I was traveling to Berlin for the first time with my friend who has dreamed about visiting the city all her life. I had done a bit of reading up on the place but gave her free reign to decide where and what we did. Most of it involved eating of which I was very much in agreement with. On arrival at the hostel in Kreuzberg we crossed the street to Morgenland Café for breakfast. Frühstückte (breakfast) is served as a large buffet which seemed to stretch all the way to heaven and I certainly felt I had gone there with food ranging from cooked meats, freshly baked bread, fruits, yoghurts, seafood, salads, pasta and all washed down with a nice cold beer.

It felt like we had whiled away a good few hours sitting, eating and enjoying the social atmosphere of the place. Families, students and old couples made up the clientele and the price was so reasonable I felt guilty when paying for the bill. From there we decided to do a bit of exploring of the nearby streets with no real objective we wandered around. This is when we agreed that using the U-Bahn and having a plan is a good idea as Berlin comprises long wide avenues stretching on an on with very few shops but a large amount of chemists- odd I know.

Also for a city it was alarmingly quiet and for a short while we thought perhaps there had been some sort of mass exodus. But eventually after giving in and taking the U-Bahn we made our way to the Jewish Museum. This is a heavy going experience made even more effective by the new contemporary building attached through a basement entrance.

The artist/architect has deliberately chosen a smooth concrete design to provoke his main themes of exile, axis and voids. These take the form of rather long underground and uneven hallways, peppered with experiences, images and objects of the Jewish people reinforcing the set theme.

The Garden of Exile comes with a warning: Enter At Your Own Risk. Although not a deadly labyrinth filled with lions and tigers and bears- oh my, there was something infinitely more sinister about the way this garden was set up. Long pillars formed very high plant pots for olive trees growing from the peak. The path was set at a disorientating angle giving the impression of sloping in one direction when you were headed in another, it is a small space and yet I lost my friend at least twice, an impressive piece of contemporary art addressing its objective of exile quite successfully.

The focal point and most popular exhibit is Fallen Leaves, an interactive piece which encourages the visitors to walk upon its numerous scrap metal faces depicting victims of war. The noise of the footsteps on the metal faces echoes through the large space.

The museum offers other exhibits lending to the Jewish history in Germany as well as some temporary exhibitions which cost a separate admission.
As we resurfaced onto street level we agreed that a couple of hours in the concrete block had worn us down so off we headed back to the Kreuzberg area and to the nearest bar for cocktails and a chat.

Enjoying the heated outdoor terrace I became aware of some activity outside and some police patrol cars circling the area. Connie looked deep into her Mojito and shrugged it off as the evenings football match. But then more and more people seemed to move into the area so I stepped outside for a look. A demonstration was marching down the street around the corner and for a moment the place was swarming with protestors unfortunately they had come and gone before I could quiet catch their message, but we found that rallies were the done thing in the area.

Before we left Berlin we still managed to take part in the tourist attractions such as the Brandenburg Gate and viewing the remnants of the Wall, I also managed to visit one of the parks and the Museum of Technology

But one of the best things about Berlin I find is that every street is littered with art. Even the older buildings had graffiti which although considered a no no elsewhere looked very in keeping with the laid-back grungy attitude of the place.

And yet although people with Mohican hairdos, leather doc martin boots and a bottle of beer in there hand frequent the population by about two thirds Berlin still offers an efficiency not found elsewhere- try having your suitcase arrive in the country before you, a punctual train service and the most friendly and helpful people you will ever meet- Berlin is a great city that I will visit again.

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