Berlin

This is my first time in Berlin and have 5 days to explore the huge city. We arrived in the late afternoon, checked into our hotel near Checkpoint Charlie and Potsdamer Platz, and then headed straight out.

First stop was Potsdamer Platz, a huge square where you can see modern buildings, Europe's first traffic light, and remnants of the Berlin Wall. A short walk from Potsdamer Platz is the Brandenburg Gate. The first thing I notice is that it's much smaller than I imagined it would be but amazing to see nonetheless. It's then onto Unter Den Linden, the most famous boulevard in Berlin, where you pass the massive Russian Embassy, the heavily guarded US Embassy, and the modern British Embassy. Further along there are many historic buildings (often reconstructed after the war), museums, libraries, and Berliner Dom.

Over the river is Alexander Platz and the TV tower. A bit further along we stop for a tasty and very cheap Italian meal with a friendly Albanian waiter who is now Ferbent's best friend ;) We then made the long walk back to the hotel, taking in Friedrichstrasse and Checkpoint Charlie.

I always knew Berlin was much cheaper than Paris but was shocked that housing is sooooo much cheaper. The guy on reception at the hotel told me he pays 500 euros for a 60 sqm apartment and the Albanian waiter is paying 480 for a 70 sqm apartment. Both say they are in really nice areas in central Berlin. I'm paying over 1000 euros a month for 40 sqm. Something's not right!