Two Nights in Berlin

After my Swiss Exchange program was over, my wife and I took the opportunity to travel around Europe for two weeks. With limited time and a limited budget, we had to choose our destinations wisely. Fortunately, flycheapo.com was there to help. We researched which cities were served by those cheap European airlines that advertise "flights to London for €0" and mapped out our route. Of course by the time you pay for taxes, fuel surcharges and checked luggage, the cost is no longer $0. Still, it was cheaper than traveling by train and we got good deals by booking way ahead (i.e. from Milan to Frankfurt on Ryanair was only $36 per person). So our itinerary took us from Basel to Berlin, then to Milan, then to Frankfurt and finally back to Basel for our flight home.

We've heard that Berlin is the cultural capital of Europe and the hottest city of the moment. Fortunately, Easyjet flew from Basel to Berlin so we decided to spend two nights and one day in this vibrant city. Since our friend Julie from Dublin was going to join us in Berlin, we decided to share an apartment in the former eastern bloc of Berlin called Apartment Mitte (run by the same people that run Pension Peters). Our Russian friends Katya and Dima also joined us in Berlin, so we all met up for dinner on Saturday night and brunch the next day.

Lucky for us, Katya's friend Anne was in town and she became our local guide for the weekend. Knowing nightlife in Berlin would be hopping on Saturday night, I asked Anne to book us a show. I requested something edgy and fun and uniquely Berlin, so Anne obliged by getting us tickets to a "variety" show called Chamäleon. This group turned out to be a hip, urban version of Cirque du Soleil with energetic acrobats who loved to be in the spotlight. One of the acts, a "lovers duet" on ropes was sensuously romantic and erotic as well as playful. And the post-modern "clown" act was brilliant in its simplicity -- a video camera was pointed at a raised set that was tilted at 90 degrees and the entire performance can be viewed both as a upright projection and a freaky gravity-defying acrobatic act.

Another highlight was a five-hour bicycle tour of Berlin with Fat Tire Bike Tours. Led by a very knowledgeable Canadian with a sense of humor, we toured the major historical sights including Checkpoint Charlie. Our guide explained that Berlin was a bankrupt city with abandoned construction projects that ran out of money before they're completed. There was plenty of evidence of this as we saw many buildings and facades draped with large digital prints "previewing" what the finished project would look like. A trip to Berlin would be incomplete without a stop at a beer garden, and our tour guide obliged by taking us to one in Tiergarten Park. Packed with colorful locals and complete with musicians playing accordions, the beer and bratwurst never tasted better.

At Anne's recommendation, we had dinner on Saturday night at an excellent Argentinian tapas restaurant called Pata Negra. Brunch on Sunday was even better at Cafe Vebereck on Sonntagstrasse, far away from the tourist neighborhoods. Both meals were extraordinarily dining experiences and the prices were surprisingly affordable even in Euros. True, our Berlin stay was far too short and we barely scratched the surface of this very vibrant city. But Italy awaits...

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(Also see Smile Politely food column)