Not the person you are replying to and I don't think that "backwards" is the right way to describe Berlin. Having said that: Berlin is a very "un-German" city

Not the person you are replying to and I don't think that "backwards" is the right way to describe Berlin. Having said that: Berlin is a very "un-German" city in the sense that it seems unable to get things under control. At first they were broke ("poor but sexy", as the slogan went), then they where overwhelmed by tourists and aspiring artists, and now there's not a single free apartment anywhere. The bureaucracy is slow and everything is forever under construction. The BER airport exemplifies all of this at once. Having said that, it's one of my favorite places in the world: there's a vibrant, multicultural art community, everything is more laid back, it has plenty of beautiful corners and parks, and you don't need a car at all. It's a city with a special character, but I can also understand those who would rather live in a more predictable place.