Reading the literature, it’s easy to see why Berlin is drummed up as being a veritable tourist magnet. The sheer amount of historical sites is staggering. And the knowledge that spy stories were played out in their dozens is naturally an irresistible prospect.

I just returned from the German capital and was impressed with everything it has to offer. Admittedly, I didn’t get out much as I was working on a project that confined me to a hotel and an event location. But it’s all there in front of you – scores of excursions, entertainment options, restaurants and more, much more.

I did get the chance, however, to go out for a jog. Essentially, jogging is like being in a slow moving car in that you get to see a lot in a relatively short period of time. This is neither possible driving at normal speeds nor walking.

I got to see two sides of the coin. On the one hand, you have the glitzy hotels, big expensive cars and well-off neighbourhoods. On the other, there is abject poverty with people scrounging a living. People in designer clothes rub shoulders with others looking in bins to find the discards of others as their dinner, or find a bottle to return for a few cents. The strange thing is that many were dressed normally, as if to hide the fact they were on the bottom rungs of society.

I guess you’d probably say that Berlin was like any other European capital, and you’d be right. It’s sad, and points an accusing finger at the political system in Europe and the US. The issue is that it won’t change anytime soon.999