Berlin….what a fantastic, fascinating, vibrant city. There’s history all around you – from what’s left of the wall (not much), to the bullet marks in many of the old buildings, to the soviet-style flats in the area of East Berlin where I stayed.
It’s a huge city but doesn’t feel cramped in the way that London does….the transport system is very cheap and very efficient…there is graffiti absolutely everywhere but little litter in the streets…people seem less wrapped up in materialism and fashion than they are in the UK and elsewhere…yet there is art and creativity and music all around…the bars and clubs are independent and from my short visit seemed a lot more individual than ours do.
I am a convert. It’s by the the most interesting European city I’ve been to (perhaps with the exception of Barcelona) and I’m looking forward to going back. I’d highly recommend it for a cheap weekend away.