Berlin Zoo
by cecicorr
Surely in Berlin you must not miss the zoo. Giving its name to the famous Zoo Station, it somewhat still embodies early 19th century taste for esotic species and places. Beside animals, you will in fact find fake oriental palaces acting as the animals' homes during the long winter months. A little decadent, but animals very well cared for. The panda is so sad, though.
Charlottenburg
by bugulma
I've read about the castle in 1-2 days before my departure from Moscow and I wished to see it very much. So, when I saw some general tips in Eastern Berlin I decided to go to Western Berlin to see Charlottenburg. The castle was a summer palace of Sophia Charlotta, the wife of Friedrich III, in 1695-1699. Then the palace became a summer residence of Prussia dukes and kings. Besides building works were in 1701-1713, then in 1740-1746 and in 1787-1791 (orangerie and theater). Now the castle is museum when you can see appartments of XIX century.
I got round line of train, S45, to the station Westend. Then I had a walking, 10 minutes around.
Parking of bicycles
by matcrazy1
There were not very many parking lots for bicycles in Berlin's downtown. Usually they were located either among apartment buildings, and in front of larger department stores or some popular among locals other stores. Some bicycle owners used to lock their bicycles to the fence by the entrance to the underground U-bahn stations.
Round shape of BMW building
by matcrazy1
Walking along main shopping street called Kurfürstendamm or shortly Ku-Damm (district Charlottenburg) I paid my attantion to the large, glass building of German BMW car company. It had typical for BMW round shape.
Where it was?
Close to U-bahn station Uhlandstraße (last station of U15).
Eye-catching ladies
by sarahandgareth about Oranienburgerstrasse and nearby
Down towards the eastern end of Oranienburgerstrasse, just before the street enters the Hackescher Markt, tourists are often surprised to see ladies of the night touting for business on the street-side, generally right under the noses of the police guarding the Neue Synagoge.
In summer, they wear the usual skimpy outfits, but they’re there in winter too, even on the coldest nights, wearing brightly-coloured snowsuits that make them look more like Michelin men than temptresses. You can still, however, make a pretty good guess at their profession since many of them wear alluring corsets over their snowsuits to ensure potential clients don't walk or drive on by wondering who all the skiers are.
In any season, the prostitutes often come in to the local bars to change in the bathrooms: staff in ordinary Berlin bars, unlike other cities, would never dream of turning people away from their bathrooms (a handy tip to remember if you need one yourself!). And winter or summer, they’re unmistakably visible, since local mores, and the authorities, tend to turn a blind eye. If you slow down at all, even because you're staring at a nearby restaurant menu, they'll often be over to solicit business - often in English, since many of them are from Eastern Europe, not Germany.