Six Worst Things about Berlin Germany

It is really hard for me to find six things I don’t like about Berlin, but if I were forced, below is my list.

1. Graffiti everywhere: I should ask a local about it because I know they actually have a paid tour of the “urban art” because graffiti is everywhere. It looks like only a few higher end businesses try to cover it up. The streets are clean of trash, yards are kept and buildings are for the most part repaired, but there is graffiti everywhere. It just seems inconsistent to me.
2. Free tours aren’t really free: I guess you could say it is misleading to call these a free tour given there is a HUGE guilt trip put on the attendee to give the guy a big tip at the end. I caved and gave him 5 euros.
3. Over the counter medicine: Want a decongestant? Guess what, you have to have a prescription from a pharmacist, not a doctor. So, when you go to the drug store, the pharmacist will do a little interview, look in your throat, feel your throat, then prescribe a medication which he will then sell you. You get charged for the diagnosis and prescription. Good news is this might save you a trip to the doctor. Also, seems like like to do nasal sprays for everything rather than pills. It works but takes some getting used to.
4. Bread at restaurants: I really dislike this one, but seems it is true for all of Europe. If bread arrives at your table, it is not free. You will be charged per piece for everything you eat from the basket. Best practice if you don’t want it is to refuse it when they try to bring it to the table. They really try to drop it and run knowing American tourists aren’t aware of this and they will get more money when the bill comes.
5. No free refills: There are no free refills on any drinks. Soda typically costs as much as beer, so go for the beer!
6. Time stamping your transport ticket: Once you purchase a tram, bus or train ticket, you must time stamp it just prior to hopping on a tram (or do so on the actual bus). If you don’t you could be fined a huge fee for not doing so. Most tourists have no idea and think once they’ve purchased the ticket that the time starts running (like a two hour ticket). This is not so, you can actually buy several two hour tickets and start the time stamp when you want.