Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Berliners joke that they don't need to travel anywhere because their city's always chan-
ging. Spin a postcard rack to see what's new. A 10-year-old guidebook on Berlin covers a
different city. City planners have seized on the city's reunification and the return of the na-
tional government to make Berlin a great capital once again. When the Wall fell, the East
was a decrepit wasteland and the West was a paragon of commerce and materialism. More
than20yearslater,therolesarereversed:It'seasternBerlinwhereyoufeelthevibrantpulse
of the city, while western Berlin seems like yesterday's news.
Today, Berlin is like the nuclear fuel rod of a great nation. It's so vibrant with youth,
energy, and an anything-goes-and-anything's-possible buzz that Munich feels spent in com-
parison. Berlin is both extremely popular and surprisingly affordable. As a booming tourist
attraction, Berlin now welcomes more visitors than Rome.
