Berlin

After talking for a while about how we needed to do a sight-seeing city break instead of the usual messy pissed-up week abroad seeing as how we are now all so mature (yeah right - who are we kidding?!), my friends and I finally took a weekend off and went to visit Germany's capital, Berlin.

Seeing as how we were only there for four nights we managed to fit an awful lot into the few days. Beforehand we hand made a list of everything we wanted to try and see whilst we were in the city, condensed it to the most important few and off we went.

When we first arrived we went straight to our apartment. From the outside the building looked dated and slightly shabby, making the stark whiteness and modern decor of the inside so astonishing; we were made up with it! Granted, when on a city break you do not plan on spending much time inside, but it was a relief to find ourselves staying in somewhere that was so nice, it made us feel classy and sophisticated!

One of the most obvious sights that we went to see was the Berlin Wall. I must admit when I first saw it (which, granted, was from a distance) I was slightly underwhelmed by it. But as I got next to it and started making my way down it I became more and more moved and interested in it. The wall is split into segments and each one is painted by a different artist - people from all over the world. Some pictures are funny and comical whereas others are serious, intense and moving; It is truly amazing how each picture is so unique and different from the rest, yet each one has the same underlying meaning. It is definitely something that you have to go and see if you are in Berlin - the hardest part is deciding which parts to have your photo next to!

Another sight that we visited worth mentioning is the Reichstag building. It is Germany's parliament building and the only one that allows the public access. Although you are not let loose in the building, you do have access to the roof terrace and the dome. The large glass dome offers you a 360degrees view of the surrounding Berlin cityscape. You can also pick up an audio guide on your way in which gives you a guided tour of Berlin - it's pretty cool and you do learn a lot! We stopped for lunch at the roof terrace restaurant and, although it was a hell of a lot more expensive than what we were expecting, it was one of the nicest meals I have ever had!

Other sites that we visited were the Brandenburg Gate, the Holocaust memorial, the radio tower (it has a revolving restaurant on the top and happy hour every day at 5!), the Nazi museum, the Saturday morning German markets and Checkpoint Charlie (you can pay 5euros and actually get your passport stamped here!) All are worth going to see - each one interesting in their own way and very insightful.

One thing I do feel obliged to pre-warn anyone wanting to visit Berlin... we did go on one night out when we were there. On this night out, the first THREE bars we went to were gay bars. I did not realise before I went that Berlin was a hugely homosexual city! Although in a few places we were made to feel slightly uncomfortable for being there, generally everyone was fine and overall we had a really fun night! It even ended up in some tiny strip club....

There is so much to do in Berlin and everything is worthwhile, the best advice I could give is before going make sure you have a list of everything you want to see, or at least the main things, then work out what is near what then go from there. Fit in as much as you can and you will have a brilliant time - guaranteed!