Although I’d planned my trip mainly for the Love Parade, it felt wrong to be in another country and ignore all of the local offerings as well. Over the weekend I managed to visit many of Berlin’s historical sites and buildings. I found some of the impressive ones included:#

• Checkpoint Charlie – The crossing made famous when the Berlin Wall separated the East from the West side of Berlin;
• The Jewish Museum – An amazingly architected building recounting the build up and the horrors that ensued, all designed to get you thinking. I highly recommend visiting the Isolation Tower that really does what it sets out to achieve;
• The Pergamon Museum – One of the most famous museums for its collection of ancient antiquities and an entire room containing a reconstruction of the Pergamon Alter. This museum’s English audio guide is one of the most comprehensive ones that I listened too and could easily keep you there for hours if you wanted to listen to it all;
• Bradenburger Tor – The only neo classical gate left standing, though admittedly restored, all typically surrounded with tourists;
• Fernsehturm – The well known television tower, currently transformed to look like a giant football (coloured pink!) for the World Cup;
• Siegessaule – An icon of this city that stands out from a distance as you look up any of its sprawling streets and the focal point for the Love Parade;
• The Reichstag – An old building where politicians meet and an impressive backdrop for concerts;
• Potzdamer Platz – A hub of mostly modern buildings including the red bricked Daimler Chrysler building and the more stylish and more practical Sony Plaza – a popular place even having an Australian themed restaurant serving Kangaroo;

Apparently there is not very much local Berlin cuisine because historically they have shunned a lot of foreign cuisine and it is only now that they are starting to experiment more. Various sausages appear to be one of the most popular foods including the famous Currywurst – a friend sausage drowned in a brown sauce and dusted with curry powder, served with Pommes Frittes (Chips) likewise drowned in mayonnaise.

In terms of public transport Berlin has got it covered with subways, trains, trams and buses covering most of the city, including to and from the airport. Berlin has regular services and an all day ticket is easily worth the money though no one ever seems to check tickets.

Even without the Love Parade to draw you to the city, I found that it still had plenty on offer. Like most cities, there are parts of it that was needlessly touristy, but there are also plenty of opportunities to mingle with the local crowd. Going in summer with the late summer sun and the great weather also helps to make the experience enjoyable. Now for some rest…

More photos available here.