could changing next year during the World Cup.

Oh, this topic fits soo to my new avatar! Just uploaded it! ;)
Only if there's an indie club :p

I suppose we want about medium price. But location is the most important thing, so we can get around by foot as much as possible.

[Kate]

Oh, Berlin has a lot of Christmas Markets. Well, I guess there are better ones in other cities, but here are very good ones aswell. I'm not such a christmas market visitor. :shy:

The one at the Gendarmen Markt is good. You even have to pay an € entry or so! ;)
Splendid! Christmas shopping :D

[Suomi]

Get Mr Apocalypt to give you a guided tour, it will be a continental Moopmeet like no other

[lolly]

Potsdam was lovely. I guess it is to Berlin what Versailles is to Paris. It's very much the sort of place you'd go with your Mum, but we went on a sunny cold Autumn morning and it was beautiful. It's only about 30 minutes out of Berlin on the tube.

The King who had the palaces built was some LOON Francophile from what I remember. I'm sure Apoca and Harm can fill us in, but there are two lovely old palaces, an Orangery, a Chinese Tea room and other buildings as well.

Potsdam town itself is also rather nice. We found a great bar in the Dutch Quarter where we spent a good few hours.

[Weltmeister]

It's not a beautiful city by any means, but it's certainly an interesting one.

:o

When have you been here? Berlin is changing is so much. I think the big streets are wonderfull. And yes, it's interesting, cause there are sooo many different areas.

[lolly]

:o

When have you been here? Berlin is changing is so much. I think the big streets are wonderfull. And yes, it's interesting, cause there are sooo many different areas.

September 2002. I noticed there was lots of building work going on around Potsdamerplatz and in the old East Berlin in general. I think I read somewhere that it was the biggest construction site in the WORLD :o

[Weltmeister]

Splendid! Christmas shopping :D

Oh, those markets are mostly for food or cheezy christmas decorations. And of course our famous Glühwein!

Do you want to visit a straight or gay Indie Club?

www.schwuz.de

There is every month one Indie party. But gay. I mostly know gay clubs. ;)

But if you like Indie music, you'll love Berlin, cause it's very alternative! Political absolutely LEFT!

[Kate]

I think I shall book something over the weekend :disco:

We were going to go to New York for Christmas shopping, but it's so expensive :oi: Maybe at a cheaper time of year...

[Kate]

There seem to be a lot of cheap hotels around the Alexanderplatz, but is that a bit far out?

[Kate]

But if you like Indie music, you'll love Berlin, cause it's very alternative! Political absolutely LEFT!
How very PLEASING

[lolly]

Alexanderplatz was WONDERFUL, I loved it around there, because it was the area that felt most like what I imagined East Berlin to be in terms of Communist architecture. I think that's a fairly decent location from what I recall. Rather that than where I was, in any case.

[Weltmeister]

September 2002. I noticed there was lots of building work going on around Potsdamerplatz and in the old East Berlin in general. I think I read somewhere that it was the biggest construction site in the WORLD :o

Yeah, at least it was. The Potsdamer Platz is nearly finished, so! I may search for some pics.

As I arrived here in December 1999 it was abig construction. Now our movie premieres take place there! ;)

And they are right now building the new mein train station. It'll be the biggest of europe, I heard. At least it'll be very important. There'll crossing trains from Easteurope to Westeurope. They want to finish it till next year, cause of the World Cup. And it still looks so unfinished. But every time I pass it, it looks much bigger!

[Weltmeister]

Alexanderplatz was WONDERFUL, I loved it around there, because it was the area that felt most like what I imagined East Berlin to be in terms of Communist architecture. I think that's a fairly decent location from what I recall. Rather that than where I was, in any case.

The tower became the biggest trademark of Berlin. Love it!

But the Alexander Platz became a construction aswell right now. They want to make some buildings a bit fresher and bigger around the tower. They also want to make the look of the whole place a bit more stylish for the World Cup. I can't imagine how they want to finish all those projects till next summer!

[lolly]

I did go to the cinema a Potsdamer Platz, it's a Sony one, isn't it? We were impressed by it, and the complex it was part of was good, as well.

Thankfully you seem to subtitle your English language films rather than dub them like the seems to do more in Southern Europe, so we went there a few times.

[Weltmeister]

I did go to the cinema a Potsdamer Platz, it's a Sony one, isn't it? We were impressed by it, and the complex it was part of was good, as well.

In 1999 it was still not finished! ;) I like it aswell. But real Berliners doesn't like the whole Potsdamer Platz, cause it's to new and has nothing to do with the "good old" Berlin. But I'm not a real Berliner, so I do like it very much!

Thankfully you seem to subtitle your English language films rather than dub them like the seems to do more in Southern Europe, so we went there a few times.
Nah, we don't! But the cinema's at the Potsdamer Platz are for real movie fans. They always show the blockbuster movies in both languages. I watched "Phantom Of The Opera" there, cause I dislike the german music of it!

[Weltmeister]

Ooh I was just thinking about Berlin this morning as I was there for two months TEN YEARS AGO :zombie:

I stayed in Prenzlauer Berg and it was VERY NICE

Oh, Prenzlauer Berg is very "cool" right now! There is a street called "Kastanien Allee". It's a street named after a tree. But the magazines already call it "Casting Alee", cause of all the new boutiques and trendy bars!

[Weltmeister]

Good good. We want to be near as much WWII related stuff as possible I suppose...

You can find such things everywhere in Berlin. But maybe you should search for something in Mitte then? It's near the Brandenburger Tor/Gate. And there is a new Memorial for the jewish visitims. And the Reichstag. And of course the hotel, where Michael was dangling the baby! :D (I saw that live!)

[Weltmeister]

I remember we were in some area in the south of the city, just having a wander, and I read in the guidebook that the cemetery where Marlene Dietrich was buried was right around the corner, so being RUBBISH GAYS we had a look for the grave. We were trundling around endlessly trying to find it, when some old German woman asked if she could help us. She thought we were utterly BARMY for trying to find it.
:D :D :D

I still haven't been there! :shy: I always wanted to!

[Weltmeister]

Potsdam was lovely. I guess it is to Berlin what Versailles is to Paris. It's very much the sort of place you'd go with your Mum, but we went on a sunny cold Autumn morning and it was beautiful. It's only about 30 minutes out of Berlin on the tube.

The King who had the palaces built was some LOON Francophile from what I remember. I'm sure Apoca and Harm can fill us in, but there are two lovely old palaces, an Orangery, a Chinese Tea room and other buildings as well.

Potsdam town itself is also rather nice. We found a great bar in the Dutch Quarter where we spent a good few hours.

Oh, I only visited the movie studios there, so far. But yes, it's a very nice town. Wolfgang Joop lives there. And Manson wanted to live there aswell. not sure if he already arrived there! He wanted to marry his wife in Potsdam, me thinks!

[Weltmeister]

There seem to be a lot of cheap hotels around the Alexanderplatz, but is that a bit far out?

NO! It's perfect. That area is called Mitte (Middle) and was centre of East Berlin! Stay there! There is also a christmas market. But it's not a typical christmas market. It's more like a theme parc. Not very traditional.

[Star]

I need a holiday

*stressed* :(

[Weltmeister]

http://lphe.epfl.ch/~lhinz/berlin/photos/tvtower03.jpg

http://lphe.epfl.ch/~lhinz/berlin/photos/tvtower02.jpg

http://www.photodiary.org/large/c_8006.jpg

TV Tower - Alexander Platz

http://lphe.epfl.ch/~lhinz/berlin/photos/rathaus02.jpg

Rotes Rathaus - very near Alexander Platz

http://www.aip.de/image_archive/images/sony_center.jpg

Sony Center - Potsdamer Platz (The cinema lolly went to! But it's not only a cinema!) Another big, but too huge to show it here! (http://www.bauen-mit-stahl.de/bilder/presseinfo/stahlbaupreis2002/sony_center-300.jpg)

http://twilightzone.freeblog.hu/Files/berlin3/sony-center-berlin3.jpg

Sony Center from outside!

I'm searching for more, if you like to!

[Weltmeister]

http://www.berlin-motive.de/berlin/Veranstaltungen/Weihnacht/2003/Gendarmenmarkt/500/Gendarmenmarkt_13.jpg

http://www.berlin-motive.de/berlin/Veranstaltungen/Weihnacht/2003/Gendarmenmarkt/500/Gendarmenmarkt_09.jpg

http://www.berlin-motive.de/berlin/Veranstaltungen/Weihnacht/2003/Gendarmenmarkt/500/Gendarmenmarkt_17.jpg

http://www.berlin-motive.de/berlin/Veranstaltungen/Weihnacht/2003/Gendarmenmarkt/500/Gendarmenmarkt_07.jpg

That's the Christmas Market at the Gendarmenmarkt!

http://ilc2.doshisha.ac.jp/dcai/berichte/megumi/G-kirche.jpg

The Gedächtniskirche at the Kurfürstendamm! That's the main shopping area of Western Berlin. the church was destroyed during WWII and is a memorial now.

http://cheesy.ch/reisen/reisen/berlin/berlinxmas.jpg

http://www.quietschig.de/images/uploads/riesenrad.jpg

Christmas Market at the Alexanderplatz!

[Donna Winter]

I want to go back now :(

[Weltmeister]

I make a little online break and then I'll post more Berlin pics! ;)