Berlin: the capital city and metropole
Whether you have been to Berlin, you want to visit it, or you are considering moving there, this blog will definitely be useful and interesting. 😉
I could write a whole book about Berlin, but I’ll try to give you a general overview based on my experiences while living there. First, I visited this city as a guest, because my brother had moved here before me. Then I got a job and moved here myself. After about one year I decided to leave, though. Why? You’ll understand it a bit, if you keep reading my blog. 😊
How I see Berlin
Coming from a more conservative country, Hungary, I needed quite a bit of time to get used to that extremely liberal culture in Berlin. The way people dress and behave, how they live in their everyday life… And even if I got used to it, I couldn’t really accept that and more importantly, I just couldn’t feel my place in this culture. I realized that I could never be happy here – these are the words of my brother with whom I often talked about my concerns. It has been one of the hardest decisions of my life to leave Berlin and the whole country, because I had thought I will just stay here and build up a life…
A general thing about Germany’s capital city is that it’s very diverse: there are many different cultures and social classes living together – or maybe rather next to each other. You always hear a lot of different languages, see completely different people, when going around in this metropole. It is interesting as a tourist, but it might sometimes be a bit too much, if you constantly live here. I think you can either love or hate this multicultural, very diverse social environment. It’s good to speak German, but it’s not completely necessary. Basically, you can use English everywhere, Germans speak it, but I’m almost sure you’ll get to a point when you say you just need to learn German. I have had many negative experiences when hearing how Germans react to people living in Berlin, but not speaking the language, especially in the world of bureaucracy. So my suggestion is just to start learning it, once you have made the decision to move to Germany.
Understanding the language is not so difficult in the capital city. The locals speak clearly and there are also many foreign accents that you can hear all around the city. You can quickly get used to it and practicing German is quite easy here. I always tell my brother who is learning German that he is at the right place. 😉
This social diversity matches the many different neighborhoods and districts of the city. That might be positive but also negative about Berlin: you might love or hate it. The good thing is that you can always find a place here, where you feel good, where you have your favorite spots, etc. And of course, just like every big city, Berlin has a lot to offer.
Some interesting and fun facts
If you have been to Berlin, what would you say, what is the symbol of the city? Is it the Fernsehturm at Alexanderplatz, or the so called Ampelmann that you can find in all souvenir shops, or maybe the famous bear of Berlin? I couldn’t decide myself, but these are all well-known in this city. Even if you just visit Berlin for a couple of days, you will see these symbols and the famous places such as the Brandenburger Tor or Berlin’s wall (Mauer). It’s interesting and I really like it, that the bear can be seen at so many places in the city: in front of shops and restaurants, in the subway station, and of course in souvenir shops, but even in malls. I recommend you buying such a teddy bear or a small souvenir, they are so cute! 😊
Berlin’s main train station (Hauptbahnhof) is quite nice and special because it has several floors, and the trains run from different levels. There are also many shops, cafés and restaurants, so don’t be afraid, if you need to wait even a few hours at the station. Another place that I can suggest you visiting is the Potsdamer Platz. There you can find high buildings, modern offices and the oldest and most elegant shopping mall of the city: the Mall of Berlin. It is a very pretty mall that you should see once you are here. It has numerous shops and restaurants, so it’s a perfect place for example when the weather is not so good. An extra tip from me is to have a look at the subway station, go down on the elevator, and observe those glass columns that are both above and under the ground. Why is that? Because they transfer the light in both directions: during the day from above to under the earth, during night from the subway station up to the ground. I have once read it in a coursebook when I was teaching a specialized English course for construction and architecture. Cool, isn’t it? 😉
Recommendations
If you visit Berlin, besides the most common and famous places, I think you should consider checking out these ones, too. I also put you some of the links below, so you can directly go to the websites of these places.
Reichstag: It is the German parliament, and you can go up to its special chapel roof for free, you only have to register for a time slot before. You can walk up to the highest point of the building and have a beautiful view through the glass windows.
https://www.bundestag.de/en/visittheBundestag/dome/registration-245686
Schloss Bellevue: It is the palace of the Bundespräsident of Germany. You can visit this beautiful building located next to the famous Tiergarten, the biggest park in Berlin. However, you can only go inside, if they organize an open day. I have been there once and I can only recommend taking this opportunity, if you can. Otherwise, seeing this palace from outside is also very nice.
Gärten der Welt: This beautiful place is a bit far from the city center, but you can get there by public transport. You can spend a nice afternoon or evening here, especially in the summer. Whether it’s a romantic date or a Sunday afternoon’s family program, these gardens worth a visit. Several events are organized, too, for instance concerts or open-air-cinema.
https://www.gaertenderwelt.de/en/
Humboldt Forum: This is a museum with a roof terrace, restaurant and souvenir shop. But the cool thing is that most of the exhibitions are free, and you can spend there as much time as you want: both inside and in the inner courtyard. My favorite exhibitions are the ones about Asia and America, but the others are interesting, too. For the roof terrace, you must pay a few euros, but it worths it, because you’ll have a very nice view on the city center.
https://www.humboldtforum.org/en/exhibitions
Futurium: This is a modern museum near the main train station, on the bank of the river Spree. A beautiful glass building with nice interior design, and there’s no entry fee! You can just easily visit the exhibition, which is quite big and very interactive, and also the roof terrace, called skywalk. I highly recommend this place, both for children and for adults. It can also be a nice family program.
River cruise: If you like water and getting on the boat, and if the weather is nice, you should consider booking a river course on the Spree and see the city center from a boat. I must confess, haven’t done it myself, but I know that it’s very popular and it must be fun!
Schloss Charlottenburg and its park: If you like palaces and parks, this place is for you. Being in the heart of the city, it is easily accessible by bus, and you can have a nice, long walk in the park if the weather is nice. The palace is beautiful form both outside and inside. If you happen to be there in December, there is a very nice Christmas market in front of the Schloss.
These are only a few recommendations that you might not find on each and every website.
My favorites
My favorite place in Berlin is the so called Museumsinsel, with the several museums, the cathedral with a park in front of it (called Lustgarten) and the riverside. These are not far from the famous Alexanderplatz and if you walk around that area,you can also see the city hall (Rotes Rathaus) and the famous church Marienkirche. It’s fascinating how these different buildings create one picture and form the center of Berlin. If you can, walk around here both during the day and at night, when the lights are on. You can have then two different experiences. 😊 By the way, a light show is also organized here once or twice a year. I had the chance once to see it and I suggest you checking it out before your visit.
I hope you’ll have a wonderful time, if you visit Germany’s capital city. And if you have read so far, maybe you can keep going because I’ll share something with you…
Personal experience: one year in Berlin
I would like to write something personal at the end of this blog, because this blog about Berlin is also a bit about my one-year-long stay here. I have learnt and realized many things, most importantly that this city and this culture are not for me. As my brother has always said: I will never be happy in Berlin. I had thought I will stay in this country, maybe for my whole life. But during the months, I started to miss my own culture. People in general are more friendly in Hungary, they smile more and help each other more often; and the weather is nicer and sunnier. Now, I hope to be able to travel around and get to know other countries and cultures. However, I’ve never regretted moving to Berlin because I gained a lot of experience, and I learnt a lot while living abroad.
