When I tell people that I’m going to Berlin for a few days this Easter most people don’t tend to ask many further questions. The historic capital of Germany has much to offer the common tourist and the long weekend is as good a time as any to get away from the humdrum monotony of the office.

Yet those that question further “Why Berlin?” are often surprised by the answer; to watch the world’s best in darts battle it out for £100,000 prize money. Explaining that there have been qualifying games held in Crawley of all places is a bizarre notion to non-darts fans, yet in under 2 weeks time that’s exactly what will be happening at the Maritim Hotel in Berlin.

With the world’s best in darts ready to entertain the crowds in Berlin I thought I’d share some of my thoughts on my previous experiences at the darts both at home and abroad to let people know what all the fuss is about with one of the fastest growing indoor sports in the world in the form of some classic FAQs that I’ve had.

Isn’t it just fat blokes lobbing metal at a board? Can’t be much fun to watch?

While I’m not saying these guys are at the peak of physical fitness, I defy anyone to watch the top pros and not be massively impressed by the skill and bottle that this sport takes. Gone are the days of beer on stage and visibly drunk players too, there’s serious cash up for grabs as well as fierce rivalry.

Is it just one big pissup in the crowd?

This one can pretty accurate… there’s chanting, banter and often rowdy crowds but, in my experiences all superbly good natured and fun loving. That’s not to say that if you’re not a big drinker you won’t enjoy yourself. I recently drove to Sheffield for the Premier League Darts and had a whale of a time. The energy of a crowd wrapped up in a brilliant darts game will get the blood pumping regardless of the amount of booze in your system!

Darts in Europe? Isn’t it all in a different language?

The scores are announced in English, the roar of “One hundred and eighty!” thrills darts fans regardless of their nationality! On a recent trip to Eindhoven in the Netherlands I found the crowd to absolutely love their darts, this common ground immediately gave rise to some hilarious conversations in broken English/Dutch whilst being thoroughly entertained by the at times inhuman skill of the world’s top darters.

Can you even see the board?!

It’s pretty rare you are sat close enough to see the physical dart go in the board that’s for sure but the huge screens give you a privileged insight in to how little the margin for error is in this sport. A matter of millimetres can be the difference between winning and losing. The fact you can’t see the physical dart doesn’t mean a thing, I’ve watched darts in the O2 Arena in London, the Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield and the new Leeds Arena and regardless of how far away you’re sat the atmosphere is still electric.

Is it really worth the trip all that way?

Being a massive darts fan I’m going to be biased but I would always say 100% yes. If the allure of the atmosphere and entertainment of darts all day isn’t enough, you could just opt for an evening session giving you the adventure of exploring a European City by day and letting the world’s greatest darters entertain you during the evening sessions.

If you’re looking for something different this bank holiday then it might be worth checking out the darts! To find out more about this, and other darting events click here. I’ll be

bringing you a full report of my Berlin trip so stop by again soon for more darts news and stories.

The German Darts Masters is to be held in Berlin on the 19th-21st April. Visit www.pdc-europe.tv for tickets.

I should probably point out I’m not affiliated with the PDC nor Maritim Hotels in any way.

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