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. 28 a single day in: berlin Berlin is definitely not the kind of city you can experience in a single day, it has hidden gems of brilliance all over and when you uncover one, you feel a sense of accomplish- ment. Berlin just makes you feel good. The quirky clothes shops in Freidrichstain mixed with the street art that engulfs the cities buildings just shows how Berlin is the city of expressing yourself without anyone trying to stop you. Kreuzberg is the city’s coolest area, think Soho x Camden x Shoreditch all rolled in to one mini oasis, its also home to Berghain, Watergate, Katerholzig and all kinds of weird and wonderful places. So if you were attempting Berlin in a day, here are my suggestions…. Happy hour… Hannibal bar is filled with young, sometimes good-looking twenty-something’s that are seeking to get pissed for the night ahead. Random pieces of furniture line the walls, some looking like they’ve been taken from their Nan’s house but that just makes it all the more chilled and like they don’t give a shit. Apart from the beer bongs, there’s only one thing to get at Hannibal and that’s their Zombie cocktail, believe me one is enough to get the drunken antics rolling and for 4 euros a pop, how can you go wrong. Just round the corner is Soju Bar, the ideal place for your average hipster, it also serves up a beautiful cocktail, which you can sip (or down) while listening to underground techno and house beats, the perfect combination. Let’s go dancing… Salon Zur Wilden Renate, or just Renate, is hands down the coolest of cool clubs you will ever have the pleasure of attending. The layout is similar to your Nan’s crib, with family portraits lining the walls, old flee-bitten sofas dotted around, and oh yeah, a DJ booth in every room. It opens on a Thursday night and doesn’t close till late Monday afternoon, of course there’s some nutters bringing rucksacks with a change of clothes for the 4-day session. Berlin DJs are in a league of their own, playing long 6 hour sets like it’s a stroll through the park, spinning vinyl after vinyl of underground house and techno, never faltering or losing the attention of a fanatic crowd. …all night dancing Kreuzberg is home to a number of Berlin’s best clubs but there’s nothing like Watergate. One of the most famous clubs in the world, the DJ bills are always something to rave about (literally), the two rooms equally have something special about them, but the atmosphere never swaying from anything but electric. The upstairs is technically the main room, with a low captivating ceiling of embedded electronic lights that sits above the dance floor, the DJ booth sits centre stage with a world-renowned producer side stepping to the musical noises and cheers of the trendy crowd. Some Berliners say that Watergate is too glossy or touristy but you’ll never meet friendlier people in any other club, if you haven’t made at least ten pals by the end of the night then maybe your breath smells of garlic from that steak dinner. Don’t knock it before you try it. Plus the downstairs will blow you away, one side of the room is made completely of glass that looks out to the River Spree and to the famous Watergate bridge, its really quite a view, especially when you’re in a happy place. Watching the sun come up out on the smoking area, which is a wooden jetty that sits on the river, will charm anyone and the 11am finishes come around faster than you would think. Getting a bit peckish… Its not underground or “edgy” in fact its one of Germany’s chains, but Block House does possibly the best steak you will ever eat. The settings are a bit like a Harvester, but German style, obviously. Its not really anything special inside, the restaurant is filled with all different manners of Berliners sipping red wine and beer, it’s a great people watching spot if you like that kind of thing. The food is divine (not like Harvester) and you’ll probably end up having to be rolled out of the restaurant. Have a lay in and then… The alternative walking tour breaks away from the classic history tours, in fact it takes you on a journey through the pockets of freedom during the times of the Berlin wall and shows you the people who are now making their own mark in the capital. Berlin’s dynamic array of cultures is something to be appreciated and experienced first-hand, offering a true local perspective on both historical and contemporary concepts. You pay what you think is due, there is no set price and the guys taking you around still seem genuinely interested in what they are teaching you about, even though its probably for the 9 millionth time. You end up in a kind of African/Caribbean ghetto called YAAM Beach, Berlin’s Reggae and Rasta sector, where men are huddled around burring metal barrels with massive joints hanging out of their mouths telling fascinating stories. words by: Lauren Clarke