May 19, 2013
Berlin blog: Jan Jagla, my town
The Reichstag in BerlinThe Final Four is upon us and for the first time it will be held in my home city, Berlin. I don't think I need to tell you how exciting the place is and how much there is to do, especially considering that over the last few years the city has grown into one of the biggest and most exciting in Europe. As you can tell, I love Berlin very much and miss it every time I leave it. So with the basketball world getting ready to arrive there, I want to take this opportunity to tell you about some cool places to hang out, visit and walk around.

First off, a few words about the layout: Berlin is big, but has an excellent underground transportation system. I suggest taking full advantage of it during Final Four weekend. Second, even though Germany has been reunited for almost 20 years now, I want to split the city into the east and west, just because that makes it easier to navigate. Since all you Final Four visitors will be going and coming from our great new arena, o2 World, in the eastern part of the city, I'll like concentrate on that part of town first, then give you some important sights and events from the rest of the city.

1) Let's start with the most important, the restaurants:

Pan-Asia-East (a great sushi place with a fashionable crowd) - EAST
Rosenthaler Str 38
030 27908811

Franccucis Restaurant (upscale French) - WEST
Kurfürstendamm 90
U. Adenauerplatz - 030 3233318

Ovest (italian, chic people) - WEST
Schlüterstr. 47 10629 Berlin - 030 8811479

The Bird
The Bird (close to the gym, best burgers and steak in town) - EAST
Am Falkplatz 5
Prenzlauerberg 10435

Monsieur Vuong (Vietnamese) - EAST
Alte Schönhauser Str. 46
10119 Berlin-Mitte Phone: +49-30-9929 6924


Basem Seikh Arabic (good food, and relaxed atmosphere) - EAST
Gleimstr. 25
10437 Berlin Prenzlauer Berg

EST (ask for the secret PIZZA: amazing!) - EAST
Berlin Mitte, Alte Schönhauser Str.

Al-Kalif ARABIC (not very fancy...but amazing food)- West Kreuzberg
Bergmannstraße 105

Casolare Trattoria (Pizza and, if you are lucky, you will meet the big stars: it's Tom Cruise’s favorite place in Berlin)- South Kreuzberg
Grimmstr. 30
10967 Berlin Phone: 030 69506610

Vapiano (create your own …pasta, salad, pizza….quick eats with good atmosphere)
West - Ku Damm
Augsburger Str. 43 10789 Berlin
030 88714195
East- Potsdamer Platz
Mittelstraße 51-52 10117 Berlin
Tel. 49 (30) 50 15 - 41 00

Snacks (open 24 hours)

Curry 36 (eat Berlin's favorite "Currywurst") - middle of everything (Kreuzberg)
Mehringdamm 36,
10961 Kreuzberg, Berlin
030 2517368

2) Now, let's get into some cool bars, for a nightcap:

The Lounge at PuroPURO – Sky/Lounge/Berlin (this place is a must on Thursday nights, huge party after midnight) - WEST
Tauentzienstraße 11 10789 Berlin
/ 030 / 26367875

SOLAR Bar (see the entire city from this 17th-floor location) - EAST
Stresemannstraße 76
10963 Berlin

ERDBEER Bar (real flair of Berlin, chill people and the best strawberry daiquiri’s ever) - EAST
Max-Beer-Str. 56
10119 Berlin-Mitte (U-Rosaluxenburg Platz)

Lining Bar - EAST
Tucholskystraße 34, 10117 Berlin
030 24625081

Bar Keyser Soze - EAST
Tucholskystr. 33, 10117 Berlin
030 28599489

3) For the night owls, here are some clubs to party at:

Felix clubFelix - WEST
Behrenstrasse 72, 10117 Berlin
030 301117152

RODEO (restaurant/club, reservation needed) - EAST
Oranienburger Straße 35, 10117 Mitte, Berlin -
030 2576247

Spindler und Klatt (restaurant/club, beautiful location) - East
Köpenicker Str. 16 -17, 10997 Berlin - 030 319881860

4) If you are looking for a brunch place:

Schwarze Cafe (BEST BRUNCH PLACE, 24-hour breakfast) S-Savignyplatz - WEST
Kantstr. 148, 10623 Berlin -
030 3138038

Brunch Lafil ( Kollwitzplatz) - EAST
Wörtherstraße 33, 10405 Berlin
030 28599026

5) Last but not least, places to go and things to see:

The Brandenbug Gate is a must. It marks the heart of the city with the surroundings of the Pariser Platz where you can find the new embassies of the USA , France and England. Just around the corner you will find a memorial which honors all the Jewish people killed during the Holocaust. If you find yourself in this area, you need to also stop by the Reichstag, the location of an amazing amount of German political history, which now also houses the German Parliament. A short walk will take you to the Potsdammer Platz in one direction, and the famous shopping area of the Friedrichstr in the other. If you do find yourself on the Friedrichstr, make sure you head down to the famous Checkpoint Charlie, where you can still see a former customs crossing between the East and West.

Potsdamer PlatzOn a nice day you might want to check out the "Badeschiff", where you can go and take a dive into the pool or to enjoy a cold beer in the sun on the huge open air terrace (pool attire is not at all necessary).

Saturday is always a great time to stroll across the beautiful Kollwitzplatz with its great market. (Saturday, 9:00 to 16:00)

Last, if you happen to make it into the western part, take a stroll down "Kurfuersten Damm", Berlin's oldest and most famous shopping street, with the world-renown KaDeWe department store standing out. A little further down, you find the Gedaechniskirche and the Zoo, which altogether form the unique experience called the Kudamm.

Brandenbug Gate- landmark - East
Reichstag- Parliament, great view of the city
Potsdammer Platz- architectural highlight, shopping - East
Friedrichstr- high-end shopping - East
Checkpoint Charlie- landmark, museum- east
BADESCHIFF- Eichenstraße 4 12435 Treptow, Berlin – 030 5332030
Gedaechniskirche- landmark
Kollwitzplatz- market -East

Well, Euroleague fans, enjoy your days in Berlin. I can only hope that you will learn to love this city as much as I do, but never forget the real purpose of why we are here: to watch four phenomenal teams that have made it all the way to this great event. I am excited as anyone to see them battle it out for European supremacy!

Enjoy!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Jan Jagla
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SCHEDULE
SEMIFINALS, May 1:
Regal FCB 78-82 CSKA Moscow
Olympiacos 82-84 Panathinaikos
3RD PLACE, May 3:
Olympiacos 79-95 Regal FCB
FINAL, May 3:
Panathinaikos 73-71 CSKA Moscow

FINAL FOUR TEAMS

DEVOTION

2008-09 ALL-EL TEAM, MVP
Jordi Bertomeu, Juan Carlos Navarro

FINAL FOUR SLIDE SHOW
Vassilis Spanoulis - Panathinaikos - Final Four Berlin 2009