BERLIN – yes, now “Ich bin ein Berliner” (and have even got a certificate to prove it!)

Like Puck, I’ve girdled the world several times but this is my first time in Berlin. It doesn’t disappoint. One travel writer has written that if Paris is the Coquette of Europe and London is the Staid Old Lady, then Berlin is the Wicked Uncle. Berlin has always been near the top of my travel wish-list and now in early May, with majestic horse chestnut trees in full bloom, purple lilacs scenting the air, and tall linden trees lining the boulevards, I’m actually here.

I’ve visited the notorious Checkpoint Charlie – the ‘crossing’ between former East and West Berlin; I’ve walked over the same bridge as the literary Spy Who Came in from the Cold; I’ve had my photograph taken at the iconic Brandenburg Gate; been dazzled by Berlin’s biggest and best theatre spectacular; been reduced to tears at the Holocaust Memorial, flinched at the sight of the intimidating Reichstag, and shopped on the glitzy Kurfürstendamm. I even get a certificate from the Visit Berlin Tourist office proclaiming “Ich bin ein Berliner”. I shall remember the dynamism and energy of the city, the stunning modern architecture which takes as its theme Transparency – and employs glass in every possible way. I shall remember Museum Island, the centre of Berlin’s arts landscape, with its five museums in the historic city centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where you can marvel at the world-famous Pergamon Altar, the bust of Nefertiti, or any of the art treasures encompassing 6 000 years of human history. I even snuck in a quick visit to the Tiergarten, Berlin’s famous zoo. Berlin never sleeps. “It’s the hangover city, the city of clubs, bars and cabaret,” pronounces Marcus, our guide. “There are no opening and closing hours, that’s why Berlin is unique. It’s the city of extremes, where everybody is free.” What I shall take away more than anything, however, are my memories of the Berlin Wall. Most of us know the outlines of 20th-century European history. Germany is defeated by the Allies in World War ll. Berlin is carved up by the victors into the East and Western sectors at the end of the War. West Berlin becomes an island of democracy literally walled off by the Russians who turn East Berlin and East Germany into a Socialist terror state. The Wall comes down after 28 years in 1998 and the process of German reunification begins. But the Wall is still everywhere. Graffitied sections occur on street corners, long swathes of it are left as memorials, whilst the East Side Gallery, a 1.3km-long section of the wall near the city centre, showcases approximately 106 murals by international artists and has become an international memorial for freedom. I shudder at “The Mortal Kiss” by Dimitrji Vrubel, which shows East German leader Erich Honecker and Russian leader Leonid Brezhnev in their infamous mouth-to-mouth kiss because of what it symbolises – the subjection, oppression and fear that Russia imposed on a conquered people. Come to Berlin not only for its history and dazzling architecture, but also for great shopping, superb nightlife, excellent value-for-money accommodation, surprisingly good food and friendly, helpful people. You won’t be sorry…

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