We just got back from a few days in Berlin. As it was a few days before Christmas, the shops were very busy. I couldn't help but to compare the city to Amsterdam. We stumbled across shopping mall after shopping mall, so many huge department stores whose shelves burst with choice. For example, one department store had a floor dedicated to confectionery, where you could buy any brand of chocolate you wanted, from all over the World.
A German soldier waving the German flag in front of parts of the Berlin wall.
We found a very cool bar, on top of a highrise building, 25 Hours Berlin. A must if you ever find yourself in Berlin. The bar is part of a concept hotel and over looks the zoo, so in the summer you can see the animals.
People seemed more individual, cooler fashion, wearing heels, ladies wearing makeup, stylish looking teenagers. And so many cars. It was buzzing. As I originate from London, which is very similar in many respects, I realised how much I missed the buzz, the people watching, the vibrance.
As we stepped off the train in Amsterdam at 11.30pm, the man with his bike queing for the lift smiled at us. We saw one car on our journey home. There were no people on the streets. Amsterdam closes down at about 9pm and it is so quiet! It is a city in terms of world class culture with many museums and theatres, but I'm afraid it doesn't seem very cool. The quirky, individual fashion which you see on the streets of London or Berlin just isn't there. Yes, you can buy weed and there are groups of people wandering around on stag and hen nights off their faces at the weekend, and I'm sure there is a big party scene that I'm too old to be a part of, but you don't get the feeling that you're watching the next big thing happening. It seems a little sleepy, like an eccentric uncle in a family.
