Berlin is… a bit special. I've lived in several different German cities for months at a time, and one of those stints was in Berlin. Some parts are remarkably orderly. The Dahlem area in particular is quite tranquil and organized. Other sections of Berlin are a bit more lively. :)
Tegel is a nightmare. It was designed for maybe half the capacity it currently serves. Hopefully opening the BER airport will relieve some of that pressure. That they can handle such a high volume at all is remarkable. Do avoid Tegel if you can help it though.
In the other cities I've lived in, this article rings very true: you stop at crosswalks even when no cars are coming. Most people's houses are kept in immaculate order. (Exceptions of course exist.) "Deutcher pünklich heißt fünf Minuten früh sein" ("German punctuality means being five minutes early." — paraphrase of something I heard from a German friend of mine one time.)
City transit is remarkably accessible: I used to visit unfamiliar parts of cities and small towns occasionally armed with a map—an never with a phone with GPS. I never got lost. Transit maps and signage are clear and easy to understand.
I've visited Germany twice now since my two-year stay there. Each time I explore more—it's easy because of how much order there is in the transit to latch onto.
spent a little more than two in Berlin last year. I didn't find Germany particularly orderly
Berlin is a sort of internal exile colony for those who reject or are rejected by the German lifestyle but don’t for whatever reason want to leave Germany
The reason they don't want to leave Germany is Berlin is only place they can find people like themselves.
There is a reason Berlin is famous for leaving work at 6 pm on a Friday, going to a club, and exiting only at 4am next Monday to go back to work.
Not saying this is good/healthy thing, but Berlin has history of being the hotspot for misfits. That is why a lot of Germans or even Europeans move here.
That's what I hear. Maybe that's why there are so many startups in Berlin? I hear you can live in Berlin without speaking any German. There's quite an international community there.
Problem is, Berlin isn't where the money is -- Munich is. So startups get started in Berlin and get funded in Munich?
