Who has experience living in Berlin?

[alma.freya]

I have been living in Emden for the last 4 years and I am now going through a divorce. I thought I would live here forever, however now my world and future have been turned upside down and I am totally lost. We have been separated since Nov and I have been living alone since the beginning of February.

I have the opportunity to take over someone's Wohnung in Wedding, Berlin, and the idea of moving to Berlin appeals to me. There is lot's to do, a big international community, job market (I'm a software dev who currently works from home) etc.

I am however very introverted and socially anxious, and I think the most appealing thing about Berlin is getting physical distance from my current situation. I worry that if I do move to Berlin, I won't actually make the most of the opportunities offered by the city. Instead I will just continue chilling at home and sometimes heading out of the Wohnung for a walk, or the gym etc.

I find it difficult to makes friends as it requires a lot of energy and I generally feel most comfortable when I am just on my own at home. I think the most appealing thing is the chance to take over someone's Wohnung for a cheap price. Without that I doubt I would consider moving to Berlin because the rent is so high.

I grew up in large UK city and found I also didn't make the most of what the city had to offer.

I am reminded of the saying: wherever you go, there you are.

[Fietsrad]

Spend a bit of time in Berlin without commiting yourself, if possible. I think it is less "beastly" than London, a lot smaller too, and the trains are better, they run right thru Berlin, stopping several times, unlike the trains into London, which spew all the people out at a terminus. In Berlin you can just hop onto the Ringbahn (circle line) which is above ground!

Often the trains in Berlin are quite full, but some lines run every 3-5 minutes. The road traffic is awful, I would not cycle there, but many people do.

Berlin is full of all sorts of people, but is perhaps not comparable to New York or London, it is full of Germans too.

My qualifications: used to know London well many years ago, now I know Berlin quite well, I was there last week. When I retired I made sure to choose a much smaller town.

I think, not in a regretful way, about how my life could have been different. I might have chosen to live in Wolfenbüttel or Minden, or if I were younger perhaps Magdeburg, the east has caught up and overtaken the west in some ways

If you can live anywhere (as I could) I suggest a middle-sized town like Emden but some distance away.

[Krieg]

It is a nice place to live. And there is much more in Berlin than the five districts where all the foreigners want to live.

[john_b]

With apologies to Dr. Johnson, when you're tired of Berlin, you're tired of life!

Sure, it's got more expensive than the good old days before or just after the fall of the wall (but it's still way more affordable than most other European capitals); some don't care for the fact that around 21% of the population are foreign born (less than half the same stat for London, BTW); but the result is that there's a hugely vibrant arts scene, so many diverse places to eat out and listen to music and cool bars and loads of greenery (and lakes to swim in) and has efficient public transport, world rated museums and galleries and you can stay out all night if that's your thing. It's a warts and all place that has its downsides, but I've lived here since the early 90's and wouldn't have it any other way....

You have a cheap rent, it's easy to get around - what have you got to lose?

[Robinson100]

I am however very introverted and socially anxious, and I think the most appealing thing about Berlin is getting physical distance from my current situation. I worry that if I do move to Berlin, I won't actually make the most of the opportunities offered by the city. Instead I will just continue chilling at home and sometimes heading out of the Wohnung for a walk, or the gym etc.

I find it difficult to makes friends as it requires a lot of energy ......

Divorce is a difficult time, and I hope you are coping with it okay.

My 2p´s worth on this is that you should go for it!
A cheap flat is a very good basis for getting your life sorted out as you want it to be.
That you think you might not make the most of the opportunities offered by the city is kind of relative, don´t you think? For one person it would mean going out on the town every night, while for another it might mean enjoying having good public transport and the opportunity to travel from one end of town to the other without having to drive a car......
If you can find your own feeling of "home" there, then you are in the right place!

As for difficulty in making friends, well, sod those in real life, we are all here for you and consider you to be "one of us". We will support you in whatever you choose to do (unless you go rob a bank or some such...!)

[ooch]

The rent is cheap, and your job is moving with you?
It's early spring!
YOLO
Go for it.

[murphaph]

Go for it. In Berlin you can be anonymous whenever you like but you can also find meetups to attend if you're feeling like company. And if for any reason your current employment should end, Berlin offers plenty of alternatives in your field. The only downside would be the rent but you have that covered. You can always move out of Berlin to somewhere else if you don't like it.

[Fietsrad]

Might be worth checking the conditions for renting the new home, are you a "Nachmieter"?

Under certain conditions one can take over an existing rent contract, but it can be complicated if the landlord is not amenable, he might want to re-let for much more money. Or he might be pleased not to have the trouble of seeking a new tenant!

Shortage of dwellings and high rents are often mentioned by the local media.

[circuits]

Which part of Wedding? This is quite an important factor in the whole equation as Berlin is sprawling and has a myriad of living conditions depending on where you settle.

[alma.freya]

Thanks for all the answers everyone. The Berlin apartment is contingent on my friend being allowed to leave Berlin with her child against the father's wishes, so it won't available for at least a few months.

I have decided to rent an apartment here, allowing me to move out of my in-laws house. There is plenty of time to move to Berlin in the future if I so desire.

[Fietsrad]

There is always something going on in Berlin, some football tournament soon, but usually one can avoid the big events.

One thing about Berlin compared to London and many other cities, it does not have one dominant center, partly because it was divided 1949 thru 1989. The Hauptbahnhof, central train station, seems to be a bit outside.

Perhaps someone who knows Berlin could suggest where the "center" is.

[Krieg]

Perhaps someone who knows Berlin could suggest where the "center" is.

There were two centers, the one for West Berlin was in the Zoo / Ku'damm area and its main station was Zoo. And the one for East Berlin was in the Alexander Platz area and its main station was Ostbahnhof. When the wall came down and Berlin was one Berlin some clever politicians had the idea to make a new single center for the whole city and the chosen area was Potsdamer Platz, which it was basically an empty area at the time, so they poured millions and millions and built high rise buildings and a shopping center, the Sony Center (initially called Center Potsdamer Platz) and made the Sbahn station very modern and even futuristic. But they forgot how Berliners think and no one liked what they were doing, so Potsdamer Platz ended up just been a business oriented district. Later on they built the new Hauptbahnhof which is meant to be for the whole city, and that one succeeded. Still today the Ku'damm and Alexander Platz areas are very successful as the "two centers", reminding us that Berlin was divided. On top of that most districts in Berlin have their own mini-center, sometimes even more than one, with their own mini high street and even shopping centers.

[Fietsrad]

Alexanderplatz for me

[Feierabend]

And don't forget the classic centre around Unter den Linden, Museumsinsel and Gendarmenmarkt. All the concert and opera houses. I like the free entrance to most museums and art galleries on the first Sunday of the month, as I usually only want to spend a couple of hours in them. Rivers, waterways and lakes everywhere in the city and quick acess to the countryside.