Travel Geeks Take Note: New Airport in Berlin Opens in June

Airport City (simulation); Visualisierung: Björn Rolle

This just in from the folks at www.visitBerlin.com: On June 3, 2012 the brand-spanking new Brandenburg BER airport in Berlin opens and the two remaining airports, Tegel and Schönefeld, will be shut down permanently. (Tempelhof airport was closed in 2008.)

There is a lot of information about the new airport that is interesting and exciting like its convenient access to the center of the city: Trains will leave from the train station just underneath the main terminal every 15 minutes. Travel time to Berlin’s city center will be less than half an hour at a cost of around just 3 Euros.

Architects and designers were also highly conscious of environmental concerns. The planners employed a range of eco-friendly measures to ensure the new airport’s sustainability: Flora and fauna at the construction site were protected and heat and energy recycling systems were incorporated into the design from the get-go.

If your travel plans include Berlin this summer be sure to check with your airline. You may also wish to read more about Brandenburg BER on their website: www.berlin-airport.de.

Carnival in Berlin: Do Take Candy From These Strangers

Oh my, did she run out of candy?

Wear a warm costume. Carnival in Berlin takes place February 12, 2012.

Then again, you may warm up from friction as you rub up against spectators and participants. Organizers are expecting more than 1 million spectators and participants at the 11th annual Berlin Carnival Costume Parade. (Break out your German dictionary for this site.)

According to Berlin Tourism:

With an expected 3,000 participants in 100 groups, 60 floats, and numerous marching bands, the frolicsome parade will start at 11:11 am, and move through the Western center of the German capital. More than 600,000 spectators, most of them in colorful costumes, line the streets every year to watch the parade and collect sweets.

Yep, that’s right. Spectators yearn to receive candy from strangers wearing very odd, sometimes disturbing costumes. It’s just little hard-candy sweets but, like those plastic beads in New Orleans, somehow they’re worth much more when received from wild revelers marching along the street.