The neighbourhood of our Hostel in Friedrichshein was extremely pleasant, broad tree lined streets with small parks scattered throughout, young families out for their evening stroll and picnic in the park, people everywhere yet no hustle and bustle.

There is a sense of melancholy to the city, yet this is offset by a youthful exuberance that shines through. The mixture of Gothic and Imperial era architecture interspersed with uber-modern renovations, rebuilding and developments reflects the mood of this emotionally scarred city.

Our taxi trip to the Hauptbahnhoff in the morning was a mini tour, taking us past remnants of the Berlin Wall, the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag. One memory I will always keep of this city is the taxi driver pointing to a wall pockmarked with bullet holes “ping, ping, ping”.

Our sojourn in Berlin was memorable, albeit brief, and it was a great introduction to Europe for Zofia and myself. We are looking forward to returning and exploring this city of juxtapositions further.

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Our arrival at Tegel Airport, Berlin, reinforced the notion of leaving your preconceptions at the door when you embark upon a journey.

After a lay over in Rome with a brief delay and a few espresso’s, we were off the plane, collected our baggage and in a taxi within ten minutes! We had our passports glanced at by a customs official in Italy who seemed more interested in the dinner plans of his colleagues, and from there we might as well have been on a domestic flight in Australia! No armed guards or passport control reminiscent of Checkpoint Charlie.

So we left the airport, and made our way down the boulevards, basking in the clear blue skies and warmth of a beautiful summers day in Berlin.

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