A highlight of a recent trip to Berlin was dinner with a young woman from the local tourist office, who held us spellbound with stories about her childhood in East Berlin.
Listening to her, it struck me how quickly this once-fractured city has morphed into one of Europe's hottest destinations, complete with five-star hotels, trendy restaurants and a robust nightlife.
I stayed at the five-star Rocco Forte Hotel de Rome, located in a former 1889 bank building that mixes a trendy, urban vibe with such historical touches as two original staircases with wrought iron and marble. Situated in Berlin Mitte, formerly East Berlin, the 146-room property is in an A-list location near the Brandenburg Gate and next to the Staatsoper Opera House.
Other features at the hotel, which served as a location for the film "Run Lola Run," include the Spa de Rome, in the former bank vault area, and an indoor swimming pool.
I made time for a hard-hat tour of the five-star Waldorf Astoria Berlin, set to open in September. Located in the western part of the city, the 232-room hotel is the brand's first in Germany.
The property will occupy the new Zoofenster building, the tallest on the city's western side. Posh features will include a restaurant overseen by celebrity chef Pierre Gagnier and the only Guerlain Spa in Germany.
Berlin boasts an eclectic mix of eateries, from trendy and casual to Michelin-star gourmet restaurants. At Chipps, on Jegerstrasse in Berlin Mitte, chef Stephan Hentschel offers up unpretentious regional fare with such amusing names as Walk of Shame (a breakfast featuring chili washed down with a Bloody Mary) and the German (a fried egg with white cabbage and spinach).
Lunch at the new Tea House in the English Garden at Tiergarten Berlin offered traditional fare in oversize portions, such as open-face sandwiches on brown bread and grilled fish and Wiener schnitzel.
Sights, events
For getting around, you can't beat a half-day Berlin by Bike Tour, which offers a number of itineraries that focus on the Berlin Wall, gardens and palaces in the Potsdam area as well as an overall city tour, priced at about $32.
Travel agents can supply clients with a commissionable Berlin Pass, which bundles admission to 53 top city attractions, including the Checkpoint Charlie Museum. In addition, users receive free access to public transport, a hop-on/hop-off bus tour and a river cruise. The pass costs from $105 for adults for two days.
Berlin is celebrating a number of anniversaries in 2012. The city turns 775 years old, for example, and while festivities will be on offer throughout the year, the highlight will be the celebration in St. Nicholas Church in the Nikolai Quarter on Oct. 28, including a sound-and-light show in the Mitte district.
This year also marks the 300th anniversary of Frederick the Great's birth and 100 years of Deutsche Oper, the city's opera company, as well as the centennial celebration of the discovery of the Nefertiti bust, which now is exhibited in Berlin's Neues Museum.
See www.visitberlin.com.