NH Voltaire, Potsdam

Advantages: Satire as an art form!
Disadvantages: Translations not always great, targets of some satire not recognisable.

...Gosh, this review has been a while in the making! I hope you enjoy reading it, and that it inspires you to go and read Candide, whether in the original or in translation. Candide, by French author Voltaire, was written in the aftermath of the Lisbon earthquake that happened in 1755 (yes, it's an old book!), and during the seven years war between France and Prussia, backed by England and taking place in the US. It's part of the "Enlightenment" works, a period when science and philosophy came to the fore and human reason was believed to be able to combat ignorance and superstition. The context that the book was written in is more important than usual, so I include these details (of which more later!). It's difficult to give a plot summary in this review, as plot is far less important in this work than you might suppose, especially... Read review

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Advantages: Interesting and brand new
Disadvantages: or is it really very old???

...The Potsdamer Platz is a brand new, vibrant area that was built during the 1990s in the former east Berlin. The area is a now key to Berlin in terms of business with many major German companies having their headquarters here, including Deutsche Bahn and Sony, as well as having becoming a must-see for visitors to Berlin. What is it? The Potsdamer Platz centres around a central area that is 20+ stories high with a covered roof that is open at the sides so that one has the experience of being in the open air, yet without the dangers of inclement weather! As well as the main 'dom', there's a range of restaurants, visitors' attractions, and the Potsdamer arcade, which features over 100 hundred shops in the immediate area. In the arcade you will find a wide range of shops including clothing for men, women and children as well as... Read review

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Advantages: Everything good about reunified Berlin
Disadvantages: Some areas under construction

...Potsdamer Platz was Germany's equivalent of Times Square or Piccadily Circus until WW2. The area was heavily bombed and any buildings that survived were demolished by the Berlin Wall which ran straight through the middle of Potsdamer Platz. Potsdamer Platz was at its height in the 1920's were more than 100,000 people came through it every day. It was so busy that Europe's first traffic light was installed here to control the flow of cars in 1924. The newly revived Potsdamer Platz has almost reached the same flow of people and traffic. Most of the cranes are now gone and they have left two new complexes. The Sony Centre and Daimler City.Opened in 2000 and 1998 respectively. The Sony Centre contains a huge 3D IMAX cinema, a Sony store (of course) and the Berlin Film Museum. Daimler City also has an IMAX cinema as well as a huge... Read review

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