A dozen plus 1 things I gathered from BERLIN:
1. The Ubahn (underground trains) and Sbahn (above ground trains aka subway) are partially wheelchair accessible. Some stations have lifts, most stations don't or are hard to find. Additionally, many of these trains also have a step before entering or exiting the train.
2. German is the main language spoken in this city, but most people do speak at least a little bit of English. One local person told me they start learning English in school when they are 10 years old. Young people are more fluent in English than the more senior folks.
3. The city buses all have ramps, some are more wheelchair friendly than others. For instance, the first bus I rode on in Berlin had a very steep slope. I could not have gotten on it without assistance.
4. Perhaps I was just being insecure and sensitive, but there was a lot of rude staring going on here. Even when I angrily made eye contact with them, they kept intensely staring at my wheelchair and my legs. I spoke out to one of them, but they did not understand me. I said it was rude to stare at me.
5. I managed to learn a few German words while I was here. For instance, ausgang=exit; Dankescheon=thank you; haus=house; markt=market; platz=plaza, etc...
6. The German people are not especially friendly, but they are very nice.
7. There seemed to be a large American/British community here. I met numerous Americans and English people.
8. Overall, Berlin is very diverse! There are people who are here long-term from countries such as Macedonia, Turkey, USA, UK, and more.
9. The sidewalks/streets are often very bumpy and rough to wheel on.
10. It is a very historical city. I learned so much about the history of the Berlin Wall (aka Iron Curtain), the concentration camps (visited the only Nazi regime concentration camp in Berlin), and discovered the world of street art (i.e. the famous graffiti artist, Banksy).
11. The food was quite good here as well. A friend I made in the hostel and I went to a Chinese restaurant. We found it absolutely delightful!
12. The restaurants/cafes/stores usually have a step before you can enter inside.
13. I would definitely recommend a visit to Berlin, especially for its rich historical value. However, I personally would not live here long-term because it was so exhausting and stressful to navigate the public transportation system. Dankescheon for hosting me, Berlin!
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