Resumé: Berlin One Challenge 13/10/07

[andybarton]

Ninety-nine quid, Gatwick to Berlin, via Easyjet, all in. Out Friday, back Sunday.

Cheap enough?

[earleygallery]

Not bad Andy, but I've just booked Sleazy Jet from Gatwick, going Thursday, back Monday for £67!!

I'll get a guide book and do some more research before booking my hotel as I want to explore a bit on the Friday/Sunday.

You can put me down for the dinner on Saturday now, thanks!

[stunsworth]

Hi James, I bought a copy of the Rough Guide to Berlin. Some friends also bought me a copy of the Rough Guide map which folds out in sections rather than as a whole. Both have proved useful in deciding where I wanted to stay.

[earleygallery]

Thanks Steve, I'll check those out.

I've always found the Time Out travel guides a mine of mis-information

[andybarton]

And you can't beat the Dorling Kindersely ones, either.

But, the Blue Guides have also proven worthwhile in the past.

[stunsworth]

I've always been a rough guide fan.

like yourself I've decided to make a long weekend out of it - fly out Friday, fly back Tuesday. I like cities and am really looking forward to the trip.

[spylaw4]

I've just been reminded that I am to join the other 1/2 in Paris the weekend before for a couple of nights. So my plans will have to be modified cost-wise. Bye-bye rail, hello London City Airport - highly convenient - Lufthansa = airmiles.

[bill]

I've booked!

Out on Friday from LHR on BA, back on Sunday lunchtime. I'll be staying at the Park Plaza Prenzlauer Berg (wherever that is!)

Regards,

Bill

[andybarton]

Wherever it is, it sounds great

[bill]

...and cheap!

Regards,

Bill

[spylaw4]

Booked! Staying at the Meila in Friedrichstrasse - close by the river.

[stunsworth]

Hi Brian, some friends stayed there last year and were very pleased with it. In fact they told me the name, but I wrote it down incorrectly and couldn't find what I written down when I tried to Google it - otherwise I could well have been staying there myself <grin>

[spylaw4]

Originally Posted by stunsworth

Hi Brian, some friends stayed there last year and were very pleased with it. In fact they told me the name, but I wrote it down incorrectly and couldn't find what I written down when I tried to Google it - otherwise I could well have been staying there myself <grin>

Checks out well on Trip Advisor - as does Andy's hotel The Angleterre, but the Melia's nearer the rendevous, I believe!

[robert_parker]

...count me in for the day and the evening meal

[carstenw]

For those looking for a bargain room, there are two new Motel One buildings in Berlin, one next to Bahnhof Zoo, and another close to Alexanderplatz. The rooms and service look minimal, but nice, something like a basic Ikea setup or a little better. The prices are around €60/night, IIRC.

For those stocking up on tourist books, don't forget to ask those of us who live here questions!

[stunsworth]

Ok, Carsten, you'll probably wish you never volunteered, but here are a couple of questions <grin>.

Given that I've never been to Berlin before - and I have two full days available other than Saturday - what would you say were the 'top 5' things to see, or places to visit?

One other question. Looking at a map Berlin seems a much larger city than say Paris - more like London in fact. What are the best areas from a photographic point of view, bearing in mind I enjoy taking street shots?

[carstenw]

Whew, that is wide open what you ask there If you could give me a better idea of what kinds of things you have chosen to see in other cities, then I could answer better. Nonetheless, I can give some tips:

- Mitte around Hackescher Markt, especially at night, is good for street photography, but keep in mind that it is also touristy.
- The museums and galleries here are top notch. I would pick at least one or two. Perhaps the Egyptian museum in Altes Museum, and the Pergamon or Bode museum. For galleries, the Neue Nationalgallerie normally has good shows, but it can be hard to get in within a reservation, depending on what is on.
- There are some really good photo galleries here, some free, some pay. The Helmut Newton building by Bahnhof Zoo is good, as is Martin-Gropius-Bau and C|O Berlin Postfuhramt. Also try to hit the little galleries around Auguststraße, as well as Camera Work close to Zoo.
- Potsdamer Platz is worth a visit, even though it is flashy and touristy. It is also close to the Casino (never been there), and some culturally oriented buildings like the Kulturforum, and the Neue Nationalgallerie.
- The parks here are great, but definitely at least visit Tiergarten, and exit in the north-east, where you can take in the (lineup likely) free view from the Reichstag and then stroll over to Brandenburger Tor. A stroll along the river afterwards behind the Reichstag is also a likely spot for neat architecture and people photography.
- For younger crowds, Prenzlauer Berg (mid twenties to late forties) and Kreuzberg (a bit rougher, a bit louder, and a bit younger) are the places to go, with Friedrichshein also a candidate.

I am sure I missed something. For those interested in seeing a bit of the city outside the challenge, perhaps we could form a small group of 4-6 people and go around a bit? There is really so much on offer here, I would say that you should try to squeeze an extra day or two in.

Berlin is not larger than Paris or London in what's to see, although the area may be greater. There is hardly anything to see outside the inner ring S-Bahn running around from Westkreuz to Alexanderplatz to Ostkreuz and so on. One exception would be Sanssoucci, a french-style palace with gardens. There are also nice parks and beach areas on the edge, as well as a large in-city forest: Grunewald, all reachable via S-Bahn and U-Bahn. Definitely get an AB train pass for the whole stay. Then you can use all trains, busses and trams without restriction. Make it an ABC and you can also get to the fringes. It is very affordable here. Good food, good times, almost no violence, interesting places, great culture, you could hardly pick a nicer city to visit. Given that I am a non-German who has lived in Copenhagen, Toronto and Montréal, that should say something.

[spylaw4]

Thanks for that Carsten. I will only have late Friday pm, early Sat and Sun am to play with - anything interesting architecturally you could recommend - other than the obvious Reichstag, and the Holocaust memorial?

BTW - have we decided on a Sat. evening dinner venue?

[carstenw]

Modern architecture: Potsdamer Platz and the buildings behind the Reichstag along the river.
Older: Berliner Dom, and bits and pieces along Unter den Linden.

There is much more, but those are obvious.

[stunsworth]

Originally Posted by carstenw

For those interested in seeing a bit of the city outside the challenge, perhaps we could form a small group of 4-6 people and go around a bit?

I'd be ok with that - I arrive Friday afternoon, and leave Tuesday afternoon, so anytime would be convenient. But I wouldn't really want it to last more than say half a day. I'm not very good when it comes to photographing in a social setting, I prefer being left by myself <grin>. Perhaps it's something to discus on Saturday when we all meet?

I don't think a venue has been decided on for the evening meal yet.