An hour before and a block away

On Sunday I was invited to a reading at the historical, yet newly renovated, now known as Soho House. It was built as a Jewish-owned department store in prewar Berlin before being confiscated by the Nazis. Soon thereafter, it was home of the administration for the Hitler Jugend. After the war, the building was occupied by the communist regime. In the decade I’ve lived in Berlin, it has been boarded up and seemingly abandoned. Until now that is. (The story may seem extraordinary but I assure you that as far as Berlin is concerned, it isn’t.)

I’m not so sure how it once was, but the building is now large and airy featuring high ceilings and modern art. We didn’t encounter very many people inside but the few we did meet were sure to tell us that they were members.

The Soho House is the epitome of exclusivity. It boasts itself as a members-only private club, which essentially means that you have to be on the list to make it through the door. Luckily it only took a short email to get myself on that list.

The reading was in the so-called Library, which may be the first library I’ve ever encountered featuring a full bar. I ordered us 2 coffees. When the bartender demanded 13 euros in return I almost choked. Perhaps members get a discount but I doubt it. I can only imagine what a membership would cost. (More importantly, the membership application calls for a photo, career history and a recommendation).

We left the lap of luxury 2 hours later with only a few euros left but hungry as bears. Luckily our favorite meal was only a block away. We were at the Com Viet in a matter of minutes. The concrete building never housed any regime’s elite but instead was built as housing for the people of East Berlin. Membership is not required to enter the authentic, family owned Vietnamese restaurant but only the chosen will be lucky enough to find a table. It is small and crowded with unbeatable prices. It is the antithesis of the Soho House.

The owner came to our table to check on us. We are regular customers and the boss makes sure that we know that he knows it – every time. We can afford to keep coming back since our 2 big dinners cost less than we had paid for 2 coffees just an hour before and a block away. I feel special and welcome and appreciated at the Com Viet. It is almost like being a member.

Berlin’s wasteland

Berlin’s Mitte is almost done but a short walk from Museum Island and you’ll find yourself in a wasteland once again. The land is former death strip territory that once paralleled the length of the Berlin wall. For the past 20 years builders and investors have been busy filling in the empty space left in Berlin’s city center though there are a few swathes of land that the construction cranes haven’t made it to yet. This strip features a sign assuring us that the wasteland we see now will be transformed into luxury condos by this time next year. I didn’t take a picture of the sign but I did take a picture of the dumpster sitting on the edge of the property. It looks like it has been there for a while and this isn’t any old dumpster either. This dumpster features a satellite dish on its roof and windows on the side. I took a picture because I fear that a year from now it won’t be there any more, as is the case with so many things in Berlin. This is the most unsentimental city I know of. The only constant in Berlin is the destruction of what came before. But that means there will always be something new to come.

The property was surrounded with a fence, which is why I couldn’t get any closer to the dumpster and knock to see who was inside. Perhaps I would have found the first of many condo owners staking his claim to beat the rush.

The M2 with Marco

The M2 tram that services the city district of Prenzlauer Berg and beyond is always full. No matter the time of day or the day of the week, it is always über full, so why would New Year’s Eve be any different? We were on our way to the Brandenburg Gate to ring in the New Year. We squeezed onto the tram and as the doors closed, a silence fell over the crowd. In the second before we started moving, I heard a voice call out from the front of the tram car. I thought maybe someone’s bag was stuck in the door or maybe someone hadn’t managed to get off the tram in time. But then I heard it again and this time there was an answer. I heard “Marco” and in reply someone yelled “Polo.”

East meets West

We started celebrating just under a year ago with the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall (Nov. 2009) and today the celebration continues with 20 years of reunification in Germany.

We talk about reunification, but it would probably be more accurate to say that East Germany (the GDR- German Democratic Republic) ceased to exist while West Germany (the FRG- Federal Republic of Germany) became much larger than it had been. As a result, reunified Germany has been criticized repeatedly for having dedicated the last 20 years to systematically erasing all signs and symbols of the German Democratic Republic (the Palast der Republik comes to mind, which disappeared completely just  a few years ago).

There is no denying that some remnants of the former East are here to stay in Berlin, whether we like it or not. It is difficult to imagine the city without the 368-meter Television Tower, which dominates the skyline and has become a symbol for the whole of Berlin. Directly across from the TV tower at Alexanderplatz there is a little-known square known as “Marx-Engels Platz”. Many Berliners are not familiar with the square or the large sculptures of Karl Marx and his good friend Friedrich Engels that stand in the middle of it. Tourists know the location well, however, and many seek it out, especially those coming from China.

In the ongoing attempt to reunify Berlin both literally and figuratively, a new subway is being built which will extend from Alexanderplatz to the main train station, passing under the Brandenburg Gate, the Unter den Linden boulevard and Marx-Engels Platz. In preparation for the construction, Marx and Engels were relegated to the northwest corner of the square for the construction period. They were moved carefully and placed at the river’s edge, this time facing West. The last I saw, Engels still had a hood covering his head. It looks as if he cannot stand the site of what he sees in the West. Marx on the other hand, will surely be watching the fireworks over the Reichstag this evening.

Stop and smell the flowers

It is amazing what you’ll find, sometimes in the most unlikely of places. This time it was on one of the most unspectacular corners in Berlin near my home in the neighborhood of Weissensee. I was on my way to the supermarket, when I was forced to  stop because I was overwhelmed by the scent of flowers. Roses to be exact. Though I find myself on this corner on almost a daily basis, I had never noticed the flowers before.

It wasn’t just a bed of flowers either, but what appeared to be an entire field of roses. Trampling through the field was a shirtless homeless man, leaning down to sniff each individual rose. When he found the one he wanted, he plucked it and stuck it behind his ear.

World Cup Oddities

It doesn’t happen that often, but certainly once every four years patriotism abounds in Berlin. The flags come out of the woodwork and suddenly I’m seeing black, red and gold everywhere I look: on the cars (the windows, side mirrors, the hood), the buildings, even on the faces of the people passing by.

Yes the World Cup has this city in its clutches. Berlin has become one gigantic “public viewing” venue. Every little kiosk, cafe, restaurant and beer garden has a big-screen TV showing all of the games live. Even one of the major thoroughfares through the heart of the city is closed to traffic in lieu of a ferris wheel, beer tents and most importantly, a huge screen to watch the games.

While the trains do not feature TVs, the conductors do announce the scores of the soccer matches so that even those passengers without smartphones know what’s what.

So after disembarking the train in Berlin, knowing that the Netherlands had defeated Slovakia, I headed to the Prater beer garden to meet a friend. It wasn’t even game time, so you can imagine my surprise when I had to undergo a bag search before entering. They weren’t looking for knives or other weapons, but rather bottled drinks.  The World Cup policy is ‘No outside beverages.’ So on one of the warmest days of the year thus far, I was forced to part with my water bottle. They don’t want you drinking water from a plastic bottle; they would prefer you drink their beer – from a plastic cup? Yes, you can imagine my chagrin when the cold and foamy wheat beer I ordered was served in a plastic cup. The sign said: “For the duration of the World Cup all drinks will be served in plastic cups. We thank you for your understanding.” But it isn’t even game time, I wanted to cry. Throwing my cup on the ground for added emphasis would not have proven effective in this case either.

Blame it on the World Cup. Luckily it only happens once every four years. On my way out of the beer garden, I was delighted to find my water bottle lined up with all the others. I will gladly drink water from a plastic bottle, beer on the other hand, is a different story. I’ll return to the beer garden in mid-July and until then I’ll watch the soccer matches at the Mexican restaurant with a margarita in a frosted glass.

Seven signs of Spring

A glance at the calendar and it is clear: we are shoulder deep in spring.  One step outside though and the most optimistic of Berliners are bound to have their doubts. It may require significantly more effort to see the signs of spring in Berlin this year, but I assure you they are there .

1.  Sidewalks have become drastically narrower now that the cafes have set up their outdoor dining rooms – complete with fleece blankets.

2. The neighborhood ice-cream shop has reopened after a long winter spent south of the border – the only thing missing is the line of customers stretched down the block.

3. Open-air cinemas are open for the season – though it’s going to take a lot more than a fleece blanket.

4. The birds know it is spring and they will tell you all about it at 4:45am just as the sun is coming up.

5. Just about every restaurant has an asparagus dish on their list of specials – the white variant and most often served with hollandaise sauce.

6. It is 9:00pm as I sit and write this and it is light as day outside:)

7. Karaoke in the Mauerpark has started up again on Sunday evenings after a long winter nap. The crowds don’t seem to mind the temperatures either.

Time Travel

Upon leaving my apartment today, I was struck by the amount of litter on the streets in Berlin. I thought to myself, I must have missed some party last night. Champagne corks mixed with the remains of a variety of fireworks littered just about every street corner. As I progressed through the city, it occurred to me that I was seeing the streets and sidewalks for the first time in months. The snow and ice had finally melted completely to reveal the foundation underneath. After a quick calculation, I realized that it had first started to snow in Berlin on New Year’s Eve and the city has been buried under a layer of snow and later thick ice ever since. So, I didn’t actually miss some city-wide wild time this weekend, instead the thaw that has set in only recently is revealing what has remained buried since January 1, 2010. I feel like a time traveler, carried back to the first day of a new year. It feels like something great is about to begin…

Beer to go

It took me a long while to get used to the cigarette machines, which are still quite plentiful in Berlin and much of Germany. But after 8 full years of living here, I am still shocked to discover beer available in vending machines.

It is no secret that beer is a large part of German life. It certainly is the beverage of choice for most locals and therefore ubiquitous in the society. Beer is available for purchase at the movie theaters, Starbucks or gas stations. Beer can be consumed legally on city streets, parks or on the public transport. And if you find yourself on a regional train without a dining car, the vending machines offer a fair alternative.

This picture was taken on the crowded regional train from Werder to Berlin. It is a vending machine offering orange soda for 1.80 €, bottled water for 1.70 € and the local brew (Berliner Pils) for only 1.40 €. So the rumors are true; Beer truly is cheaper than water in this country.

I got some very funny looks from fellow travelers as I squatted down to snap the picture. They surely took me for some silly tourist and probably were never able to understand what I could possible find so interesting on a vending machine. Why would they? A few short years ago it was not possible to get a decent cup of coffee to go in Berlin. But beer to go is nothing new.

Slippery Slopes

Berlin may be flat but the locals know where to find the hills when necessary. It only takes a light dusting of snow for the Berliners to  head for the hills in full force with sleds at the ready. So you can imagine what it looked like last weekend after it has snowed yet again, covering the already compacted snow and ice with a new layer.

Though the sledders are both young and old, no one seems able to control their direction or speed. In fact, it can be downright dangerous for anyone and everyone involved. The screams come every few minutes, usually from the sledders trying to warn the people in their path to jump out of the way.

The Berliner’s choice of sled has much to do with the urgency of the screams. You’ll find a few plastic sleds; you’ll even see a plastic bag or two; but by far the majority have the good, old-fashioned and deadly wooden racers, which are similar to Flexible Fyers but are German through and through in design. They may be considered vintage in the US but they are very current and beloved in Berlin.

Sledding is taken quite seriously in Berlin. It could be called a sport – and as everyone knows, every sport requires the proper equipment. The classic Berlin sled is wooden, often with gliders lined with metal that in any case should be greased beforehand for speed and to ensure a smooth ride. The result is that the snow on the steep slope in the Mauerpark in Berlin is spotted with drops of blood. It means that the screams you may hear should not be ignored.

One woman we met bearing witness to the madness said that the police should monitor what goes on there and an ambulance should be waiting at the ready. She was not amused by the scene and was serious when she suggested that a walkway be marked with a rope for the sledders. She seemed to be the only one to believe in these restrictive measures since everyone else appeared deliriously happy as they collided and flipped over before eventually coming to an abrupt halt upon hitting a tree, garbage can or whatever else may get in the way.