Returning for the sixth time to the city she once worked in, Alannah Eames finds that Berlin is like an ever-changing chameleon that never grows old

Berlin has something for everyone. From its sophisticated cocktail bars for the urban elite, to edgy bohemian hangouts for artists, and everything in between, you’ll never get bored.

Even if you’ve been there 10 times, there’s always a new exhibition in town, a new museum or monument just opened, or scores of trendy restaurants and bars to discover.

The beauty of Berlin is that it’s still affordable compared to other European capitals like Paris or London.

The beauty of Berlin is that it’s still affordable compared to other European capitals like Paris or London

I worked in Berlin in 2000 when the Potsdamer Platz was still a pile of rubble dotted with construction cranes and I have returned six times since. Even though the general cityscape remains the same, I never tire of rediscovering the city.

I’ve stayed in several hotels in different parts of the city, but my favourite is my old home, the Intercontinental at the Tiergarten, where I spent two months overlooking the zoo’s elephant house. It’s perfectly located in the heart of the city, a stone’s throw from the Kurfürstendamm (aka Ku’damm) shopping street in a green belt (the Tiergarten) close to the embassy quarter and German parliament (Reichstag).

If your room is on one of the upper floors, you can see as far as the TV Tower at Alexander Platz and the Sony Centre at Potsdamer Platz. While the hotel still is as familiar as ever to me when I walk through the door, it’s good to see that time has not stood completely still – the rooms have been completely renovated, as has the pool and top-floor restaurant.

This time, I decided to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Berlin, under the Brandenburg Gate, along with over a million other visitors and locals.

Berlin’s Street Party – held along a two-kilometre stretch from the Brandenburg Gate along the Strasse des 17. Juni to the Victory Column – is considered one of the largest open air New Year’s Eve events in the world.

But Berlin being Berlin and embracing its love for everything that’s different, don’t expect a stiff, organised German event; it’s an international and relaxed affair. The ‘Party Mile’, as it is called, is lined with kiosks selling everything from local Berliner currywursts (sausage with ketchup and curry powder) and beer to glühwein. For every German sausage stand, there’s one selling Hungarian lángos, baked potatoes, vegetarian fare, crepes, Asian cuisine and even garlic (knoblauch) specialities.

Once the bells have struck midnight, the skies over Berlin light up. Forget an organised firework display, it’s time for all the locals to let their crackers off too. For every perfect firework formation, there’ll be a splattering of ad-hoc crackers going off next to it. From the 12th or 14th floor of the Intercontinental Hotel, you get a magnificent view of all the action.

This trip, I also decided to explore the Kreuzberg area, home to many of Berlin’s immigrants, the majority of which are Turkish. Formerly in West Berlin, Kreuzberg was once enclosed on three sides by the Berlin Wall. It’s always been a magnet for hippies and artists.

Today it’s got more of an up-market feel to it, but it still retains its hippy-ish roots with trendy restaurants and quirky cafes and boutiques. It’s also home to the former Templehof Airport which has now been converted into a park called the Templehofer Freiheit Park.

Once the bells have struck midnight, the skies over Berlin light up. Forget an organised firework display, it’s time for the locals to let their crackers off too

Wandering through the grounds of the former Templehof Airport, my mind drifts back to the first time I landed in Templehof, on a Brussels Airlines flight back in 2000, shortly before it closed. Not only did it feel like we were landing on the rooftops of the houses by the airport, the arrivals hall was more like a giant train station than an airport terminal.

Then there was the single lane (not carousel) luggage belt and I can remember the struggle to lug my 30-kg suitcase up a flight of concrete steps as there was no lift.

Today, the former airport has been converted into a massive park for skateboarding, jogging, cycling and other outdoor activities.

Aviation enthusiasts can still take a tour of the former airport which is steeped in history from when the city was divided between East and West. The main building is considered one of the largest listed monuments in Europe.

I always make time for a browse around the KaDeWe, one of the largest and oldest department stores in the city, located on the retail paradise of the Ku’damm, finishing off with a glass of Prosecco or coffee on its exclusive top-floor food hall.

And I never miss a lunch of grilled tiger prawns soaked in garlic at Sylt on the Ku’damm. And, nobody can leave Berlin without a currywurst and glass of champagne from one of the street kiosks.