So… You want to go to Berlin?
Let me give you a general sense of the city.
Berlin is like an onion. It has a lot of layers. You cant do it all in one trip. This was my third time to Berlin and I feel like I’ve done something completely different and still had fun.
Berlin is not a pretty city (it’s not ugly either I just mean its too modern for its own good). It’s not Paris. Paris is a city you can see the history in its buildings. You can feel the culture emanating from the walls. Berlin can be that way, in a sense.
Berlin was blown to pieces in WWII. There are only a few standing original structures. The rest of the city is pretty modern… Post World War modern. There is also a section of town that is 2012 modern and you can see the difference.
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Anyway, let’s continue. There is SO MUCH HISTORY here in Berlin. You can do an entire trip based on history.
The first time I came to Berlin, I did a free historical walking tour. We walked to the Berlin Wall and parliament and saw the great architecture that still remains. We saw the Memorial to the Murdered Jews (which is, in my opinion, very well done). Even though we all know it, history hits you like a ton of bricks! It can make you emotional, for sure.
The Berlin Wall still stands in many parts of town.
You can ogle the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church… It was half-blown during the war. The remaining structure was turned into a museum. It’s free to enter. It’s sad and emotional and a great educational experience. Your entire trip can be a history lesson like none you’ve ever had.
Some people don’t like the depressing history of Berlin… Let’s say you don’t either. Why come to Berlin?
My Gay Berlin travel guide will guide you through every night of the week and give you in-depth details of what you’ll find. It’s 18 and over only.
This city wears its history like scars on human flesh. But if you don’t like it, come for the beer!
Germans love their beer. You can do a “self-guided-drinking-tour” and drink beer you’ve never heard of before.
The first time around, I found local pubs where I tasted all beer I was unfamiliar with. It’s fantastic. I also frequented hole-in-the-wall bars and ordered a pint of whatever beer they had. It’s where I learned to drink beer.
Berlin held my hand as I entered an age where beer is now okay for me to drink freely. Beer gardens, food, beer, beer, and more beer. Although, I gotta say I noticed a difference between the beers in the gay bars and beers in general.
It’s my opinion that gay bars are more focused on the party aspect of drinking. I went to several gay bars, that had a themed/party for the night. They limited the beer to three types in order to get the party going. It’s not a bad thing, just efficient. But, if you want to get your beer-on, you might want to head to a bar that doesn’t have a party that night… Or check out your local watering hole.
On this trip, I made several friends that are Berliners. One of them told me “Berlin is a poor city, but it’s a sexy city.” I later learned that’s the Berlin moto.
Berlin has a great underground music scene. You also have an edgy art scene. Parts of the city is covered in graffiti. If you’re like me and love some good street art, go street art hunting. Even part of the Berlin Wall has been used to create amazing graffiti murals.
The city also revels in its awesome club scene. I’ve never seen anything like the clubs here in Berlin. They’re hardcore but everyone is out for fun. There is no pretentiousness. None, whatsoever.
Still not enough for you? Berlin is a gay mecca. Many gay men come to Berlin to check out the gay scene and festivals Berlin has to offer. You have Laboratory, Berghain, Toms, Jaxx, Mutschmanns, Woofs, and many more incredible gay bars. Besides gay bars and parties galore they have loads of gay festivals that are off the hook.
I spoke to a local who told me about a special event he went to where they had a section of the club that was designed like an underwater, sinking submarine. The set looked real and the walls had LCD panels with images of the fish swimming by. Sounds insane. I can definitely see Berlin doing that.
Berlin also has its fair share of “play-only” places like gay saunas.
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You don’t have to be gay to love this city. There is a party for everyone.
While In Berlin, I left the parties at 6 am… pretty much every day of the week. You just have to look for where it’s happening.
Besides being a great city to party. Berliners are very nice. The people of Berlin are very welcoming, respectful, and accepting.
In fact, when I did encounter disrespectful people on this trip they weren’t from Berlin.
With all that said, I can tell you how quickly Berlin became one of my favorite cities to visit! I LOVE BERLIN.
