Often lost in President John F. Kennedy’s famous 1963 statement in which he may or may not have proclaimed himself to be a jelly doughnut with the words “Ich bin ein Berliner” is what he said just before that: “All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin.” For the first time in the city’s history, more non-Germans moved to Berlin in the last year than Germans, making the city of 3.5 million denizens a truly international metropolis. No, not east and west; the Berlin that’s a capital of the 20th century — a city that embodies the last 100 years, from World War I and the wild Golden ’20s to the Nazis and the Wall to reunification and beyond — and the Berlin of liberal anything-goes debauchery. The Hotel Oderberger, an erstwhile public pool turned hip hotel, is a new Prenzlauer Berg property and a good home base. Buy a day ticket for the U-Bahn (about $8), the city’s fast and easy subway network, and head to the Topography of Terror U-Bahn: With a swath of the Berlin Wall and several Nazi-era buildings in sight, stroll around the area reading the placards, which take visitors from the rise to the fall of the Nazi regime. The text-heavy museum is a great way to get a sense of the history of National Socialism and World War II. The nearby Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, with its 2,711 large concrete blocks, is one of the most thought-provoking memorials you’ll encounter. Dine on roasted pork belly or pan-fried pike perch, or even try the famed currywurst, a Berlin street food staple of sausage doused in curry-spiked ketchup. Berlin is one of the best bicycling cities on the planet — not just because it is mostly flat but also because it has miles of designated bike lanes. Cycle or subway it over to Neukölln, the bustling neighborhood packed with Turkish and Arab Berliners. Grab a sidewalk table at Azzam, one of the most popular Lebanese spots in the city (and for good reason) and feast on large bowls of lamb-sprinkled hummus and addictive falafel balls. Hidden within a shopping mall around the corner is Klunkerkranich, a hipster-packed rooftop bar atop a parking garage with a killer view of the Berlin skyline. There are no signs from the street, so follow anyone sporting a beard or skinny jeans to the elevators and head for the fifth floor. Back in Prenzlauer Berg, consider having a nightcap at Badfish, a fun bar that is popular with expats and locals.
Comment on One day, one place: Berlin
By David Farley, San Francisco Chronicle: Travel
Thu, 09/29/2016 - 12:54pm
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