The TRAVELER'S JOURNAL: April fifth, taking the pulse of Berlin.

Leveled in a war of its creation and for decades divided by iron curtain conflicts, Berlin is again capital of the German nation. Over flown everywhere by great flocks of construction cranes, it's a city that's reinventing itself almost hourly.

Grand architecture of the Prussian era has been restored or recreated and magnificent new buildings, most notably the new Reichstag, have been unveiled. Vestiges of the wall that once split the sprawling city have been aggressively erased, or transformed into a tourist attraction, as at Check Point Charlie. Free of its communist shackles, Under den Linden again ranks among Europe's finest avenues for strolling.

But the energy that drives the New Berlin is more than a matter of architecture. It's infused with the enthusiasm of energetic, often irreverent youth. For a decade, young Germans have been gravitating there from both sides of the old order. Swarms of creative souls, aggressive business types and politically motivated have converged.

The high energy, in-your-face kind of frenzy they've generated permeates Berlin, from culture and arts to its restaurants to the ambiance of its streets. With studied flamboyance reminiscent of the 1920's, young Berliners flaunt tradition in a way that must alarm and amuse their elders. Most evident is the mid-July, mardi gras-like "Love Parade" when a million exuberantly costumed revelers unwind through the streets of Berlin. Their attitude's captured by the sign in the Paris Bar: "Stand Still and Rot." Berlin is a happening place indeed.

This issue of the magazine National Geographic Traveler, a supporter of our program, takes pulse of the new Berlin.

FMI For information, German National Tourism, 212-661- 7200 or www.germany-tourism.de or Berlin Tourism at www.berlin-tourism.de

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