"Berlin .... und das ist gut so!" a Berlin Travel Page by diocletianvs

I spent five days in Berlin in the August of 2005. For me, it was one of those places where I immediately felt at home, that I liked at the first sight and more I explored it the more I liked it.

It is hard to simply list the things that contributed to this. Berlin simply felt good! The green emptiness of its geometric center. The old glory of 19th century buildings and avenues. The scars of the War and the speed of filling the gap at the place of the Wall. The relaxed atmosphere at Oranienburgerstrasse on warm summer evening and special atmosphere of city museums being open all night long. The architecture of the communist times with its fresh face-lift and the new fascinating architecture of Europe's largest construction site of the 1990s.

It is all mixed in one interesting patchwork of cosmopolit, somewhat decadent but definitely authentic Berlin atmosphere where typical German efficiency is warmed by special Berlin attitude.

It is also one of the most tourist-friendly cities I have visited, and the fact that even locals feel like tourists in many parts of the 21st century Berlin makes exploring even more enjoyable.