Berlin Attitude

What a weekend. Berlin was amazing. A totally different rhythm from Prague. Berlin, even though it has had a rough past with being almost completely decimated in WWII and then divided by the infamous Berlin Wall during the communist era, it is a very vibrant and lively city. This was a great break from the semi staunch and old Prague.

I think the reason that Berlin is so different is due to its past, just like Prague has been shaped by its past. Berlin, during WWII was all but destroyed by the various bombing raids of the Allied Forces. This has given Berlin a chance to build new modern buildings that attract the young and fashionable crowd which then intern makes up the city's atmosphere. These new buildings also make Berlin feel up and coming as opposed to rooted in the past.

The people of Berlin are also very different. It felt very young and diverse in Berlin as opposed to an older generation in Prague. This might be because of the neighborhood that we live in at Prague or the lack of exploration that we were able to aquire do to time limits in Berlin. Everyone in Berlin was really friendly, unlike the short mood of the Czech. Lots of people were riding bikes, which they have a section of the sidewalk marked for bikes only and if you get in the lane you get yelled at. Berlin also seemed wealthier, which is probably because Germany is a wealthy country, but I also think it is the life attitude. They seemed like a people who had the future in mind and wanted to be successful where as the Czech seem to be content with where they are in life. I also saw lots of young families in Berlin, which when I think about it I haven't seen much of in Prague. We were joking around about missing the train back to Prague and just staying in Berlin for the rest of our trip but from the short time we were there it seemed like a much younger and vibrant place than Prague, something that appeals to a group of college kids.