Surprising Berlin

There follows an example of a spontaneous jaunt, arranged in fifteen minutes, and we haven’t got a clue why we chose Berlin. Anyway, we went there by a borrowed car, with a couple of our friends: Mariusz and Monika.

Berlin surprised us many times. It is the capital of the large state, it has three million of citizens, and nobody there seems to be in a hurry, even on Monday. We were driving a car through the center, unexpectedly changing the lanes, and no one would even horn. Far from that, the drivers would kindly let us go.

The hostel was equally astonishing. The cheapest option, a big backpackers’ place with shared restrooms, and no mould on the walls! Unimaginable. Instead, there was always paper tissue, toilet paper and soap in dispensers.

During our trip we were walking a lot along the streets of Berlin, and from what you've read before you can expect clean pavements, and neatly-dressed people, and it's true. What inspired me greatly was something I saw at the entrance to the Berliner Zoo. Standing in a line we spotted a man who was sitting on a stool and selling pretzels. He was reading a book. Suddenly he stood up, left his stuff totally unattended and went away, not even telling anyone to cast an eye upon his stand. In Berlin we saw some more acts of "public trust".

All those things can be easily explained by the developed driving culture, high hygiene standards and low crime level, but there was one thing I did not expect at all. Namely, in no other place had I witnessed a situation in which a hundred percent of people I talked to could speak English. Even a shop-assistant in a big store could easily explain where to find toilet, and a guy running a dirty railway bar would ask what I want on my sandwich. You may say it's accidental. Maybe, but still- incredible.

I’m still amazed at what we saw in Berlin, and these good impressions make me feel like dive deeper into Germany in the future. And, again my view that an average citizen can influence the image of his country as well as the president has been confirmed.

Maciek

pictures can be found here:
http://magdaimaciek.geoblog.pl/entry?id=34367

A month after coming back home, I heard that driving in the center of Berlin requires a special permission-sticker, and not buying it results in a fine.
It is also worth mentioning that parking during weekends is free of charge.

We can also recommend the hostel we stayed at in Berlin:
It’s ”Berolina Backpackers Hostel”
Website: www.berolinabackpacker.de

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