At the top of three flights of stairs (old building = no lift) was a friendly reception and a lounge that looked as if it was the last of the hippy generation. 'Relaxed atmosphere' apparently meant that it was fine to smoke in the lounge room which was a constant fug of smoke. 
Then into a room with an artist's touch ...The good thing about the hostel was its position, right in the middle of the art center of Berlin. In neighbouring streets one gallery after another was interspersed between buildings that had been reclaimed by residents.
Pleasant inner courtyards, ruins made into cafes ... and playgrounds. 
It was just around the corner from the world heritage Museum Island, a river island with four magnificent museums.
There are pleasant walking paths along the river and one evening I sat on one of the benches to sketch the Bode Museum below. My bench neighbour was a friendly drunk who had finished his carton of white wine but kept raising it to his lips, forgetting it was empty. He peeped at my drawing between non-sips and very much admired the end product when it was finished.
Ink sketch: Bode MuseumThe hippydom hostel had another interesting feature. It was right behind the Friedrichstadtpalast, home of Berlin's musicals. Looking down from my third story window in the evenings I could see ushers and the occasional dancer smoking behind the building.
Above them on the second story, I watched young men donning their gold lamé trousers through one window and the costume manager hanging and sorting racks of costumes through another. As I drifted off to sleep I could hear the musical as if next door. Old buildings have little sound insulation.
On Saturday evening, as the the music floating over from the Friedrichstadtpalast was ending, the music in the club downstairs was starting. It was a techno club and the music reverberated through the building and the beds until the early hours. In the morning a room-mate told me the hostel offered free ear-plugs at reception.
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