Bike tour in Berlin: the 'poor but sexy' side of the German capital

By Caroline Bock Jun 29, 2010, 13:25 GMT

Berlin - Berlin mayor Klaus Wowereit once described his city as 'poor but sexy.' One way of finding out why that's a fitting statement is by taking a bicycle tour through the German capital.

Berlin is a major destination for city breaks and there are many ways to get to know it including taking a tour in a Trabi car, on a Segway personal transporter or even by balloon. But by far the most popular mode of transport is the bicycle. Large numbers of tourists can be regularly seen riding bicycles past the Brandenburg Gate and competition among the city's bike tour operators is great. One of the routes shows visitors Berlin's 'poor but sexy' side.

Today's 'Poor but Sexy' tour is made up of visitors from Switzerland and western parts of Germany. Tour guide Robert Muller's first task is to explain where the tour's name originated. Klaus Woworeit's intention was to convey the idea that Berlin had plenty to offer despite the miserable financial position of the city government. Since he uttered those words, the phrase 'poor but sexy' has been used as Berlin's unofficial advertising slogan and some say it is better than the official 'Be Berlin' promotion campaign.

The tour costs 15 dollars, is 18 kilometres long and is by far the most popular of all the routes in Muller's program. It begins in the not-so-very-sexy central Nikolai district in front of city hall, the location for Muller's office.

The cyclists then cross the busy Leipziger Strasse and pass the lines of tourist buses at Checkpoint Charlie to reach their first destination at Viktoria Park in the district of Kreuzberg. At one time the city could not afford to operate the park's artificial waterfall but now it's a lively spot for people to enjoy an open-air drink or two. The idyll, however, is spoiled somewhat by the presence of broken glass on the park's lawns.

The tour's next stage takes the group along Bergmannstrasse with its many shops and cafes to the trendy Chamisso area, which has developed a reputation for being the home of Berlin's well-to-do environmentally aware citizens. Later, the cyclists arrive at Admiral bridge, an enormously popular gathering place for Berliners who like to sit and chat over a beer as the sun goes down.

Aside from chatting people, the bridge also attracts beer bottle collectors hoping to make money on the deposits. Muller points out to his group the bottle tops embedded in the bridge's surface and explains that gathering on bridges to celebrate with friends is one of the city's more popular pastimes.

But the gatherings on the bridge have become so large the neighbours have complained about the noise. They've been so vocal in their opposition that an intermediary has been brought in to negotiate between the two sides. 'I'm still not sure how a compromise will look,' says Muller.

Before heading on to Kottbusser Tor, Muller asks his group to be more reserved with their picture-taking as this part of Kreuzberg has a very large Turkish community. On Oranienstrasse Muller points out the new cobblestones that were laid after the May 1 riots. In Gorlitzer Park, over which hangs a cloud of barbecue and hashish smoke, Muller recalls a previous occasion when his group witnessed a raid by Berlin's drug squad in the park.

The tour then proceeds from Kreuzberg to the districts of Treptow and Friedrichshain where the group learns more about the major changes Berlin has undergone over the 20 years since the fall of the Wall. Property developers and the city's subculture do not always get along and nowhere is that more evident than along the banks of the river Spree where beach bars and night clubs are slowly making way for hotels and office buildings.

'Diverse and informative' are two words the bike group members use to describe the route through alternative Berlin. 'This is not a bicycle ride for people who like browsing the shops along the Kurfurstendamm,' says Reinhard from Germany's Ruhr region. Maurice from Geneva says the route is a trip into Berlin's present and not into its past. 'You rarely get to experience a tour like that.'

At the end of the four-hour trip Muller points out a tree house constructed by one of Kreuzberg's Turkish residents from pieces of laminate, pipes and wood ends. The Berlin Wall once ran right past the tree house. 'In any other city that house would have been torn down.'