By ROBERT ELIAS DEATON

Part One—In and Around

Berlin is a city best approached with a very open mind. Forget any image you might still possess of a graffiti-covered Berlin wall being toppled, or guarded gates separating East and West. While Berlin of the present is one very much rooted in its past, there is a sense of celebration in the air here that carries with it the scent of liberation.

Getting There

There’s good news and there’s good news about flying to Berlin. The city is not only easy to reach by non-stop flights on Air Berlin from Miami, it happens to be more affordable than any other European city to book. Round trip airfares can be purchased for just over $900 any time of the year directly through Air Berlin’s website (www. airberlin.com).

Until a few years ago, there used to be three airports in Berlin—Tegal located five miles northwest of the city; Tempelhof to the south; and Schönefeld, outside the city in Brandenburg, bordered by the famous gate. Tempelhof was closed to the pubic in 2008, and the first week in June 3, 2012, Tegal and Schonefeld will close as well.

On the same day, a new airport called Berlin Brandenburg will open in their place using the airport code BER. Like all things German, it will be executed with precision, having been in the planning stages for years.

The rail system has already been rerouted to include a stop directly underneath the new main terminal, with trains to the center of Berlin taking just under a half hour, and departing every 15 minutes. It’s about the same amount of time to make the journey by cab, but far less expensive. So if you don’t mind a little hassle with carting your bags, use the train and save the dough for some Wiener schnitzel.

 The Neighborhoods

To get your bearings in this metropolis of some 300,000 gays, think of the city as a big round pie. In the center is the neighborhood known as Mitte, German for “middle” and the hub for tourist traffic.

It’s the place to find what little remains of old Russian rule, including Alexanderplatz,- -the center of the old Communist Berlin— as well as Checkpoint Charlie—the crossing point at the Berlin wall, and now a museum that’s you’ll definitely want to make a point to visit.

On the West side of Mitte is the Tiergarten district, famous for the botanical gardens whose groomed lawns are the perfect place to find nude sunbathers—all perfectly legal in this city of abundant decadence.

On the East side of Mitte is Friedrichshain. This is a transition area that was once the center of East Berlin’s concrete slab dwellings and warehouses.

Consider this neighborhood as Berlin’s version of New York’s Lower East Side and Soho combined.

For those who like it on the rough side and want to see skinheads and white supremacists in the wild, continue east at your own risk.

Prenzlauer Berg is to the northeast of Mitte, an historic neighborhood of lovely old townhomes and trendy street cafes and coffeeshops that will appeal to the more traditional artistic types and classy gays of a certain vintage. There’s yuppy wealth all around the place in Prenzl’berg, so prepare to spend some cash while there.

Aim for the south of Mitte and find Kreuzberg, home to the area’s largest lesbian population and a growing commune of anarchic punks. Even under the former Communist rule, it was always a place where the cool congregated. That much hasn’t changed; just gotten a bit more gentrified.

Head further south still and reach Neukölln—Kreuzberg on steroids. Artists find the inexpensive housing a draw, and there are lots of local galleries to prove the point.

And then there is Schöneberg. We’ve saved the best for last for a good reason. To think Gay Berlin is to think Schöneberg.

It was in front of Schöneberg’s town hall that John F. Kennedy made his famous “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech, and meant it. You too will feel at home. This is a neighborhood with more rainbow flags than cafés, and first-time visitors may never venture outside its confines, so plentiful is the assortment of goodies provided within.

But that would be a shame. Berlin is a city that needs to be explored for all its flavors.

It’s a huge, sprawling wonderment of variety and inbred tolerance. So inbred, in fact, that it was over ninety years ago that the first gay club was opened here. It was in Schöneberg that Christopher Isherwood wrote his “Berlin Stories” that became the hit musical “Cabaret.” And you, too, will be singing “Willkommen” before you can stop yourself.

Grub and Such While most Germans speak fluent English, the majority of German restaurants will print their menus in their native tongue.

This is particularly true in the smaller kaffees, which you should not hesitate to frequent. These small restaurants are not only some of the best places to meet the locals, they are also the source of some fantastic regional cuisine.

There are over 1,500 types of sausages in Germany, with some 300 of them made in Berlin alone. Look for the word wurst if sausage is your thing. Bratwurst is usually made from pork; blutwurst is as well, though it’s been darkened with blood; and darker still is schwarzwurst, which often is made using the blood from geese.

Fortunately, it tastes better than it sounds.

If you’re in the mood for fish, look for local trout or salmon listed as forelle and lachse. Spargel is the local name for white asparagus; spätzle is a large, flat noodle; knödel is a delicious potato dumpling; Kartoffelpüree are mashed potatoes; and pizza is, well, pizza. Some things are just too good to change.

German breads are as fantastic as they are plentiful. Look for roggenbrot if you like rye; mehrkornbrot if multi-grain is your taste; and kürbiskernbrot if the concept of pumpkin seeds inside dark rye sounds interesting.

Since Berliners and the tourists that love them play night and day, fast food is available 24/7. While you’ll notice the familiar signs for McDonald’s and Burger King, the real favorite here is doner kebabs, the German version of gyros served on pita bread with a yoghurt sauce.

All the better to eat and run.

Next week, Part Two—the Clubs, the Hotels, the Adventure. It’s worth the wait, liebling.