The Bruner Family Journey: Berlin: The European Capital Of Cool

Throughout its tumultuous history, Berlin has served as the capital of the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire, the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich, East Germany, and since 1990 the reunified Federal Republic of Germany. And now it's the European capital of cool. In the words of Lonely Planet:

Twenty years after its post-Wall rebirth, Berlin is a scene-stealing combo of glamor and grit, teeming with top museums and galleries, grand opera and guerrilla clubs, gourmet temples and ethnic snack shacks. Whether your tastes run to posh or punk, you can sate them in Berlin.

When it comes to fashion, art, design and music, the German capital is the city to watch. A global influx of creatives has turned it into a cauldron of cultural cool reminiscent of New York in the ’80s. What draws them is Berlin’s legendary climate of tolerance, openness and experimentation infused with an edgy undercurrent that gives this "eternally unfinished" city its street cred. Cheap rents don’t hurt either.

All this trendiness is a triumph for a town that’s long been in the cross-hairs of history: Berlin staged a revolution, was headquartered by fascists, bombed to bits, ripped in half and finally reunited – and that was just in the 20th century! Famous landmarks such as the Reichstag, the Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, and what’s left of the Berlin Wall are like a virtual 3-D textbook in a city where you’ll find history staring you in the face every time you turn a corner.

Perhaps it’s because of its heavy historical burden that Berlin is throwing itself into tomorrow with such contagious energy. At times the entire city seems to be bubbling over into one huge party. Cafes are jammed at all hours, drinking is a religious rite and clubs host their scenes of frenzy and hedonism until the wee hours.

Yet despite its often hectic pace, Berlin functions on an exquisitely human scale. Traffic flows freely, public transportation is brilliant, you can walk without fear at night, clubs have no velvet ropes and your restaurant bill would only buy you a starter back home. Come and join the party and be swept away by the riches, quirks and vibrancy of this fascinating city.

Berlin Wall in 1986 (photo from the internet)

McDonald's won the Cold War...

Jeremy in front of an open air exhibit with some fragments of the Wall

The kids role play on either side of what used to be the Wall

(Talia rejoices in the West, while Jeremy gets shot by the secret police in the East)

Jeremy at Checkpoint Charlie

Jeremy in front of the famous Fernsehturm (television tower)

With two kids in tow, we didn't really experience Berlin's cutting edge or stay out until the wee hours. But we certainly felt the city's creative energy and we had an awesome time. We stayed in an apartment in Prenzlauer Berg, a district in former East Berlin known for its artists' studios, bohemian youth, trendy bars and boutiques, and wide assortment of ethnic eateries serving fare from Asia, Africa, South America and all over Europe. The neighborhood is one of Berlin's prettiest, having escaped damage in World War II and the ensuing modernization and redevelopment.

Our apartment

Our neighborhood

Selling cool sunglasses in the heart of East Berlin

We spent one day exploring the remnants of the Cold War, including the infamous Checkpoint Charlie, the most well-known border crossing between East and West Berlin. Now the battle is between McDonald's and Starbucks to see who can get the most tourist dollars. In a particularly mind-blowing moment, the kids ate ice cream and the adults drank beer in a place, owned by a woman from Brooklyn, with outdoor tables that practically straddled where the Wall once stood. We also went to the Alexanderplatz, a large square that I distinctly remember from my visit in 1987 as one of the grimmest places I'd ever seen in my life - you could feel the repression and unhappiness in the air. Jeremy was oblivious to this history as he joined in on a large bubble-blowing gathering, next to a band playing the Eagles' classic song Hotel California in front of a group of giddy camera-clicking tourists, not far from a statue of Karl Marx and Friederich Engels. Oh, what would the two of them think if they could see it all now?

Karl and Freddy - what would they say now?

Neptune Fountain in Alexanderplatz

Bode Museum

We also spent a day of museum hopping on the aptly named Museum Island, a complex of five internationally renowned art collections - ranging from ancient Egypt, to classical Greece and Rome, to the Islamic and Byzantine worlds of the Middle Ages, to the various "isms" of 19th century Europe - on an island in the Spree River in the middle of the city. The whole family went through three of the collections, then I went alone to polish off the other two. We devoted yet another day to the museums of the Kulturforum on the Potsdamer Platz, including the Gemäldegalerie (one of the world's most important galleries of European painting) and the Neue Nationalgalerie (which opened in 1968 as one of Germany's premier modern art collections).

"Excuse me sir, which way to the bathroom?"

We also played pickup soccer several times in the little park near our apartment. Jeremy did a fantastic job, but given the uniformly high level of skill shown by the German kids of the Prenzlauer Berg, I doubt the U.S. will be beating Germany in an important men's soccer game any time within the foreseeable future. The only downside to our time in Berlin is that someone seems to have walked off with Talia's shoes (which we just bought in Italy) while she was playing barefoot in the sandbox.

I said in an earlier post that Leipzig was one of the coolest and most dynamic cities of our yearlong trip. But its bigger sister Berlin undoubtedly takes first prize in this category. Paris and Rome are gorgeous, but to visit these cities is to take a look back in time. To visit Berlin is to gaze forward into Europe's future.