The meeting place was normal enough; if I hadn’t known what was going on beneath us and where we would spend the next hour and a half, I never would have guessed at what was just below the ground on which I stood.  Berlin’s Gesundbrunnen metro stop, both inside and outside, lacked the kind of dank, enthralling mystery that was waiting several stories beneath us in the Berliner Unterwelten.

You wouldn’t believe the incredible exhibition that had me in awe for days. I couldn’t wait to tell you all about it!

First, I would like to point out that Berlin is known for its buoyant art scene. If its antiques at the beautiful Museumsinsel in Mitte, contemporary art at the infamous Hamburger Bahnhof, or even the historical Jewish Museum, Berlin embraces art with both arms wide open.

The Martin-Gropius-Bau belongs at the top of the list of must-see museums. Located in the center of the city just around the corner from Potsdamer Platz, the large old building hosts various exhibitions simultaneously; right now there are two. On the top floor you’ll find Frida Kahlo’s Retrospective, and on the ground floor is the impressive installation that had me in awe: Innen Stadt Außen by the Danish Artist Olafur Elissaon.

Since my first Berlin-Blog post on Young-Germany.de, I’ve been excitedly waiting to write about one of Berlin’s particular events: the annual Karneval der Kulturen (Carnival of Cultures).

The Karneval der Kulturen stands out of the slew of cultural events held here, combining multiculturalism with international foods and music for a spectacular must-see highlight!

by Eman Al-Nafjan aus Riad

I was invited by the German Foreign Ministry to spend ten days in Berlin as part of a blogger tour initiative. I’ve never been to Germany before as a tourist, let alone a guest of the government. It was an educational experience in which I learned a lot about Germany and also the countries of the 14 other bloggers who were invited too.

As a Saudi coming from a strict Islamic country, it took me a couple of days to get into the swing of things–like walking around without my mandatory black cloak on and not stopping to wonder when the next prayer break is when everything has to shut down for thirty minutes.

Berlin is a marvelous city. The metropolis offers an endless array of cultural events and is admired by many for its international diversity. Every year, Berlin welcomes a large number of tourists from all over the world. And sometimes, they fall head over heels for Berlin, decide to stay and call this their new home. For example, the Turkish. Over the course of time, a large number of Turkish immigrants have settled in Kreuzberg, making this the second largest Turkish city by population after Istanbul. Or look at the Swabians, who’ve “invaded” the oh-so-loved Prenzlauer Berg, making it hard for Berliners to find an apartment there anymore. Nonetheless, most Berliners embrace their new neighbours, and in the future we’ll likely grow closer and all live together as one big family…