Ich bin ein Berliner

IN Berlin, it pays to know your sausages and you'll get along with the locals if you reveal a soft spot for baby polar bears, writes ex-pat Hugh Burton.

IF you want to look like a local in Berlin, Hugh Burton recommends you wear, buy or read anything to do with Knut, the baby polar bear that took Berlin by storm last year.

Name: Hugh Burton

Occupation: Former Adelaide cellar-door manager

Time in town: One year in Berlin

Must see: Unter den Linden, the boulevard crammed with the Deutsches Museum, the famous Siegessaeule (Golden Angel), Berliner Dom (the cathedral), the Lustgarten (where Hitler made many of his speeches) and the Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate).

Chic eats: Weinstein is a small, intimate family restaurant in Prenzlauerberg.

Getting around: Use the S and U-Bahn.

Don't spend money on: Currywurst, a sausage smothered in tomato sauce and curry powder. Go for a Thueringerwurst.

Splash out on: Art and design. Berlin has lots of galleries with all art media.

Look like a local: Wear, buy or read anything to do with Knut, that baby polar bear that took Berlin by storm last year.

Wish I had known: How to survive the U-Bahn. Walk like a local - no eye contact and trawl through like a Panzer tank.

YOUR SAY: Funky and fun, post-Wall Berlin is one of Europe's hippest cities. Share your secrets and tips on the city.