Cities like Hamburg may be stealing the spotlight as Germany’s more modern, polished and effortlessly hip destinations, but Berlin still has something that is very difficult to manufacture: character.
It is in the street art, the people, the improbable haircuts, the landmarks and the scars of history that are still visible everywhere you look. But more than anything, it is in Berlin’s refusal to take itself too seriously.
The city can be rough around the edges, beautiful and ugly within the same hundred metres, monumental one moment and completely absurd the next. It does not seem particularly interested in impressing you, and perhaps that is precisely why it does.
Berlin feels lived-in rather than curated. Individuality is not presented as a statement here. It is simply part of the scenery.
And while other cities may increasingly look cleaner, smarter and more fashionable, Berlin retains that slightly chaotic, rebellious energy that can really only be found in Berlin.
A wonderful city to walk through, photograph and simply watch being itself.