The Barn is a bucolic coffee bar in the Mitte district that boasts top quality coffee (from Copenhagen's famed fairtrade Coffee Collective) and a local-food ethos, inspired largely by the owner's formative years in rural Germany and his mother's penchant for baking. Ornamented with rustic touches, like bales of hay, knotty wood benches and tables and a large chalkboard menu, the cafe has cultivated a large bean since it opened two years ago and shows no signs of slowing. I'd make the trip to Berlin just for a cappuccino and a scone.

The stunning, mixed-style architectural beauty that is the Berliner Dom is perhaps best viewed at night. After darkness descends on the city and the lights illuminate the emerald domes of the church, located on Museum Island in the Mitte borough, one may lose some of the other details of the facade but the building takes on its most reverent yet unpretentious mask. See it during the day but definitely don't miss it during the nacht!

I am a huge fan of Germany, but Berlin does not exactly fit the standard of a normal German city. Perhaps this is why I'm drawn to this city! With the angst of a teenager, and the grit of real life struggles, Berlin is one of the most interesting and creative cities in the world. One of the most intriguing parts of this city? The Berlin Wall. Though Checkpoint Charlie is the highlight tourist attraction for the Berlin Wall, walking along the path where the wall used to stand and discovering its remaining remnants is what truly reveals the impact of what once was. I remember my German friend's mother telling me "I never thought the wall would come down. It was a completely cut off place. I hated the process of visiting my family. We were always treated so poorly by the guards. Its truly amazing that the wall has come down." Standing in front of the crumbling walls at nightfall gives you a strange look into the past. Its hard to believe the wall ever stood here at all. Its definitely a thought provoking travel highlight, but discover it in your own way when you visit. Feel the wall for yourself.

A four hour hike through Berlin to see where graffiti artists have taken to the streets (and it's not the Berlin Wall). Hands down a great way to get a taste of Berlin's elusive underground culture.

*A building riddled with bullet holes from WWII I've always loved history since I was little. Ancient history that is. The closer an event comes to present times, the less interesting I find it to be. Therefore, when it came time to study World War II in high school, I could hardly even feign interest. Fast forward and I'm standing in Berlin. Suddenly I'm surrounded by all these places mentioned in my history books that I let slip out of my memory. And, while it was easy for me to try to forget about these events before coming to Berlin, the German had to live on a day to day basis, remembering the atrocities their country had committed, constantly surrounded by memories of the past. It would have been easy to simply bulldoze all those memories- destroy them and cover them up with new buildings that didn't harbor such pain. But instead the Germans acknowledge their past. The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Bebelplatz, Memorial for the Victims of War and Tyranny and even the Parliament building are all examples of structures around Berlin that one should visit to better understand its history and learn this lesson: don't forget your past or you will repeat it. Germany committed some horrible acts during World War II but instead of denying their past, covering it and smilingly warmly at tourists, they admit their faults. This acknowledgement is what enables them to move forward, strive to do better, and create a new era in German history.

The Spanish shoe company’s sec ond hotel (the first is in Barcelona) features 51 minimalist rooms and three suites with hardwood floors, fluffy rugs, and furniture plucked from the 1970s and ’80s. Albert Raurich, formerly of Catalonia’s elBulli restaurant, created the menu at the eatery, Dos Palillos. The hotel also rents out bikes, perfect for exploring nearby Hackescher Markt. From $314. 49/(0) 30-2000-3410. Photo courtesy of Casa Camper. This appeared in the September, 2012 issue.

Freshly cut flowers, rustic wood tables and an artsy crowd pepper this Mitte standout where ingredients are natural and sourced, as you might have guessed, locally. The menu changes almost weekly and features variations of simple dishes like quiches and salads for lunch and a more meat and fish-focused selection for dinner. I recommend going midday for the gorgeous natural light that beams through the tall windows lining the dining room.

Fassbender & Rausch Chocolatiers at the Gendarmenmarkt. Quality and unique chocolate from handmade truffles to pralines. Even for those of you without a sweet tooth, well worth a visit as they have on display incredible chocolate creations of historical sites in Berlin. Try the dark chocolate with red peppercorns, it's a non-traditional balance of flavors (Edel-Bitterschokolade mit rosa Pfeffer - is the name of this chocolate in German!)

I was drawn to this restaurant because of it's beautiful outdoor seating area, but got much more than I bargained for. Clärchen's is also a dance hall and it has been around since 1913. It's full of fun historical facts: their original placart was painted by Otto Dix, and the hall is one of Franz Biberkopf's hangouts in Döblin's Berlin Alexanderplatz (a great novel to read before or while traveling in Berlin). There is a cover charge to join in on the dancing. If you'd rather just enjoy dinner outside, you can always pass through to use the bathroom and peek at Germans dancing to Elvis. The food itself was nothing to rave about for the most part, though their asparagus soup was one of the better ones I had. I did love the fig and mustard chutney that came on a cheese plate. But really it's the setting that makes me want to go there again.

Berlin is a sprawling city which makes exploring exclusively by foot a considerable challenge. If long walks or jaunts underground don't appeal to you, test out the city's bike-share program 'Call A Bike'. It looks similar to Paris's beloved Vélib but requires a mobile phone. You call the number printed on the side of the bike to register and obtain the code to unlock the bike. It will run you €0.80/minute up to a max of €15 in a 24 hour period (payment by credit card only). You can also rent bikes through private structures like Flat Tire Bike Company, just be sure to follow the rules (click the link below for more on that).

A special antique shop in Berlin named The Bibiotheca Culinaria devoted to second hand cookery and baking books from around the world. The German owner personally greets you at the door and offers you a coffee while showing you some of his favorite and hard to find recipes! www.bibliotheca-culinaria.de

I think no trip to Berlin is complete without a visit to the Berlin Wall. I could not believe how much I did not know. But out of everything I saw, this image of the East Berliners running to a newly opened west will be forever remembered. I know this image is not a destination, but rather a reminder. Though Berlin is famous for fashion, food and street art, take a moment to remember and learn about the past not to make this mistake in the future.

The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe also known as the Holocaust Memorial consists of a 19,000 squares meters (almost 6,000 squares feet) covered with 2,771 concrete slabs arranged in a grid pattern on a sloping field.

The newest extension to the Circus brand. Centrally located apartments with a contemporary look, yet homey feel. You are welcomed not by a receptionist, but by the barista of the lovely cafe'. A perfect accommodation for families or a group of friends. www.circus-berlin.de/apartments.html

Perhaps Berlin's greatest gourmet coffee shop, The Barn has faced a wave of controvery surrounding their second location which opened in the Prenzlauer Berg neighborhood last September. At this larger space, which is meant to serve more as a tasting lab and roasting home than an extension of their intimate first venture, dogs, laptops and strollers, among other things, are not welcome. You can also forget about sugar or anything other than whole milk for your coffee. On a recent visit, the only background noise came from the winter wind slamming against the front windows- no music, just the sound of the next customer's brew coming to life. Ralf Rüller, the owner, considers himself a purist and sought to create an environment as free from distraction as possible; to allow coffee aficionados the kind of transcendental experience their beans and roasting deserves. As he explained in an interview with The Guardian: " the only way for me to survive as a small entrepreneur against big coffee chains, whose margins are much higher, is to narrow what we do and do it better." His approach, albeit contested by local families, has proven successful and the offering that made The Barn so beloved remains as delicious as ever. The roastery is a shrine for serious coffee drinkers and a welcoming hangout for those willing to part with their digital appendages/boisterous children/over-excited pets for a moment of caffeinated calm.

This image is from the Jewish Museum in Berlin. 10,000 iron cut out, tortured faces. The architect designed this room with purpose. When you walk over the cut out faces (imagine) they grind together in a shriek/scream of metal against metal. The walking is difficult and uncomfortable to your feet. The combination of the noise and discomfort being "the point" of this particular space. The room itself is a cold lonely slab of concrete. It achieves everything the architect wanted it to. This is but one of many fascinating things to see at this museum. MW