Well what can I say, it really is as good as they boast. Quite honestly if you can't find something to enjoy about Berlin then you should have someone check your pulse, because you're probably dead. Even my very first impression of the city was awesome - once I'd made my way from the airport onto the right train, then changed at the haupbanhoff to a suburban line, and finally hiked up the station steps onto my first street in Berlin to walk the 200m to my hostel, I came across a group of young Berlinians loitering near the station kiosks all looking a bit seedy with thier hat and beggars sign in a prime position for every commuter in and out of the station to see. I read the sign, laughed out loud and had I not been stacked from head to toe with my luggage and no easy access to my wallet I probably would have given them all my change. The sign simply read "FOR BEER AND WEED", gotta love the honesty and by the look of their bloodshot peepers I'd say it was working quite well for them.

I started my five days of Berlin adventure by posting a query, of what I absolutely must see/do while I was there, on facebook, to a few my friends back home who had insisted that I visit the eclectic city whilst in Germany - and the response was brilliant. The suggestions that came through, and remember these are just the 'must do's', don't even get me started on all the things you CAN do of which the possibilities would, I dare say, be endless. A few of the suggestions were to sightsee by bike (tick), Bundestag (tick). Nightlife (sort of tick - I had a good dance at the gay club opposite my hostel so I guess that counts), free walking tour (cross - although I did do a lot of walking to see sights on my own so I guess that's a half tick). Segway tour (cross - they "drove" past me a few times and the urge to push them off was too high, I can't believe you did that Josh!), Go and see 'Briefs - the second coming' (tick! - very gay but so much fun, those boys are far too talented), Brandenburg Gate (tick), Holocaust Memorial behind Brandenburg gate (tick... I think - I visited the big outdoor memorial that they put up to remember all those who were killed although I don't know if that was the one she meant). East Side Gallery (tick, I rode past it on my first day and didn't realise what it was until I got to the end - I unfortunately didn't stop to take photos along the way and never quite got back there to do so. I did love it though). The Beer Market (cross - *sad face* I totally forgot about this one until it was too late).
Note: I'm picking up writing this post a few days after I started it and don't have access at the moment to the rest of the list but lets see what i can remember, there was also a suggestion to go to a few different art galleries which sounded fab and so I thought I'd wait for a bad weather day to fit those in, and then one never came so unfortunately and unintentionally (cross). There was the Hackescher Markt that Tom suggested I visit if I felt like a wander, which I did, so I did, and it was great (tick). Then there was brunch at Anna Blume (tick - and yum! it's tucked away in such a tranquil little part of the city, loved it, thanks Ash), the Berlin Wall Memorial (a completely beautiful and heart breaking place to visit... tick), and then the last thing I remember on the list (although I know there are others) was to head out to an abandoned asylum about an hour out of Berlin for some photo taking and exploring (major TICK - and I'll have more on that in a moment). Finally there were a couple of things that weren't suggested that I did get up to, like on my first day - when I hired a bike - I punched a destination into google maps and used my headphones in one ear to have the American voice over lady direct me street by street to my destination, which made me look as though I knew my way around the city like a pro and I started at the zoo. Wow, as I walked around the massive animal haven I realised that I only had Melbourne and Sydney zoo's to compare it to and although they are quite lovely, the Berlin Zoo knocked them out of the park. You can tell all the animals are really well cared for (just as they are in Aus) but I guess it's the design of the enclosures and the almost one-on-one encounters that you have with the animals that makes it a totally unique experience - German's and their design finesse, second to none really. For example the big cat enclosures obviously have their sizeable outdoor areas but then there is also a beautifully designed indoor viewing area that allows you to get up close and personal with the giant felines as they eat, nap and play - it was heaven. Oh, and I got quite a kick out of watching an entire group of people s*** themselves when the tigers let out a few massive roars that echoed around the complex with guts and a heavy base. My main reason for going to the zoo was to be somewhere that was outside, so I could make the most of the glorious day, but also to have a little play time with my camera to try and improve on a few shooting techniques and operating functions. To do this, children and animals are great subjects, as they are unpredictable and often move quickly, so to get a good shot you have to be organised and know what you're trying to achieve. I'm still a beginner by far, but my trip to the zoo helped a lot, and as society has determined that sitting at a public playground taking photos of other peoples children is considered quite creepy and potentially cause for criminal conviction - I opted for the zoo. The other places I went that weren't on the list were a really great bar that we (Ralf was in Berlin for a few days for work) stumbled across called Hackendahl, it had a really great vibe and good DJ so it was the perfect place for a nightcap. A flee market along a backstreet in the museum district... Oh and there was also the Pergamon museum which I hadn't intended to go to initially but when my lovely new friend from Sweden, who was staying in my dorm at the hostel, suggested that we check it out I was all in. Barbara was great fun to hang out with for a few days, she was just on a five day break from work and you know, flights to Berlin were cheap so... I hate it (and love it) that you can do that when you live in Europe! People I meet are often shocked that I'm planning to travel for so long but when you live so far away from the rest of the world and it's so expensive just to get here then you stay for as long as you can stretch your pennies - which is right down to the last f***ing cent!

So what can I say about the asylum/ war hospital that my bestie sent me to? Was she suggesting a great day out at a somewhat creepy abandoned property scattered with rundown and literally falling and peeling apart buildings? Or was she trying to get rid of me in a sneaky ploy to which she had an exceptional alibi? - Hahaha definitely the former... I hope...
Anyway, like I said, the massive property situated on acres of forest, that at this time of year was exploding with new growth and spring time delights, is scattered with an almost random formation of buildings that in their day each held their own individual purpose. Historically the site was built as a kind of asylum but during one of the wars (pre- WW1 and 2 and yes I know I really should brush up on my history) basically when Hitler was a soldier not a psycho (actually he was probably always a psycho, it's just that no one picked up on it until...well you know when), all of the psych patients were relocated and the property was turned into a hospital/ rehabilitation centre for the soldiers.... wow I just had a thought that it's kind of fitting that Hitler should be sent to an asylum as a war patient - spooky. Anyway, the big H rehabilitated there and many years later when he had become the infamous instigator of all that hate and war it was again utilised as a hospital for injured soldiers. Since that time, I don't exactly know when, it was vacated (there's more info on the net, if you search for abandonedberlin it should come up) but the current owner has stated that despite the interesting history it's just too expensive to restore and preserve the property's many, many buildings and as it decays the sight is only becoming more appealing to photographers, historians and your everyday adventurers from all over. With the information about it readily available online and the increasing number of exquisite photos that are being hung on walls as major conversation pieces all over the world, it's no wonder that we weren't the only criminals on site that day. I say criminals because technically entering the property and any of its subsequent buildings is considered trespassing and technically illegal, but there were at least 10-15 other people there that day so we weren't the only ones squeezing passed chain bolted doors and climbing through smashed out windows to take a peek. It seems such a waste to have let such an incredible place literally run into the ground when it has so much potential, and yet selfishly (because of some of the amazing photos I took) I'm kind of glad they did.

With so much to see and so many places to go I did SO much walking around different parts of the city and as the transport network was super easy to navigate I was jumping on and off trains, undergrounds, busses and trams like I freaking owned the place. It was really great. I can see why so many westerners make this city their home, the appeal is unquestionable but in some way (of the few cities I've been to in the world) it does have a universal feel to it like Melbourne or New York, it doesn't matter who you are or where your from you'll find a little pocket of this city that will feel like home. I guess, of the five days I did spend there, my favourite moment would have to be cycling through the botanic gardens toward the victory monument on my first day. The sun was shining warm dappled spears through the trees that were only just beginning to dress themselves in new growth for spring, and while there was no breeze, the air was cool and and fresh to glide through. I hope until the end of my days I never forget how I felt in that moment, a blissful second that was only interrupted by the thought that had I been doing the same thing at home with the same stupid grin on my face I would probably have to spend the rest of the afternoon picking the bugs out of my teeth. It's incredible, and probably one of the first things I noticed as the days got warmer - there are no bugs here, well none that buzz around you constantly while you're trying to enjoy an alfresco meal or stroll through the park at twilight. I guess there might be some later in the season but something makes me think that if there are, there aren't that many.

So the hostel I stayed at for the first three nights was pretty cool, as it's a hotel and hostel in one so there was free access to a small pool and sauna (of which I used both) and a pretty cool bar/restaurant. The courtyard garden that was scattered with outdoor sculptures and even had a mini art gallery in the middle was also pretty nice. I liked that there were vending machines full of local beer in the foyer but I didn't like that there were two massive groups of English school students who were also staying in the hostel for my first two nights - the little b******s were slamming doors and generally being s***ful teenagers until all hours of the morning. The only thing that shut them up was at about 3am when (I don't know who) a lady stuck her head into the corridor where there were a number of adolescent boys making a lot of noise, and very loudly in a heavy German accent asked "would you like to sex-a?", they didn't hear her at first and then after I heard her repeat the same question again - there were copious amounts of giggles and a few slammed doors followed by a sigh and German phrase from the woman that I presume translated to "I guess not then" and afterwards... blissful silence! Thank you horny German lady, whoever you were, I owe the three hours of sleep I got that night to you.

On my last two nights in Berlin I stayed in a different suburb, more on the southern side of the city, at a place called Hütenpalast that was recommended to me by a work colleague (thanks Lara) and it was so much fun. The place is basically a hotel, cafe and garden and the owners managed to obtain two large ground floor spaces in the apartment complex that they have filled with mini cabins and refurbished retro mini-caravans. Most of the vans are intended for couples and there is one tiny one for a single, however I had a couple van and it was really just comfortable for me. Don't get me wrong, it would be a very romantic get away spot if you had a partner but I wouldn't stay more than a day or two. It's basically indoor camping and while the facilities are great, the shared bathroom and the fact that you can pretty much hear everything that goes in around you means that unless you're a very comfortable (and somewhat inconsiderate of others) kind of couple, then the hanky-panky would probably be minimal.

On my final day I was intending to whip around to a few of the galleries and sites I had missed but when I started I found that within about half an hour I was so exhausted I instead found myself aimlessly wandering around a shopping district and, oops, may have bought myself some new clothes. I left Berlin with a bit of a heavy heart as I tried to decide whether or not I had really made the most of my five days there. What I concluded was that those five days, like the rest of my trip, were exactly what I wanted from them, I know myself well enough to understand that there is the list of things I'd like to do, the list of things I am able to do and the list of things I actually feel like doing and so long as I balance my time between the three then I can't have any regrets... and I don't. Thank you Berlin, your free spirit, colourful history and spontaneous delivery of precious moments have left me with more than a little crush on your eclectic soul.