Survivor's Guide: Berlin

Official Language: German
Currency: euro (€)
GDP: €79.6 billion
Population: 3.4 million
Climate: temperate, mesothermal
Food: hearty portions of meat and fat
Drink: Berliner Weisse (beer with juice)

German Words to Know

Hallo (hal-lo) – Hello
Guten Morgen / Tag (goot-en mor-gen / targ) – Good Morning / Afternoon\
Auf Wiedersehen (owf vee-der-zay-en) – Goodbye
Wie geht es Ihnen? (vee gayt ess een-en) - How are you?
Danke (dang-ker) - Thank you

10 Interesting Facts about Berlin

1. The euro replaced the Deutschemark as the official currency of Germany on January 1, 2002.
2. The Euro / Dollar currency exchange rate is estimated at €1 : $1.20.
3. German Reunification Day is celebrated as a national holiday on October 3rd.
4. The very first bomb dropped by the Allies on Berlin during World War II killed the only elephant in the Berlin Zoo.
5. In 1936, Berlin was the site of the last Olympics held until after the end of World War II, during which U.S. runner Jesse Owens won a gold medal and infuriated Adolf Hitler because he could not accept that an African-American man defeated Nazi-Aryan athletes.
6. Berlin is almost nine times as large as Paris and one-third the size of Rhode Island.
7. There is more recent construction in Berlin than any other European city, and Berlin ranks second worldwide after Shanghai in urban development.
8. Klaus Wowereit, Germany’s first openly gay leading politician, became mayor when the Social Democrats were victorious in the 2001 elections
9. There is annual tax of €150 to own a dog in Berlin.
10. A “Berliner” can be a type of jelly donut depending on what context the German word is used.