This photo is of capturing me from my first visit to Berlin in 1981 with My cousin Vicki, who was stationed with her husband Dan in the US military, likely played a role in my introduction to the city and its history.

Feel like cruising out of town while in Berlin? Take a boat from Treptower Park down the Spree to Köpenick, a medieval town now part of Berlin. The cruise is not long, but nice, and Köpenick has a quaint old town part plus a little palace on an island.

Discover Berlin with The Berlin Expert, a top-rated private guide offering customized tours on Jewish heritage, WWII, the Cold War, and architecture, plus day trips to Potsdam and Sachsenhausen.

Berlin’s real estate boom since the 2000s has driven up prices, fueled gentrification in Neukölln and Kreuzberg, and sparked debate over Rene Benko’s controversial Hermannplatz redevelopment.