Der Dom

The Berlin Dome is a striking building in a city where it seems that much of the historical architecture was bombed out and that there has been perpetual ambitious construction ever since the war.

Germany 'works' in many ways. Society functions. People do the right thing. This is the naive outsider's view. Berlin is more alternative than many German cities and it's unusual for a capital I think that it feels less like an economic powerhouse and more like the seat of various popular sub-cultures.

When heading out to sample the famous nightlife a drug peddler practically yelled across the street, 'hey guys, do you want any drugs?' which I thought was fascinating. Experiences overseas have taught me to analyse etiquettes and cultures in different places and I thought that was a clear difference between Berlin and the UK, where drug culture seems to be more underground.