Berlin Travel Guide | Discover Berlin

Berlin, the vibrant capital of Germany, has a rich and complex history that dates back to the 12th century. Originally founded as a trading town, Berlin became the capital of the Margraviate of Brandenburg in 1237. Over the centuries, it evolved into a major European city, playing pivotal roles in the German Empire, the Weimar Republic, Nazi Germany, and the Cold War. The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 marked a significant turning point, leading to the reunification of East and West Berlin and the city's restoration as the capital of a unified Germany.

Berliner Dome | Credit: Wikimedia/Ansgar Koreng

Geography of Berlin

Situated in northeastern Germany, Berlin lies in the wide glacial valley of the Spree River, which runs through the center of the city. The city is surrounded by the state of Brandenburg and is part of the Berlin-Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. With a mix of flat terrain and forested areas, Berlin offers a unique blend of urban and natural landscapes.

Weather in Berlin

Berlin experiences a temperate seasonal climate. Summers are warm and pleasant, with average temperatures around 18°C (65°F), while winters are cold, with temperatures often dropping below freezing. The city receives moderate rainfall throughout the year, with occasional snowfall in the winter months.

Places to visit in Berlin

1. Brandenburg Gate: An iconic symbol of Berlin and Germany.

2. Reichstag Building: The seat of the German parliament, offering stunning views from its glass dome.

3. Berlin Wall Memorial: A poignant reminder of the city's divided past.

4. Museum Island: Home to five world-renowned museums, including the Pergamon Museum and the Altes Museum.

5. Checkpoint Charlie: The famous crossing point between East and West Berlin during the Cold War.

6. Berlin TV Tower: Offering panoramic views of the city from its observation deck.

7. Charlottenburg Palace: A beautiful baroque palace with lush gardens.

Foods to try in Berlin

Berlin's culinary scene is diverse and vibrant, reflecting its multicultural population. Some must-try dishes include:

- Currywurst: A popular street food consisting of a bratwurst sausage topped with curry ketchup.

- Döner Kebab: A Turkish-inspired sandwich filled with meat, vegetables, and sauces.

- Kartoffelsalat: A hearty potato salad often served with various meats.

- Eisbein: A traditional German pork knuckle dish, usually served with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes.

Berlin transport guide

Berlin boasts an efficient and extensive public transportation system, making it easy to navigate the city. The U-Bahn (underground metro), S-Bahn (suburban trains), buses, and trams cover the entire city and its surroundings. A single ticket is valid for all modes of transport within the city limits. For a more scenic option, consider renting a bike and exploring the city's numerous bike paths.

Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)

Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) has been activated in Delhi-NCR due to severe air pollution, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching 457. Here are the key measures and restrictions under GRAP Stage IV:

1. Education: Physical classes are suspended for all students except those in Classes 10 and 12.
2. Traffic Restrictions:
   • Entry of truck traffic into Delhi is banned, except for trucks carrying essential commodities or providing essential services.
   • Light commercial vehicles registered outside Delhi, except for EVs, CNG, and BS-VI diesel vehicles, are prohibited from entering.
   • Delhi-registered BS-IV and below diesel-operated medium and heavy goods vehicles are banned, except for those carrying essential services.
3. Work-from-Home: Governments and private offices may allow 50% of employees to work from home.
4. Additional Measures: State governments may consider closing colleges, educational institutions, and non-emergency commercial activities. They may also implement odd-even vehicle restrictions.
5. Health Advisory: Vulnerable groups, including children, the elderly, and those with chronic diseases, are advised to stay indoors and avoid outdoor activities.

These measures aim to curb the worsening air quality and protect public health in the region.

How to start AEM in debug mode? Adobe Experience Manager start guide

There are multiple approaches to start or tune Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) instance in debug mode. we will cover few of them in this tutorial.

1. We could start AEM using the command prompt by using the below command line.

 java -jar aem63-author-p4502.jar -debug <port#>

2. Another way to start or tune AEM instance in debug mode is, we could update the start.bat file and start AEM by clicking on the start.bat file in crx-quickstart folder. To do so we have to do the following.

• First we need to update the start file; go to \crx-quickstart\bin\start.bat and append this command "-debug -Xnoagent -Djava.compiler=NONE -Xrunjdwp:transport=dt_socket,server=y,suspend=n,address=<port#>" with line 25, default JVM options.
• Save the file
•  Now double click on the start.bat file to start your AEM instance.

After changes, your start.bat file will look like following.

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@echo off :: This script configures the start information for this server. :: :: The following variables may be used to override the defaults. :: For one-time overrides the variable can be set as part of the command-line; e.g., :: :: SET CQ_PORT=1234 & ./start.bat :: setlocal ::* TCP port used for stop and status scripts if not defined CQ_PORT set CQ_PORT=4502 ::* hostname of the interface that this server should listen to :: if not defined CQ_HOST set CQ_HOST= ::* runmode(s) ::* will not be used if repository is already present if not defined CQ_RUNMODE set CQ_RUNMODE=author ::* name of the jarfile :: if not defined CQ_JARFILE set CQ_JARFILE= ::* default JVM options if not defined CQ_JVM_OPTS set CQ_JVM_OPTS=-Xmx2048m -XX:MaxPermSize=512M -Djava.awt.headless=true -debug -Xnoagent -Djava.compiler=NONE -Xrunjdwp:transport=dt_socket,server=y,suspend=n,address=30303 ::* ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ::* authentication ::* ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ::* when using oak (crx3) authentication must be configured using the ::* Apache Felix JAAS Configuration Factory service via the Web Console ::* see http://jackrabbit.apache.org/oak/docs/security/authentication/externalloginmodule.html ::* use jaas.config (legacy: only used for crx2 persistence) :: if not defined CQ_USE_JAAS set CQ_USE_JAAS=true ::* config for jaas (legacy: only used for crx2 persistence) if not defined CQ_JAAS_CONFIG set CQ_JAAS_CONFIG=etc\jaas.config ::* ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ::* persistence mode ::* ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ::* the persistence mode can not be switched for an existing repository set CQ_RUNMODE=%CQ_RUNMODE%,crx3,crx3tar :: set CQ_RUNMODE=%CQ_RUNMODE%,crx3,crx3mongo ::* settings for mongo db :: if not defined CQ_MONGO_HOST set CQ_MONGO_HOST=127.0.0.1 :: if not defined CQ_MONGO_PORT set CQ_MONGO_PORT=27017 :: if not defined CQ_MONGO_DB set CQ_MONGO_DB=aem6 ::* ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ::* do not configure below this point ::* ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ chdir /D %~dp0 cd .. if exist conf\controlport del conf\controlport if not defined CQ_JARFILE for %%X in (app\*.jar) do set CQ_JARFILE=%%X for %%* in (.) do set CurrDirName=%%~n* cd .. set START_OPTS=start -c %CurrDirName% -i launchpad if defined CQ_PORT set START_OPTS=%START_OPTS% -p %CQ_PORT% if defined CQ_RUNMODE set CQ_JVM_OPTS=%CQ_JVM_OPTS% -Dsling.run.modes=%CQ_RUNMODE% if defined CQ_HOST set CQ_JVM_OPTS=%CQ_JVM_OPTS% -Dorg.apache.felix.http.host=%CQ_HOST% if defined CQ_HOST set START_OPTS=%START_OPTS% -a %CQ_HOST% if defined CQ_MONGO_HOST set START_OPTS=%START_OPTS% -Doak.mongo.host=%CQ_MONGO_HOST% if defined CQ_MONGO_PORT set START_OPTS=%START_OPTS% -Doak.mongo.port=%CQ_MONGO_PORT% if defined CQ_MONGO_DB set START_OPTS=%START_OPTS% -Doak.mongo.db=%CQ_MONGO_DB% if defined CQ_USE_JAAS set CQ_JVM_OPTS=%CQ_JVM_OPTS% -Djava.security.auth.login.config=%CQ_JAAS_CONFIG% set START_OPTS=%START_OPTS% -Dsling.properties=conf/sling.properties if exist newTaskList.txt del newTaskList.txt if exist oldTaskList.txt del oldTaskList.txt tasklist /FI "IMAGENAME eq java.exe" /NH > oldTaskList.txt start "CQ" cmd.exe /C java %CQ_JVM_OPTS% -jar %CurrDirName%\%CQ_JARFILE% %START_OPTS% :: removing the delay until CQ-4202186 is solved :: timeout /T 1 /NOBREAK >nul tasklist /FI "IMAGENAME eq java.exe" /NH > newTaskList.txt java -cp %~dp0 GetProcessID oldTaskList.txt newTaskList.txt java.exe > %CurrDirName%\conf\cq.pid if exist newTaskList.txt del newTaskList.txt if exist oldTaskList.txt del oldTaskList.txt

Once you have done with the above changes and started your aem in debug mode then you have to configure debugger in your IDE (Eclipse or IntelliJ). To configure the debugger with your local AEM instance please follow this article. Remote debugger in eclipse