Berlin Explorer

'Visions of Modernity' Temporary Exhibition

2013-02-10T03:14:00.001-08:00

Yesterday we went over to the Deutsche Guggenheim gallery on Unter den Linden to check out the temporary exhibition, Visions of Modernity.

From Impressionism and Modernism this selection of art has been brought together from the Guggenheim Foundation Collections. It's been on since November but it's well worth a visit if you like modern art and the avante-guarde.

There is a nice selection of paintings form Van Gogh and Picasso, Cézanne and Kandinsky among others.

Kandinski's 'Decisive Rose'

It's only on until the 17th of February so make sure you go this week to take a look.

Cost:

4€ per adult

Website:

deutsche-guggenheim.de

Address:

Deutsche+Guggenheim

Unter den Linden 13/15

10117

Berlin

Closest U-Bahn:

Französische Strasse (line 6)

German Bureaucracy: The good and the bad

2013-01-14T05:34:00.000-08:00

The first few weeks of 2013 have flown by in a whirl and I'm only just getting back into the swing of things after the Christmas holidays. A bad case of the winter flu delayed my return to work and led to me spending a week sweating, shivering and coughing in bed, lovely!

We also discovered that the paperwork we have for my husbands residence in Germany was actually incorrect so he had the joy of various unsuccessful trips to the "Ausländerbehörde" (Foreigners Office).

I also became the sheepish owner of my first BVG transport fine as I got caught on the S-Bahn for not having a valid ticket :(

In all, January 2013 has opened my eyes up to some of the good and the bad of German bureaucracy. I'm quite impatient to start my rant so let's get the bad out of the way first.

I've lived in Spain and suffered the disorganised and extremely unhelpful bureaucratic process there. I've had so many disappointing and frustrating experiences so I don't think it can get much worse anywhere else. For a little insight into what it's like trying to get anything sorted in Spain, check out this great fictional short film which, although exaggerated for dramatic purposes, sums it up quite nicely!

Bureaucracy is far better in Germany but there are still some loopholes and unnecessary processes that we've experienced. For example, in order for us to register as a resident (Anmeldebestätigung) we needed to show a contract for a house BUT in order to get a contract for a house we needed to show our Anmeldebestätigung form...humm. That was a tricky one to start off with back in April 2012.

Last year my husband was mistakenly given a form that said he was European and had the right to live and work in Germany. So, we spend months thinking we had everything sorted (we didn't find out because he was doing freelance work and didn't need any docs). We found out when confused immigration officers delayed us leaving Germany for a trip to England as they were holding his Mexican passport in one hand and the form in the other and pondering how it was possible. After a long wait and lots of phone calls, they told us we needed to get the correct papers and sent us on our way. To their credit they were very nice and apologised for making us wait whilst they sorted out the issue.

So, the beef I have with the Ausländerbehörde office is the unnecessary waiting around we had to do and the unclear instructions as to what you actually need to take with you. In fact, I'm quite disappointed with the general attitude of staff towards foreigners in all the official offices we've been to. Most people reluctantly speak English (even though most of them can) and you have to bully them into helping you. I understand the idea that you are in Germany so you should make an effort to speak German but they should give people a chance before passing judgement and putting up their barriers. Loose the attitude people!

It is possible to book an appointment at the Ausländerbehörde but the earliest one you could book now is April 2013! The only other option is to arrive at the crack of dawn to line up, get a ticket and then wait hours to speak to someone. You'd think that in a country as organised as Germany, they would have a better system.

The first time hubbie went, it was closed (his fault as he didn't check the holiday schedule even after I warned him!). The second time, he arrived too late (even though he arrived early) and there were no more tickets left for that day! The third time was looking good. He got his ticket but was told that I had to be there as well to sign the forms. Luckily I was off work but unluckily I was shivering in bed with the flu!

So, I had to drag myself out of bed and head on over to meet him. I was so out of it and drugged up on flu medicine, that I didn't pay attention to the date. I was stopped by ticket checkers on the S-Bahn who informed me that my transport pass was two days out of date. No sympathy for my plague-like appearance, Bam there's your 40 Euro fine madam. Damn it!

The waiting room was not the nicest experience (no one wants to sit there for hours normally, let alone while you're running a fever). The worst thing of all was that when we eventually got to speak to someone they told us that we needed our marriage certificate translated! Aggghhhh. So we went home with our tail between our legs. What a waste of time!

A week later, armed with our translated certificate and all the other numerous forms we had been told to bring, we went back (woke up at 5am) and 6 hours later walked out of there with a permit number for an impressive 5 years, woo hoo (even though we only asked for two)! It only cost about 30 euros which is incredible considering that for two years in the UK he would need to pay over 800 pounds and for two years in Spain about 200 Euros. Success!

The experience that really impressed me about Germany though was my visit to the doctors. It was extremely easy and efficient. I felt like a celebrity in the posh doctors office that had fresh fruit and drinks as well as very comfy leather chairs in the designer waiting room. I didn't get chance to wait there though as not a moment after my bum touched the seat, I was called by the doctor who examined me and prescribed my medicine and the doctors note for work. I was in, out and back in bed within a hour. That's what you get when you have a functioning private healthcare system I suppose and not the grotty, plastic, over-crowded waiting rooms I'm used to.

Berlin Architecture in Photos

2012-11-23T04:21:00.000-08:00

We've done a lot of wandering around the streets of Berlin in the last 7 months and along the way we've taken quite a few photos of the buildings around town. There are loads of interesting buildings dotted around the city and we've enjoyed just wandering around and discovering new places. Here is a collection of a few of our favourite architectural photos we've collected over the last few months.

Heilig Kreuz Kirche (Holy Cross Church) kreuzberg

A beautiful promenade of houses in central Berlin

An interesting residential building in Kreuzberg

Otto Bock Science Center near Potsdamer Platz

The Nhow Hotel on the river Spree

The Kino International on Karl-Marx-Allee

The Humbolt Box on Museum Island

Berlin Dom Cathedral

The Berlin TV Tower

The Kanzleramts Building as seen from the Bundestag building

Box window design in Pankow

Curvy balconies in Prenzlauer Berg

A beautiful façade in Prenzlauer Berg

The Southern Spree Riverfront

The Southern Spree Riverfront buildings

Mexican Dinner time! Tinga de Pollo

2012-11-20T12:43:00.001-08:00

We've come across very few places to get good Mexican food in Berlin so far. There are so many Mexican restaurants, or should I say Mexican 'themed' restaurants as most of them are run by non-Mexicans, but very few of them are authentic and most of them disappoint with their bland, tex-mex style food. There is even an Indian-slash-Mexican restaurant in Rosenthaler Platz which although it sounds appealing (as a combination of two of my favourite styles of food) somehow it doesn't seem like it could work. So, the only way to get my fix for Mexican food is the make it at home.

A few weekends ago we decided it was time to make a Mexican dinner again and for me to try out making 'Tinga' (chicken with tomato and chipotle chiles). I've been dying to try it out even since my sister-in-law gave me the recipe when we visited Mexico back in February. So, we invited a couple of good friends over for dinner and went about preparations.

The finished 'Tinga' ready to serve

Tinga takes quite a while to prepare as you have to boil the chicken for at least an hour and then shred it (this can be a particularly arduous process if you are cooking for a big group of people) as well as slow-roast the tomatoes and then mix and chop all the other ingredients together the make the 'salsa'. So, we started out by going to the marvelously huge "Real" supermarket at Frankfurter Tor the afternoon of the dinner. We bought the rather overpriced but necessary tortillas (Tinga should be accompanied by maize as opposed to flour tortillas), the chicken thighs and the other 'Mexicany' spices and chillies needed.

The chicken thighs boiling away with garlic and some parsley we had left over

When we arrived back at home I got to work boiling the chicken. I had searched through my papers to find the rather tatty and (as I shortly found out) confusing notes that I had taken nearly a year ago in Mexico. At the time of taking the notes I was trying to follow the 'live demonstration' which was dictated to me in Spanish so my recipe notes had come out as a very messy mix of English and Spanish. My brain wasn't very good at translating and writing at the same time and couldn't decide which language to write in or indeed how to form a proper sentence in either one!

Can anyone make sense out of my recipe notes?

The Mexican cooking device called a 'comal' (kind of like a flat pan placed on the hob) is used for many things in the Mexican kitchen including heating up tortillas and roasting tomatoes for Tinga. So I got started with roasting the tomatoes and enjoyed using my comal for the first time (thanks Odila for giving it to me).

The Chicken boiling and the tomatoes roasting

After spending what felt like an eternity shredding the chicken, the next steps in making the sauce were fairy straight forward and fast as it was basically just a question of throwing it all a bowl and blending it all together.

Spices, garlic and red chillies ready to hit the blender

Pepper, Cumin and Cloves for the sauce

Blending it all together

All in all it took a good couple of hours to prepare but it was worth the effort and our guests seemed quite impressed with it too. It wasn't the same as my sister-in-law's authentic version but the main reason (apart from my terrible note taking abilities) was because we didn't have any proper chipotle and used a sauce flavoured as chipotle instead. If anyone knows where to get chipotle in Berlin, please let me know! It was definitely delicious though and tasted even better the next day as left-overs.

I've attached the recipe to this post too in case you dare follow my instructions and attempt to make this delicious dish.

Tinga de Pollo

Here is my (very approximate) version of the Tinga recipe. I recommend you try making it yourself as it is very yummy but I can't be responsible for the outcome!

Serves four people (probably)
Cooking time - 2 hours (mas o menos)
n.b. - although the quantities of the ingredients looks like I know what I am talking about, all quantities are actually completely made up as I don't have a clue what ratio they should be in. So, experiment and see what happens!

Ingredients:

x4 Chicken thighs
x4 cloves of garlic (whole)
x6 medium tomatoes
x4 medium onions
a pinch or two of salt
a pinch or two of Black pepper
Chile Chipotle (canned)*
Cloves
Cumin
a splash of cold water
Vegetable oil
White pepper

To serve:

maize tortillas
fresh lime
creme fraise or sour cream

*We didn't actually have any Chipotle this time but we replaced it with Chipotle flavoured Tabasco sauce and a chopped up random red chilly we found in the supermarket which is obviously not the same but did the job well enough to make the dish edible and spicy!

** If you don't have a comal you can always use a frying pan or roast them in the oven.

Instructions:

Boil the chicken in a saucepan with a clove or two of garlic until cooked - at least 45 minutes on a medium to low heat. Remove from water and leave to cool. Once the chicken is cooled, shread it by hand into thin strips and set aside.

Whilst the chicken is boiling, slow roast the tomatoes (whole) on a medium heat on a comal**. Don't add any oil or butter. Turn as needed to roast on all sides until browned - at least 45 minutes cooking time is needed.

Chop the onions into fairly large strips and fry in oil on a medium low heat until transparent and a little browned.

Fry the shredded chicken in vegetable oil and add a little white pepper.

Prepare a blender with the salt, black pepper, chipotle, cloves, cumin and water. Add the roasted tomatoes and blend together until smooth. I have no idea what combination or quantities these spices are supposed to be mixed in as I didn't make any notes about that so you're on your own here. I suppose it depends on how spicy or sweet you like your food.

Add the blended sauce to the onions and mix together. Then add the fried chicken and make sure it is all mixed together well. Leave to simmer. Actually I skipped this part of the instructions so just let it simmer until you get hungry or bored and then serve.

To serve, put a spoon of Tinga on a heated tortilla, add a squeeze of lime and a spoon of creme fraise, fold or roll the tortilla and eat. The best way to eat a taco of Tinga is with your hands, you might experience an explosion of Tinga everywhere (there really is a trick to being able to eat tacos without having to shower afterwards) but using knives and forks is CHEATING!

If you do decide (or dare) to try following my recipe please let me know how it turns out. If it is a disaster, you can always call a pizza or get one of the many yummy Berlin kebabs instead!

Autumn in Berlin

2012-11-13T01:00:00.000-08:00

The weather really started to change as soon as October came. It was as if someone knocked the 'summer is over' switch and bam! There was a week of really chilly weather early October and I remember thinking to myself that we're gonna have a cold winter. Our first autumn in Berlin however, has turned out to be rather pleasant. There have been a few rainy days and a couple of cold windy moments but we can't really complain because the sun has been shining most of the time.

Being English, I grew up in a similar climate to Berlin so it's not much of a surprise that I am coping with the cooler weather. I've got my thermals on stand-by for the pending freezing winters though and I hope it isn't as harsh as last winter apparently was (I was busy enjoying Mexico at the time). Whilst we wait for the temperature to drop however, I thought I would share some of the lovely autumn photos we've taken around the city (I can't take credit for the majority, they were mainly taken by my 'padawan').

Autumn leaves on the ground

In fact, both my 'padawan' and I much prefer cooler weather and I suffer quite a lot in the heat. It's kind of ironic the fact that I chose to live in Madrid for 6 years previously. I didn't particularly go there for the sun and I really suffered through the summers in Madrid. Of course, living in a sunny and dry country has a lot of benefits and even in the winter the Madrid skys are still bright blue. But, I'm seeing the same kind of weather here in Berlin right now, albeit a few degrees cooler than it would be in Madrid.

View from our window

As I'm looking out the window from my cosy and warm flat, it looks like a splendid day with bright baby-blue skies and rich sunlight hitting the houses and trees in front. In fact, over the last few months we've been taking photos around the city and capturing the autumn as it takes hold of the city.

A quick note about the photos: I started 'training' my husband to take better photos a few months ago because he used to take a zillion photos of everything and it would always take double the amount of time to do anything. Every two minutes he would stop, take out the camera, and proceed to snap four or five photos of the same (any)thing, from the same angle and with the same composition. So, I decided to try to help him improve his technique and gave him a crash course in 'how to take usable photos' (and mainly 'how not to waste so much of your wife's time'). Over the last few months I must say that he has become quite an artistic beast with the lens. He still wastes my time (don't they all?) but now at least he gets some decent and varied shots. Thanks baby!

We hope you enjoy the photos!

An 'Autumny' Bundestag

Getting arty with the angles near Eberswalder Strasse

Autumn at the canal in Alt-Treptow

Beautiful ivy near Eberswalder Strasse

The Kultur Brauerei (A Berlin Brewery and a museum and cultural space)

A church in Prenzlauer Berg

Colourful leaves

Yellow tree

Can you get more 'autumny' that this?

Gutenberg Printers in Prenzlauer Berg

A vintage shop in Prenzlauer Berg

Autumn with the Alexanderplatz tower

It's chilly but with blue skies in Pankow

Turning trees

My review of the 3rd Lakino Film Festival, Berlin, October 2012

2012-11-10T02:06:00.002-08:00

Lakino @ Babylon Cinema, Berlin

Back in October we went to the Lakino (Latin American) film festival at Babylon Cinema in Rosa-Luxemburg Platz, Berlin. We visited on the opening night, Friday, and watched a series of six really great Latin short films. The winner of the entire competition turned out to be one of the ones we watched, "Tela" by Carlos Nader from Brazil. The quality of the short films was very high and I thoroughly enjoyed watching all of them. It was very difficult to choose the best film as they all had different styles and interesting concept to get you engaged and thinking.

"Tela" by Carlos Nader, Brazil

The winner, “Tela” by Carlos Nader from Brazil, was actually my favourite film out of the ones we saw so I am glad that it won. It used a circular motif and played on the idea of a self-reflective and self-aware audience. The entire film is focused on a cinema audience watching a film of a cinema audience watching a film! So, you couldn’t help but feel a little uncomfortable as you sat there in the audience, watching an audience, watching an...well you can work it out for yourself! It takes a while to get your head around the concept, but this for me, was one of the most ‘intelligent’ films in the screening.

"Los Retratos" by Ivan D Gaonawer, Columbia

There were two other films that stood out for me. The first one was Colombian film “Los Retratos” by Ivan D Gaonawer and many of the people I talked to after the screening thought this one was the best. I can see why because it had a wonderful ‘feel-good’ appeal. “Los Retratos” tells the story of a delightful elderly couple from a small village who ‘win’ a polaroid camera at the local market. Rather than buying the chicken they were hoping to have for lunch, the old lady comes home with her new and unexpected prize. The only problem is that neither of them have any idea what it is for!

The characters were instantly lovable and you felt for their plight as they were struggling to survive daily life in a small mountain village. Rather than making us feel sorry for the poverty-stricken couple though, the movie takes a swing for the light-hearted and subtle comedic side as, once their ‘wealthy’ neighbour shows them how to take photos with the device, they embark on an adventure to capture themselves in the photos. For a short happy time, their hunger is suppressed.

"Salón Royale" by Sabrina Campos, Argentina

The second film that sticks in my mind was the “Salón Royale” by Sabrina Campos from Argentina. The whole film takes place in a car with a group of girls heading to and from an event. Pretty much anyone can relate to at least one of the characters as someone accidentally lets it slip that an ex-boyfriend of one of the other passengers will be there with his new girlfriend. The girl in question tries to keep it cool and pretend that she is not bothered at all and the two friends try to support her whilst getting more and more frustrated by her constant ramblings and return to the topic.

The Foyer of Babylon Cinema

The other three films we saw were great too and had their appeal but for me these were my favourite. Compared to the lovable elderly couple, the ranting and ironic girl-chat and the self-aware movie audience, it was tough to beat.

Some traditional pieces on display in the foyer

Entrance for the festival was 7 euros and it was well worth the ticket. There was also a small but interesting exhibition in the foyer of some traditional ceramics, wares and figures from Latin America. The only complaint about the event that I had was that our seats were not the actual cinema seats. We had to sit in normal chairs which had been put along the back wall of the balcony (in order to fit more people in) so my view of the screen a little bit blocked by the people in the ‘real’ seats in front. At least I wasn't one of the people who had to stand throughout!

One of the great things I love about living in Berlin is that pretty much every week there is some kind of festival or cultural event going on. I’ve never been at a loss for things to do in my spare time.

Bike of the Week: Number 24

2012-11-09T01:00:00.000-08:00

Technically this weeks winner...

Mirrors or Mirage?

...ARE "BikeS of the Week"

Explorer Berlin is back!

2012-11-06T04:37:00.003-08:00

Ok, so it's been a good month and a bit since we've been actively writing entries on our blog, sorry about that! It's not that nothing worth writing about has happened to us, in fact a LOT has happened in the last few months and I literally found myself without any free time at all!

Not that it is a bad thing, our life in Berlin has been slowly coming together but we've had to work hard for it. I found a full time job fairly unexpectedly at the end of August and at the same time I was asked to do some freelance projects. Throughout the months of September and October I've been working none-stop during the day as well as every evening and every weekend in order to get things done.

Things have finally slowed down and so I'm taking the opportunity to catch up with some posting. So here is a short review of what Explorer Berlin has been up to over September and October.

My dinner at my cousins very pink wedding.

Time to dig in to my birthday cake!

In September I celebrated my birthday (quietly) and a few days later our lovely 'food exchange' friends invited us over for yet another fantastic dinner. This time it was a goulash and a surprise birthday cake for me which had more calories than Willy Wonker's factory! It was a typical German cake called a "Danube Wave" or Donauwellen, so called for it different layers and the wavy decoration on top. It...was...incredible! Thank you Lisa! Still on a food note, we also celebrated Mexican Independence Day (the 16th September) at the tiny Mexican restaurant, "Tacos de Mexico", in Schöneberg.

MEXICO!

Some of the decoration in 'Tacos de Mexico'

The restaurant had been decorated and the tables and chairs placed around the walls to help with the party vibe. In typical colourful Mexican style the restaurant attracted a group of expat Mexicans who have obviously been living in Berlin a long time. It felt a little like a private party that we gatecrashed so we felt a bit excluded from the main group. The delicious 'pozole' soup made up for it though. My Michelada however (a beer prepared with spicy stuff and lime or lemon juice) was pretty disappointing. The highlight of the evening was some traditional dancing from three ladies wearing traditional dresses.

A delicious Mexican 'pozole' (po-sol-ey) soup on Mexican Independence Day

During September we we went back to the UK for my cousins wedding and also had two separate visits from friends. Having people visit is always a good excuse to catch the touristy side of Berlin so we did two trips to the Bundestag, a Sunday in Mauerpark (the weather was still very summery), a good old wander around the main attractions and lots of beer drinking! We ate a lot of pretzels, a fair few hotdogs and downed a ridiculous amount of beer and it also gave me an opportunity to escape from work for a bit.

We stopped for a cheesy pretzel at the Brandenburg Gate

We have been sharing a house with a very nice German couple since August. They are from the north east of Germany so they grew up in the GDR. It's really interesting learning about what life was like for them as children. They are great to live with but the highlight has to be the constant supply of home-made jam!

A jar of home-made pear jam

Throughout September and October crates and crates of new fruit kept appearing in the kitchen (their family has an orchard with apples, pears and plums) in what seemed like an endless supply. Our housemate worked his magic week after week creating jars and jars of delicious pear, apple and plum jam as well as an amazing pear cake and pear strudel. It is refreshing to see that people still make home-made fresh jams and juices and we're just glad we live with someone who takes the time to make and share them! Thanks guys! I'll be writing more on the jam making process in an upcoming post.

In October we went to see some short films at the Latina American Film Festival, LaKino, which I will review shortly on Explorer Berlin. We also enjoyed seeing the weather turn from summer to autumn in Berlin. It was a very beautiful month to just walk around the city and we got some great shots of Berlin in autumn.

The Bundestag in autumn

Hopefully we'll be posting on a more regular schedule and keeping you up to date with our explorations around Berlin!

Bike of the Week: Number 23

2012-11-02T01:00:00.000-07:00

We caught this week's winner...

Culture Vulture

...visiting Museum Island.

Bike of the Week: Number 22

2012-10-26T01:00:00.000-07:00

Our "Bike of the Week" is...

Try to realise the truth - There is no bike.

...Hanging out at Oberbaumbrücke.

Bike of the Week: Number 21

2012-10-19T01:00:00.000-07:00

The winner of this edition of "Bike of the Week" is...

grrrrrrr!

...sleek, black and sexy!

Bike of the Week: Number 20

2012-10-12T01:00:00.000-07:00

The "Bike of the Week" is...

Bike on a wire

...a Leonard Cohen fan, apparently.

Bike of the Week: Number 19

2012-10-05T01:00:00.000-07:00

Today's "Bike of the Week" is...

Cucumber sandwiches anyone?

...having a picnic.

Bike of the Week: Number 18

2012-09-28T01:00:00.000-07:00

The "Bike of the Week" has mostly been...

Fancy a dip?

...chillin' out by the Spree.

German Idioms related to "Stooopid People"

2012-09-24T12:17:00.000-07:00

I'm rather fond of these German idioms used to describe dumb people. Maybe because of the images they conjure up in my mind or maybe because they are a little different from the English equivalents.

Next time you are practicing your German why not throw in one of these to the mix to earn some Brownie points? My problem is that I can ONLY speak in idioms because I haven't learnt anything else in the language yet!

Anyway - here is my list of stooopid idioms:

Cartoon by Cartertoons

"Dumm wie Bohnenstroh sein"

As dumb as a bundle of bean straw

(thick as two short planks)

"Sie hat nicht alle Tassen im Schrank"

She doesn't have all her cups in the cupboard

(she's not all there)

Die dümmsten Bauern ernten die dicksten Kartoffeln

The most stupid farmers harvest the biggest potatoes

(dumb people are often very lucky)

Das Ei will klüger sein als die Henne

The egg wants to be smarter than the hen

Bike of the Week: Number 17

2012-09-21T01:00:00.000-07:00

We love the contrast between...

Modern art?

...the "Bike of the Week" and the red door.

German Idioms related to "The Little Boys Room"

2012-09-19T01:00:00.000-07:00

Every language has interesting ways to describe the act of going to the toilet or "popping to the loo" as we say in the UK. In fact, bathroom idioms are part of everyday life not just in English but in German too.

Here are a few German language expressions that I have found related to the WC. If you know of any more I would be very interested to hear them.

Cartoon by Hule

"Wo der König allein hingeht"

Where the king goes alone

"Sie sind ebenso schmutzig wie Toilettenpapier"

You're just as dirty as toilet paper

"Das stille Örtchen"

The quiet place (the toilet)

"Wo der Kaiser zu Fuß hingeht"

Where the Kaiser goes on foot

I imagine a king every time I go to the loo now. It makes the whole "process" a lot more fun :P

The Pratergarten: Drink and Be Merry!

2012-09-17T01:00:00.000-07:00

You can't and probably shouldn't live in Germany for long without experiencing the Biergarten (beer garden) culture. Hummmm...It's only taken me six months! The only experience I have ever had of this type of drinking 'arrangement' was in Madrid a couple of years ago at the famous Plaza de Toros de las Ventas (Madrid largest bullring) where they used to host an annual Oktoberfest-style "Feria de La Cerveza". I don't remember the whole event clearly but I do remember lots of German beer, sausages, long tables and German Oom-pah music. I also woke up with an over-sized beer glass in my house the next day so I must have had a good time!

I had the opportunity recently to experience something closer to the real deal at the PraterGarten in Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin. I've now been to the Pratergarten twice, once in the evening and once in the daytime. Both times it was fairly quiet (due to my choice of unsociable drinking times!) but I enjoyed it nonetheless. The beer is maybe a little over-priced compared to other bars in the area but you are paying for the location. I think it is also fairly 'touristy' too and it attracts a more international crowd more than locals.

The Pratergarten dates back to 1837 when beer was first served at the location and in 1852 it became a place of all-round leisure activities. It became a well established performance venue hosting theater, ballroom and political events.

The Biergarten itself is an impressive size with lots of wooden trestle tables set out in rows (fairly typical biergarten stuff I suppose). There is a stage area which I assume they use from time to time for bands or live entertainment although I didn't see it in use. There are a few self-service bars where you buy beer, sausages and pretzels and also a more formal restaurant area.

The history of the German Biergarten is an interesting one and merits it's own dedicated blog (watch this space). Of course, we are all familiar with the most famous beer-related celebration of them all, Oktoberfest in Munich. I don't have enough money or stamina right now to visit Munich so the Pratergarten will just have to do for now.

Do you have a favourite Beer Garden in Berlin?

Bike of the Week: Number 16

2012-09-14T01:00:00.000-07:00

No, the "Bike of the Week" is...

Spiritual

...not in Asia. It's in Kreuzberg.

Bike of the Week: Number 15

2012-09-07T01:00:00.000-07:00

This "Bike of the Week" is...

You laughing at me?

...trying to blend into the backrground.

Parks in Berlin: Mauerpark

2012-09-03T14:12:00.001-07:00

Mauerpark, in the district of Prenzlauer Berg, is one of the most popular parks in Berlin. 'Mauer', which means 'wall' in German, is a reference to the fact that the park made up part of the 'death strip' during the times of the Berlin Wall. The park itself is an ok place just to hang out and relax with friends but there are lots of other reasons to visit, especially on a Sunday.

I've been to the park three times. In fact, this weekend a friend was visiting me from Spain so we decided to go there for a look around. There are many regular flea markets in Berlin and the Flohmarkt am Mauerpark has to be the most famous. It takes place every Sunday and has everything you would expect of a good flea market.

You can buy anything from designer clothing and jewellery, used bikes, second-hand clothes and shoes, posters, tools, toys and household goods, even, for some reason, a surprising amount of decorative door knobs! The market is always teeming with activity and aside from the usual offerings there are plenty of bars and food stands where you can grab a beer, a currywurst, burgers, pretzels, refreshments and more.

Not only can you do some bargain-hunting in the flea market or relax on the grassy area with a pic-pic, but there is normally some kind of organised entertainment going on including live bands and street performers. You can't go to the park on a Sunday without catching a bit of the famous Bearpit Karaoke Show which has been taking place on Sunday afternoons since 2009. It draws huge crowds to the stone circular stage area within the park and thousands of people head there to listen to the brave performers singing karaoke classics.

If you sing really well, the crowd goes wild. I'm not sure what the reaction would be if you don't sing well but I've heard there is a certain amount of boo-ing involved. I don't know if I'm ready for that kind of public criticism just yet so instead of getting up to give it my all, I sat on the hill with a beer and enjoyed the music!

We had the pleasure of listening to a few performances including a very well sung rendition of Creep by Radiohead and an impressive Frank Sinatra impersonation. Both of which received very enthusiastic responses from the audience.

So, if you can't think of anything to do next Sunday and you are in the mood for getting out of your pyjamas and heading into Berlin, keep Mauerpark in mind. Beware though, if you plan on playing frisbee, watch out for excited dogs! We decided to play on Sunday and within two minutes a dog came pounding up and stole our frisbee. He seemed very happy with his find at least for the two seconds he played with it before biting the plastic in two and destroying any flying capability it may have had. Note to self for my next trip to Mauerpark - Either A) buy a better quality 'dog-proof' frisbee or B) just take beer!

The flea market takes place in Mauerpark every Sunday between 8am and 6pm (although in my experience it's better to go in the morning). The Karaoke starts at around 3pm but there is usually some kind of entertainment going on all day at the stage area.

Bike of the Week: Number 14

2012-08-31T01:00:00.000-07:00

Not sure if the "Bike of the Week" is...

Elvis' old bike?

...made of solid gold or just rusty.

Müggelsee: Berlin's largest lake

2012-08-28T23:58:00.000-07:00

Berlin has many rivers, lakes and canals and we recently discovered the biggest lake of them all, Müggelsee, in the district of Treptow-Köpenick to the south-east of the city. Großer Müggelsee ("Large" Müggelsee), with an area of 7.4 square kilometers (2.9 square miles) and a length of 4.3 km (2.7 miles), reaches a depth of 8 meters whilst it's smaller brother, Kleiner Müggelsee ("Small" Müggelsee) feeds the River Spree into the larger lake from the east.

We visited the lake recently and found out that on a weekday morning it is mainly deserted. We can imagine that it can get rather busy though especially during a hot summer weekend. It was actually very nice to escape the city and to enjoy the soothing sounds nature had to offer for a few hours. We approached the lake from the south side at Müggelseeperle but there are some other worthwhile places to visit all around the lake including the towns of Friedrichshagen and Rahnsdorf.

The lake, being a quite popular day-trip destination for Berliners, has beaches as well as public paths and various resorts around the lake. There are a couple of official bathing beaches and plenty of places to hire paddle boats, motor boats and even canoes.

There are many paths and cycle lanes as well as lake-side cafes, restaurants and beer gardens to relax in and enjoy the view. What we really liked about our quick visit was that there was a lot of wildlife there including ducks, swans and deer. We also spotted a fox on our walk.

There are quite a few activities close by such as a Waterworks Museum ("Museum im Wasserwerk") in Friedrichshagen on the north side of the lake. There you can find out about the history of the water supply system and see a permanent collection of machinery, tools and documents related to Berlin's water supply and the history of the plant which still supplies water to Berlin today.

It takes around an hour to get there by public transport (S-Bahn and/or bus) from the city center depending on which part of the lake you wish to visit. Check the useful 'journey planner' on bvg.de to find out the best way to get there. By car it takes about 30-40 minutes and there are lots of places to park around the lake.

A walk around the whole lake I suppose would take around 3-4 hours and I will definitely write a blog about it if I decided to go back and see how long it takes.

Kreuzberg in Pictures: Episode Four

2012-08-27T01:00:00.000-07:00

In this section of Explorer Berlin we share photos we took from our travels around Kreuzberg. Our theme this edition is the street art that can be found in the area.

There is just so much street art in Kreuzberg. Every corner you turn there is a new and inventive piece of grafitti waiting for you. After doing a little research into the murals I found out that two murals pictured in this blog are by an artist called Blu. AndBerlin did a blog about his work earlier in the year if you want to find out a little more about Blu.

As for the other two pieces I don't know who created them. Do you?

Enjoy the photos and if you get chance, I recommend visiting in person.

Check out some more street art photos on our facebook page.

What do you think of graffiti in Kreuzberg?

Do you think it is an eyesore or art?

Begging businessman on Waldemarstrasse

This was hanging from underneath the Oberbaumbrüke a few months ago!

Mural by Blu on Cuvrystraße

Mural by Blu on Oberbaumstrasse

Bike of the Week: Number 13

2012-08-24T01:00:00.000-07:00

Today's "Bike of the Week" is...

Poser!

Berlin Explorer

'Visions of Modernity' Temporary Exhibition

German Bureaucracy: The good and the bad

Berlin Architecture in Photos

Mexican Dinner time! Tinga de Pollo

Tinga de Pollo

Instructions:

Autumn in Berlin

My review of the 3rd Lakino Film Festival, Berlin, October 2012

Bike of the Week: Number 24

Technically this weeks winner...

...ARE "BikeS of the Week"

Explorer Berlin is back!

Bike of the Week: Number 23

We caught this week's winner...

...visiting Museum Island.

Bike of the Week: Number 22

Our "Bike of the Week" is...

...Hanging out at Oberbaumbrücke.

Bike of the Week: Number 21

The winner of this edition of "Bike of the Week" is...

...sleek, black and sexy!

Bike of the Week: Number 20

The "Bike of the Week" is...

The "Bike of the Week" is...

...a Leonard Cohen fan, apparently.

Bike of the Week: Number 19

Today's "Bike of the Week" is...

Today's "Bike of the Week" is...

...having a picnic.

Bike of the Week: Number 18

The "Bike of the Week" has mostly been...

The "Bike of the Week" has mostly been...

...chillin' out by the Spree.

German Idioms related to "Stooopid People"

Bike of the Week: Number 17

We love the contrast between...

We love the contrast between...

...the "Bike of the Week" and the red door.

German Idioms related to "The Little Boys Room"

The Pratergarten: Drink and Be Merry!

Bike of the Week: Number 16

No, the "Bike of the Week" is...

No, the "Bike of the Week" is...

...not in Asia. It's in Kreuzberg.

Bike of the Week: Number 15

This "Bike of the Week" is...

This "Bike of the Week" is...

...trying to blend into the backrground.

Parks in Berlin: Mauerpark

Bike of the Week: Number 14

Not sure if the "Bike of the Week" is...

Not sure if the "Bike of the Week" is...

...made of solid gold or just rusty.

Müggelsee: Berlin's largest lake

Kreuzberg in Pictures: Episode Four

Bike of the Week: Number 13

Today's "Bike of the Week" is...

Today's "Bike of the Week" is...

...simple and sophisticated.