Berlin - A City of Two Halves

But demography and architecture aside, East and West mirror each other to a large extent. Perhaps it is not surprising as they functioned unilaterally during the wall years. Each has its own shopping, restaurant and bar districts. In fact Berlin has two of everything – meaning that there are two quite distinct cultures.

East Berlin at night is for partying and ‘Ossies’ do so well into the wee hours. The latest hotspot is the PrenzlauerBerg, a neighbourhood so charmingly scruffy you may have to ruffle your hair to fit in. Around here people are clad in trendy understated garb, tease their hair into modern ‘just got out of bed’ styles and drink German beer in transient bars which have a habit of opening and closing down before you can say Ich Bin Ein Berliner.

Astonishingly, when Berliners party they do so in such a restrained way that you feel as though you should tell them to let their hair down a little bit. You have to either be guided by someone in the know or make like a detective and hope you stumble upon them in hidden courtyards or around the next corner. You may even find yourself dancing with a thousand others in an ugly, concrete disused power house, where at 6am the atmosphere is still electric!

West Berlin on the other hand, is where the most stylish shopping is done by ladies who lunch, especially around Ku’damm. Seek out KaDeWe for Berlin’s answer to Harrods. Life and architecture is more gentrified – there are no transient bars in this part of town. But this is where Germany’s squirm-worthy past is acknowledged and memorialised with ingenious creativity and a huge dollop of sensitivity. The open-air Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe near the Reichstag is unmissable – literally. Designed by Peter Eisenman, it comprises 2,711 grey concrete blocks of different heights placed in a grid of nearly 19,000m2 of undulating ground cleverly designed to create the illusion of motion.

And perpetual motion is definitely on the agenda when visiting this schizophrenic city so a bus tour is highly recommended. It may sound cheesy, but the hop-on-hop-off bus tour is excellent and ideal if you don’t have much time. Headphones explain the sights in the language you choose and fifteen stops means you have a fantastic choice of what to see. It takes the bus two hours to get all the way through the tour and you can stay on as long as you like. The bus operates between 10am and 6pm and you won’t have to wait longer than 15 minutes to hop back on. Cost 20 euros.www.bbsberlin.de

If you are short on time, try at least visit the Brandenburger Tor and Check-point Charlie. The Brandenburger Tor also known as the Brandenburg Gate - at Pariser Platz, is considered an iconic symbol of Berlin. It was once one of several through which you could enter Berlin and is now the only one remaining. Based on the Acropolis in Athens it comprises twelve Greek Doric columns and is topped with Quadriga, goddess of peace, triumphantly driving a four-horse chariot.

Checkpoint Charlie is a permanent on-street exhibit at the former American controlled check-point between the East West divide. You can buy a ‘visa’ as you pass through or have your picture taken with a GI before you pop into the Checkpoint Charlie Museum and gasp at the ingenuity used by to escape ‘city arrest’ in East Berlin. As for the wall, it seems there is no spare wall left for souvenirs yet the tourist shops still sell parts of it for around 15 euros each.

Going out to eat on Sunday morning is so popular that entire areas are dedicated to serving breakfast. In the West, head for the Savignyplatz region. In the East, go to Boxhagenerstrasse. This neighbourhood also hosts a flea market so you can indulge in some after breakfast shopping. The first tuck of the day is usually fresh baked rolls, boiled egg, marmalade, Nutella (Germans love it), pork sausage, cheese and lashings of coffee. Or head for the Television Tower (00 49 30 242 33 33; berliner fernsehturm.de) at 1a Panoramastrasse. The lift swiftly climbs the 207m to the Telecafe, where you can order muesli or champagne with scrambled eggs and smoked salmon and look out onto the whole of Berlin and wonder at its amazing revival.

Where to Eat, Drink and Dance

Trendy Dining and Drinking
Dinner is really chilled at Splinder and Klatt out east on the River Spree. It’s a converted riverside restaurant seating several hundred with a DJ spinning some tunes - it's a lot more relaxing than it might sound because you lay on a mattress. You can loll about on a bed pretending you're Emperor Nero as your food is prepared. And at about £12 a main course you won't pay through the nose for the privilege.

Some say the nosh served by chef Tim Raue at the Swissotel Berlin's 44 restaurant (00 49 30 22 010 2288) is the best in town. The braised veal neck is divine. The four-course menu is a ridiculously will not make a hole in your pocket at just ?56 (?38).

Need a pick-me-up? The chocolate indulgence at .Fassbender & Rausch Chocolatiers (fassbender- rausch.de), at Gendarmenmarkt might be just what you need. The cafe is in the most beautiful square in Berlin and is well known for a range of chocolates (including a fine replicas of the Reichstag), and its hot chocolate drinks.

Dance the night away
First stop is Badeschiff, eichenstr. 4, an der arena, treptow a bar located on Berlin’s riverside beach. Make like a beachcomber and shake your body on sand or nip next door to Hoppetosse, to party on a boat.

Then onto At Kiki Blofeld, kapenickerstr. 48/49 kreuzberg supposedly named after the daughter of the James Bond baddie Blofeld. This is an open air club speckled with pool tables, gardens and where seating comprises logs or grass mounds.

End the evening at Panorama, am wrietzener bahnhof friedrichshain a former electricity factory turned 24-hour night club. It may look like a block of ugly concrete but inside 1,000 people dance their hearts out, even at 6am.

Currywurst Anyone?
A night out dancing brings on the hunger pangs. Small, temporary stalls cover all the late-night spots in Mitte. They can sell hotdogs, doners and even burritos but you should try Berlin’s own currywurst.

Where to stay
Movenpick Hotel
This four star hotel is just a few minutes walk from the Brandenburg gate. They have a really funky Morrocan style bar where you can enjoy a cocktail or two after a hard day’s sight-seeing and a pre-amble to a hard night’s partying.
www.moevenpick-berlin.com
Doubles with b&B from 119 euros.

For a guide to Berlin's nightlife, contact Henrik Tidefjard Tel +49 (0)30 43720 701 www.berlinagenten.com
For more details, see the city's tourist information site www.berlin-tourist-information.de.

8 February 2007