http://www.spottedbylocals.com/berlin Berlin local tips Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:43:18 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en It’s criminal and incomprehensible to visit Germany without trying a Bratwurst, Bockwurst or more specifically to Berlin a Currywurst! It’s madness – unless of course you’re vegetarian, vegan or have cholesterol issues. ‘Wenn’s um die Wurst geht – Tradition mit Geschmack’ – This funny little German play with words (hard to translate the joke – trust [...]]]> http://www.spottedbylocals.com/berlin/area/prenzlauer-berg/snacks-prenzlauer-berg/konnopkes-wurst-imbiss-currywurst Berlin is, and has always been, a city that embodies a sense of experimentation, spontaneity and creativity that has lured many creatives from all over the world. To find something genuinely experimental within Berlin’s heavily saturated arts scene, perhaps we should follow the ‘Esprit’ of Berlin’s young collectives and collaborators operating on [...]]]> http://www.spottedbylocals.com/berlin/area/tiergarten/art-culture-tiergarten/white-rabbit-gdk Looking for a night out with the accompanying two fingers up at the establishment attitude? This is your bar. Local and International rock/electro/punk/country bands perform here making White Trash a multi-faceted package deal. It’s safe to say this place is a regular haunt of mine and it’s not uncommon that my friends have more than once [...]]]> http://www.spottedbylocals.com/berlin/area/mitte/cinemas-mitte/white-trash Martin Gropius Bau was built in 1881 as Museum for applied arts and reopened after the renovation of war demolitions in 1981. Since 2001 it is one of the projects of the Berliner Festspiele cultural organization. It is located in the heart of Berlin, close to Potsdamer Platz and it is an imposing building. The [...]]]> http://www.spottedbylocals.com/berlin/area/mitte/art-culture-mitte/martin-gropius-bau Since 1964 the JazzFest Berlin is one of the big constants in Berlin’s Jazz Scene. Every year the festival presents Jazz dinosaurs and newcomers in different locations. This year it’s taking place from 5th until 9th November in the Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Quasimodo, A-Trane, UdK Konzertsaal Bundesallee and Delphi Palast (Here you can see [...]]]> http://www.spottedbylocals.com/berlin/area/charlottenburg/music-charlottenburg/jazzfest-berlin In the past year, A-Trane became my favourite destination when it came down to enjoying high class jazz. Next to the B-Flat (see the B-Flat article), it is certainly one of the most important jazz clubs in Berlin, although it is way smaller than the B-Flat. But that gives it a much more laid-back and [...]]]> http://www.spottedbylocals.com/berlin/area/charlottenburg/bars-charlottenburg/a-trane A perfect spot for urban exploring: The Teufelsberg, an artificial mountain which was piled up from rubble after the war and is Berlin’s highest point. Here is where different US and British Army and intelligence agencies operated in huge buildings and a radar tower to either control air spaces or to spy deep into countries of [...]]]> http://www.spottedbylocals.com/berlin/area/outer-south-east/relaxing-outer-south-east/teufelsberg Berlin is famous for many things. One of them is being green. You can find a little park, lawns and other little green areas on nearly every corner of this city. One example is the Boxhagener Platz, by locals called “Boxi(-Platz)”, situated right in the famous Kiez (= a hip little area) around Simon-Dach-Strasse (see [...]]]> http://www.spottedbylocals.com/berlin/area/friedrichshain/art-culture-friedrichshain/boxhagener-platz-flea-market An outstanding piece of architecture; an outstanding museum. Jewish life in Berlin and in Germany. There might be people who only associate that with the Holocaust. But the Jewish Museum proves that two millenniums of Jewish-German history have got heaps of other interesting stories to tell. You get it all displayed from the beginnings to the [...]]]> http://www.spottedbylocals.com/berlin/area/kreuzberg/art-culture-kreuzberg/jewish-museum-berlin Who ever designed this bar – he must have had a lot of fun. I can imagine if I was to stick all the furniture and other things onto the ceiling I would probably see all the smiling and astounded faces of the future guests. Well, when I went in there the first time I wished [...]]]> http://www.spottedbylocals.com/berlin/area/kreuzberg/bars-kreuzberg/madame-claude