'Poor but sexy', is how Berliners often refer to their beloved city, which is as famous for being broke as it is for being the political, cultural and nightlife capital of this mighty central European country we know as Germany. In fact in many ways Berlin is the least German of the big German cities. There's no picture postcard townhouses here, or startlingly-clean cobbled streets, or strapping men in lederhosen drinking jugs of beer. Rather Berlin is a cosmopolitan city, with a vibrant contemporary culture scene - a vast metropolis of ideas and innovation. Of course there are plenty of essential sites on the tourist trail, such as the mighty Brandenburg Gate, Museuminsel and the Charlottenburg Palace, but those in the know don't come to Berlin to find traditional German culture. They come here instead to discover dilapidated buildings used as modern art museums, wastelands turned into funky beach bars, old power stations hiding vast techno clubs - and just about any other crazy idea put into practice that you could ever imagine. Berlin is bursting with adventure!

DID YOU KNOW?

Berlin's most famous quote undoubtably came from John F. Kennedy who in an impassioned speech following the rise of the Berlin Wall said the following:

"Two thousand years ago the proudest boast was civis romanus sum [I am a Roman citizen]. Today, in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is 'Ich bin ein Berliner'... All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and, therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words 'Ich bin ein Berliner!'"

Despite a well-cited urban legend to the contrary, JFK did NOT make a grammatical error and embarrassingly refer to himself as a jelly doughnut called a 'Berliner'. Shame.