Hello
We've just got back from 5 nights in Berlin. We stayed in The Circus Hotel, lovely boutique hotel by Rosenthaier Platz, so spent a lot of time around that area and Alexanderplatz. We did all the usual tourist things, some really nice things like champagne breakfast at the Reichstag, dinner at Spinder & Klatt, and spent a LOT of time drinking German beer.
Clubbing wise we went to a club called Weekend on the Thursday night as it was Tom's birthday and we'd randomly seen it advertised as we were wandering around the city when we first arrived, and Steve Lawler was playing so we thought it would be rude not to pop in. It's a really nice little club on the ??th floor of the Sharp Building so you get great views of the city - it was 8 euros to get in, 3.5 euros for a beer and Lawler was really good and back from the clubbing wilderness he'd been in for a couple of years (ie when he was really $hit).
Then the main event was obviously Berghain/Panorama Bar. We got there about 2.15am as we'd heard that it could be sometimes difficult to get in, so our plan was to go there, if we didn't get in, go to Watergate, the back to Panorama afterwards. There is a definite door policy of sorts - a group of girls (Yanks/Aussies?) were being turned away as we got in, I think they had being a bit lairy as one of them was gobbing off about no English speakers in the club
Then a couple (Asian girl and Western bloke) got turned away (they did look like they'd never set foot in a club before though) so there is a door policy but obviously nothing that stringent as we got in no probs
I think if you just keep your head down and you're not being lairy you'll be absolutely fine.
After paying a bargaintastic 12 euros to get inside, then it's the most down to earth, anything goes clubbing experience I've experienced in years. Atmosphere-wise it reminded me a lot of DC10 circua 1999 - 2001 where literally ANYTHING goes. There's unisex toilets which you can pile into with no security banging on the door, a few bodies strewn about the place, lots of places to crash, ridiculously cheap drinks (3 euros for a beer, 5 euros for a double vodka and mixer and 2 euros for a huge bottle of water) and from the moment we got in at 2.30am the place was properly going off and stayed that way until we left at 2.30pm. Next time I'd probably get some kip on Saturday night and get there fresh about 7am because it is just THAT good.
We'd been toying with Ibiza or Berlin for a cheeky end of summer trip as last year was the first year since the mid 1990s that we'd both not gone to Ibiza as we were both getting disallusioned with clubbing in Ibiza (silly no daytime clubbing laws, over-inflated prices, VIP nonsense etc etc) but Panorama Bar was to me EVERYTHING that clubbing should be about - you just rock up, pay your 12 euros to get in and 'av it for 12+ hours
I'm an old woman who's being round the clubbing block but it was easily up there in my top 3 clubbing sessions EVER
In fact we're already looking to book a repeat visit - I assume it's open all year as we're thinking of January for my birthday so I guess apart from it being bloody cold, January is as good a time as any to go
I will have to try hard to get a couple of the guys to drop the lairy lad stuff