midnight
Under these circumstances , I maintain that mine is a true and restrained narrative of an event that is , by a certain number of Hanoverians , remembered with bitterness unto this very day . We left Hanover that same evening , and arrived at Berlin in time for supper and an evening stroll . Berlin is a disappointing town ; its centre over-crowded , its outlying parts lifeless ; its one famous street , Unter den Linden , an attempt to combine Oxford Street with the Champs Elysee , singularly unimposing , being much too wide for its size ; its theatres dainty and charming , where acting is considered of more importance than scenery or dress , where long runs are unknown , successful pieces being played again and again , but never consecutively , so that for a week running you may go to the same Berlin theatre , and see a fresh play every night ; its opera house unworthy of it ; its two music halls , with an unnecessary suggestion of vulgarity and commonness about them , ill-arranged and much too large for comfort . In the Berlin cafes and restaurants , the busy time is from midnight on till three . Yet most of the people who frequent them are up again at seven . Either the Berliner has solved the great problem of modern life , how to do without sleep , or , with Carlyle , he must be looking forward to eternity . Personally , I know of no other town where such late hours are the vogue , except St. Petersburg .