For me, Berlin is a hard city to fall in love with immediately. When you first enter the city, the way I did from west to east, you're greeted by its history. The Berlin Victory Column, Soviet War Memorial (Tiergarten), Brandenburg Gate, and next to that is the Berlin Wall, or what's left of it. Monuments to war, peace, and change. Tough images to wrap your head around.
Then there's the graffiti, some of which is the most amazing street art you'd ever see. It could be in the Louvre somewhere. Other ink covers the city like outdated tattoos. The artists don't discriminate on their canvas. Monuments, storefronts, and of course the wall.
Berliners seem to express themselves and don't care what you think. I think it's because of their history. Don't tell them they can't because they will. The city has a history of repression, expression, and change.
I get the sense that the people of Berlin are now fairly comfortable with their quality of life. A city of rebellion is now a city of tourism and partygoers. The biggest controversial issue that I came across was the gentrification of certain areas. According to some locals, you're no longer able to pick the area you want to live in, your economic class does that for you. I think they were referring to squatters. After the wall fell, a lot of Berliners just took over uninhabited buildings, fixed them up, and made them cool.
By the end of my five-day stay in Friedrichshain (East Berlin), I came to gain a huge respect for the bluntness that people showed, even if that bluntness was expressed by doing whatever the person wanted to do. I appreciate that people act the way they want. At times I wish I was more like a Berliner.
Berlin Victory Column
Soviet War Memorial
Brandenburg Gate
Berlin Wall (east view)
Berlin Wall (west view)
Friedrichshain art district.
Tempelhofer Feld.
Berlin was built on a swamp so they have to remove the sewage and waste through these aboveground pipes.