Our apartment is in the former East German Mitte neighborhood. Our closest U-Bahn (subway) stop, Rosenthaler Platz, was a “ghost station” during the Cold War. This means that the trains from West Germany would pass through it, but could not stop, so for 30 years it was filled with barbed wire and barricades. It is mostly a “hipster” area, filled with fusion restaurants and juice bars. The enormous Circus Hostel and Hotel next door makes it a very international and youth oriented neighborhood.