Berlin - Hard Rock & Old Ballrooms

13:25, The Circus Hostel
   
Had a really slow start this morning - I'm not even out of bed yet. I just feel ridiculously tired; I doubt I'm going to get much done today.

14:21, on the U9 to Kurfürstendamm
   
Something I find really cute about the transport system in Berlin is that it works on an honour system. You get yourself a ticket and then you're able to come and go in underground stations, trams and buses (although buses are a bit stricter about checking tickets). There are plain clothes conductors wandering around checking tickets at random, but for the most part you're free to get anywhere with minimal hassle. This is so different to London or NYC, where you need to get through a ticket barrier before you can even access a train platform. If you're caught without a ticket in Berlin, you face a really steep fine so everyone just honours it and gets the correct ticket for their travel. I have a week pass in my bag and I've only had to show it once so far.

Another note on the Berlin underground system: if you look at a map of the transport routes, it's eerily reminiscent of the London Underground in its layout. However, the stations and trains themselves remind me more of the New York subway (open platforms, wide trains with way more space, etc). Where it differs, though, is that it's spectacularly clean. Coming off the London Underground? Prepare to have to blow all of the soot and dirt from your nose (a phenomenon Caz and I affectionately nickname 'Tube Bogies'), and your fingernails will be similarly blackened. Here in Berlin, that doesn't happen. In fact, the whole city is very clean and tidy. The parts that Sou considered dirty or unkempt were still nicer than a lot of areas of London, it's so bizarre. Pleasant though.

Anyway, these were just some thoughts I was having on my way to a (very) late lunch at Berlin's Hard Rock Cafe!

15:33, Hard Rock Cafe
   
On the difference between east and west Berlin: I'm probably the furthest west that I've been in the city so far, and the difference is quite striking. As I travelled here on the U-Bahn, I noticed that each station got shinier and even nicer looking. The streets are almost completely free of graffiti and there aren't really many posters stuck up on all available wallspace like there is in the east. The buildings are taller, more modern and imposing here. There's a distinct lack of dreadful GDR architecture. I feel slightly alien in this nice, bright area. Which reminds me of something hilarious that Sou showed me last night. She wanted to show me a hideous Soviet-era mural on a building; this building was dark and grey, and across the road from it was a huge, brightly-lit shopping centre. The juxtaposition was just hilarious. Karl Marx would have hated it.

16:37, on the U8 to Rosenthaler Platz
   
A man is leaning against the glass partition next to me and all I can see is this:

16:45, The Circus Hostel
     
I took a look at the 'blue church' at Kurfürstendamm before going to the Hard Rock Cafe. Basically, it's ruins of a 19th century church, which has since had modern additions built around it. It's been preserved in its ruined state, and looks amazing.

   
Hard Rock was really good; I was sitting below a bass originally belonging to Mike Dirnt from Green Day, and had a good view of the TV screen that was playing music videos. My waitress was really nice and bubbly and the service was quick but not rushed. I had chips with a garlic/parmesan seasoning on them (absolutely delicious!), and a burger with three different types of cheeses and bacon in it. For some reason, my burger came with a knife stabbed through it like Emperor Caligula had prepared it. The lunch was really tasty, and the place had a nice atmosphere.

   
I also found the Paperchase concession store inside the Karstadt (huuuge shopping centre on Kurfürstendamm), which was amusing. I snapped a quick photo to send to work.

Now I'm shuffling some things around, because I don't know if I'm going to make it to the many bars I was thinking of visiting. I don't know if I'm quite ballsy enough to go to them all on my own. I may have to reserve some of them for the next time I come to Berlin - maybe I'll be a bit braver.

22:02, Katz und Maus bar
   
I popped over to Auguststraße to see the Clärchens Ballhaus. It's a dance and live music venue, but upstairs they've kept all of the old 1920s decor in the ballroom. They still host theatre and events up there but, when I went this evening, there were three other people besides me having a little peek. I'm glad I went when there wasn't something going on, because it was so quiet and eerie and just added to the atmosphere of the place. It even smelled old, and the chandelier and the huge cracked mirrors really gave the room a Phantom of the Opera style vibe. I instantly loved it.

   
Afterwards, I came back to the hostel and down here to the Katz & Maus bar, for a few beverages. It's really cool in here - nice decor, down to earth atmosphere, and delicious drinks. There are some really loud blokes in here, including a couple of English guys that I've been chatting to. I did want to go out to other places, but I lacked the courage. So I think I'll just have a few more drinks here and then I only have to get the elevator up to my room.