Roughly 17 years after reunification, A visitor to today’s Berlin can easily find herself wondering whether she’s standing in the former East or West. After years of construction, the scar down the city’s center has healed quite nicely, at least on the surface. Public transportation is fully integrated, of course. The former No Man’s Land of Potsdamer Platz is now home to the glitzy, commercial Sony Center. McDonald’s and other chain establishments have taken over both halves of the city with equal gusto.

Those who are unfamiliar with the city can follow the path of the wall with the aid of a map; those distributed to tourists almost always mark the border between former East and West with a line of some sort. A few pieces of the wall still stand, and a replica of Checkpoint Charlie has been re-installed in the middle of Friedrichstrasse, complete with actors dressed as American soldiers who man it during the day.

There are still ways to get a glimpse into parts of the real East Berlin, however. For example, hop on a subway to Lichtenberg, one of the outer-lying districts to the east. This is best done on a cold, grey, rainy day, as that will enhance the depressing effect of the cinderblock architecture that dominates this area.

If you understand German (or can bring along someone who does), I highly recommend the museum located in the former Stasi headquarters to get a glimpse at the dark underbelly that controlled the GDR. In a city that is undergoing constant change, this building stands out in that it still looks much the way it did when Mielke was in charge, both inside and out.

After you’ve taken in the rooms full of history and spy cameras, and marveled at the hop-on-hop-off elevator, stop in the café for some Rotkäppchen. This sparkling wine is one of the few brands from the GDR which still exists today. On second thought, go find a cheerier locale to drink in. Berlin has lots of them.