Wandelism: old garage turned into street art exhibition

Remember The Haus? Well this year it's not a house, it's a garage and it's about to be torn down. For two weeks only (initially one week), an old car repair garage has been taken over by 90 local and international street artists and transformed into an urban art gallery. 

The title of the exhibition, Wandelism, is a play on the words Wandel (which means change in German) and vandalism. The aim is to show that Berlin is still colourful and wild. In a city that is slowly becoming too expensive for artists, Berlin's artists need to find their own spaces. 

Spread over 2000 square metres, 15 rooms, 2 halls and a basement, the art-work is certainly very colourful and varied. Just don't forget to look inside the toilets!

A feast for the eyes: if you enjoy photography head for City West

Helmut Newton Foundation

For many tourists and Berliners alike, the area next to Zoo Station is most readily associated with the eponymous zoo, the aquarium, the Bikini shopping mall and the Gedächtniskirche (or Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church if you prefer). However, over the past three years this has become Berlin’s temple of photography. In 2014, the C/O Berlin gallery moved from its location in Mitte to Amerika Haus, on Hardenbergstraße, just around the corner from Jebensstraße, the location of the Museum of Photography. The latter houses the Kunstbibliothek’s Collection of Photography and the Helmut Newton Foundation. In December, these venues opened their doors to two exhibitions showcasing vintage prints from the pre-digital and pre-Photoshop era of the 1960s and 1970s. While Joel Meyerowitz was a pioneer of colour photography, Guy Bourdin and Helmut Newton broke the conventions of fashion photography.

Fashion Revolution

The exhibition showcased by the Helmut Newton Foundation is called Guy Bourdin. Image Maker / Helmut Newton. A Gun For Hire / Angelo Marino. Another Story. For the first time ever, the iconic images of the two revolutionary fashion photographers, Guy Bourdin and Helmut Newton, are presented side by side. Bourdin and Newton were the star photographers of French Vogue and worked for the most prestigious fashion houses. With their provocative and ironic images, they transformed fashion photography in the 1960s and 1970s. In the words of Shelly Verthime, curator of the Guy Bourdin Estate: “For the first time it was about the image – it was beyond the fashion”. The advertising images for Charles Jourdan shoes are particularly intriguing. Finally, the snap-shot images recently taken by Newton’s former assistant, Angelo Marino on an iPhone, should be seen as complementary to the exhibition and present a view on contemporary photography. 

Colour revolution

Joel Meyerowitz

The exhibition featured by C/O Berlin from December 2017 until March 2018 was dedicated to legendary street photographer Joel Meyerowitz. In the 1960s, when artistic photography was exclusively conceived in black and white, Meyerowitz was one of the first photographers to recognise the power of colour. At the press tour of the Joel Meyerowitz . Why Color? Retrospective, the photographer explained: “Colour added content and a richness of detail to an image that could not be found in a black and white photograph”. The C/O exhibition is focussed primarily on the vintage prints in black and white and colour from the 1960s and 1970s, leading up to the present day. Starting from scenes of New York street life, the exhibition included pictures from the European car journey, which Meyerowitz defines as the time he “came of age” and the Cape Cod studies on light. As the only photographer to be granted access to Ground Zero, the pictures of the aftermath of 9/11 are particularly striking. The exhibition ends with a series of portraits and Still Lifes, Meyerowitz’s latest endeavour. In case you missed the Berlin retrospective, the autobiographical photography book Joel Meyerowitz: Where I Find Myself has just been released.

Craft beer, vegetables and shipping containers at Gleisdreieck park

BRLO BRWHOUSE: a unique venue for craft beer

It was the last Sunday of the Berlinale: a fairly bright, albeit windy, day in February. After our first film at Zoo Palast we had a gap of a couple of hours before our next one at the Berlinale Palast, around Potsdamer Platz. So my husband and I decided to go for a stroll in the Gleisdreieck park. 

Gleisdreieck in German means triangular junction. At the end of the second world war, the railway area around Gleisdreieck became a wasteland. Over the years a rich vegetation developed. Thanks to strong public involvement, the abandoned area was successfully converted into a park, which opened in 2013, and has since become a very popular spot for Berliners. 

As we looked for somewhere for a bite to eat and to take shelter from the wind, we stumbled upon a rather odd but interesting looking construction. From the outside all we could see was a series of dark grey containers stacked on top of each other and a rather large white writing. Intrigued, we decided to have a peek inside. 

We were immediately greeted by an enthusiastic waiter and we decided to stay: we had found a true gem. It turned out that BRLO BRWHOUSE (the name of the place) is a brewery and restaurant with a great selection of craft beers, as well as tasty and innovative veggie dishes. Whether fermented, smoked, pickled or salted, the vegetable is the star of the menu at Brlo. For those who cannot live without meat, there is also a selection of regional meats, which are cooked in the smoker.

Core beers, new creations and selected others

The actual brewery is separated from the restaurant area by a glass window and a large panel where the beers are listed. The regular beers (or Stammbiere in German) are Helles, Pale Ale, German IPA, Porter, Berliner Weisse. The bar also stocks many new creations, as well as beers selected from local and international breweries. The house beer is priced at €3 for a small one and €4.5 for half a litre. The €15 menu includes a vegetable main, a side dish and something "on top" (for example "dried and puffed vegetables", "mixed pickles" or "German Kimchi"). 

The unpronounceable name BRLO is the old Slavic word for Berlin. Brlo is the brainchild of three friends with a passion for craft beer. Initially conceived as a brewery, BRLO BRWHOUSE is currently home to a brewery, restaurant, bar and beer garden. (When I visited the place last February the beer garden was still under construction).

The venue is unique: it is made of 38 shipping containers and, as indicated on the website, "the modular nature of the structure means it can be quickly disassembled and reconstructed anywhere in the world". As it so often happens in Berlin, the current location is temporary so a new home will soon be needed. Make sure you get there before it's too late!

Touring the Haus - temporary urban art gallery in Berlin

On a wet and windy Saturday morning in April we emerge from the Wittenbergplatz U-Bahn station. Clutching our umbrellas we walk along Tauentzienstrasse passing KaDeWe and dodging the crowds of tourists and shoppers. As we turn into Nürnbergerstrasse we spot a long queue of locals and tourists undeterred by the rain. They are patiently waiting in line to enter the building at number 68/69. 

From the outside it is a grey and ugly construction. What is all the fuss about? - one may ask. The only giveaway is the rather large and colourful graffitied H sprayed on the facade. This is no ordinary building. This is The Haus. For eight weeks only an old bank in the heart of the west Berlin shopping district has been converted into an art gallery. Each of the 108 spaces, including the toilets, corridors and staircases, have been turned into unique works of art by 165 local and international urban artists. 

We are called into the building 10 minutes before the start of our pre-booked tour. After paying the ticket and leaving our coats, bags and mobile phones, we are welcomed to The Haus. Our guide, a member of the art collective Drink and Draw, tells us how the project began. The property now belongs to investors who will tear it down and replace it with luxury apartments. But before the building is demolished at the end of May, the developers have agreed to hand over the keys to the street art group The Dixons. It was their idea to turn the building into a temporary art gallery. 

Our tour lasts two and a half hours and takes us through the five floors, where we see works by Case Maclaim, Stohead, El Bocho, Emess, 1UP, Herakut, Klebebande, Insane51, Rotkaeppchen & Goliath, Nick Platt and Paul Punk, just to name a few. Our guide tells us anecdotes about the building, the rooms, the artists and their work. He also points out different styles and techniques. Every room is unique. Some rooms are extremely colourful, others are dark or have black and white patterns. One room has been turned into a forest, while another was entirely decorated using a black marker pen. Some artwork was created with tape, while other rooms feature lots of paint. By the end of the tour we feel like we have been through a magical journey.

If you want to avoid the queues I strongly suggest booking a tour online. The cost is €10 per person (€4 for children) and will make the visit all the more interesting. Please note that photography is not allowed so put your phones and cameras away and enjoy the experience with all your senses. "The Haus was created to be destroyed" so make sure you get there in time. 

  

Berlin's biggest problem: dog fouling

Forget unemployment, rising rents, gentrification, air pollution, the "new" airport that will probably never open... the biggest problem in Berlin is the dirty pavements (or sidewalks if you prefer US English). Walking along the pavement without looking down every few seconds to check for dog mess is a hazard. Going for a walk in the park, especially if you dare to leave the main path, is like playing Russian Roulette with the soles of your shoes. Everywhere there is dog mess. Because Berlin may be full of children, but it is also full of dogs and rude dog owners. 

Some people are trying to tackle the problem with "no fouling" signs. The picture below was taken outside a Kita (children's nursery). It reads: "Children play here. This is not a toilet for dogs". I have seen similar signs near flowerbeds. Urban gardeners are clearly facing the same problem. Over the past month my son and I have stepped in dog mess three times.    

According to the website Bußgeldkatalog 2017, the fine for dog fouling in open spaces in Berlin is €35, while the fine for parking your car without a ticket for up to one hour is €15. Now I have a suggestion: Berlin is full of people working for the Ordnungsamt patrolling the streets day and night to check whether car drivers have paid the parking ticket. If half of these people started patrolling the parks and pavements and handing out fines for dog fouling, we might notice some improvement in the cleanliness of Berlin's pavements and paths and the council might even end up making more money. Berliners what do you think? 

How is this problem being tackled in other parts of the world?

Carnival in Berlin: Pfannkuchen time

If you live in Berlin you might not even realise that it is Carnival time. Unlike other German cities like Cologne or Mainz, Berlin does not have have a strong Carnival vibe. I was rather surprised therefore to discover that Berlin has in fact an old Carnival tradition, which is relatively unknown. Berlin's Karneval dates back to the 15th century, when the first Carnival parades were introduced by migrants from Lusatia. The Prussian kings continued the Carnival tradition by celebrating with masked balls. Then when the Rhineland became part of Prussia in 1815, migrants from this region brought their Carnival traditions with them: the first Rhineland Carnival clubs in Berlin were founded in 1870.

Nowadays, one of the few signs that it is indeed Carnival is the notices in bakeries advising you to order your Pfannkuchen. In other parts of Germany these pastries are actually called Berliner, but in Berlin they are called Pfannkuchen and are similar to doughnuts but without a hole. They are usually filled with plum jam or plum puree (Pflaumenmus) and are topped with icing or sprinkled icing sugar. They are traditionally eaten on Shrove Monday and Shrove Tuesday.

The other telling sign is the Carnival costumes in toyshops. With a few exceptions, Carnival in Berlin is mostly an occasion for children to dress up and have fun. 

There is actually a Carnival parade (Faschingszug, which has just celebrated its 15th birthday) through City-West, along Kurfürstendamm (or Ku'damm as it is called by Berliners) and ending up at Wittenbergplatz, but 
I certainly would not suggest coming to Berlin for the Carnival atmosphere.

For the real Carnival party, however, I would recommend waiting until the spring for the Karneval der Kulturen (literally Carnival of Cultures) in Kreuzberg. It is a four day street festival that celebrates Berlin's diversity. It is very international, loud and colourful. The street parade will take place on 4 June this year, so make a note in your diaries (or digital calendars).

Mittendrin oder rundherum?

Have you ever wondered what it is like to sit in the middle of an orchestra surrounded by professional musicians? At Konzerthaus Berlin, on Gendarmenmarkt, this is possible.
Mittendrin literally means "right in the middle" and is the title of a series of interactive concerts performed by the Konzerthaus orchestra, conducted by Iván Fischer. The idea is to bring the audience as close as possible to the orchestra in order to "experience the music up close and personal". At the end of the performance there is also the opportunity to ask Iván Fischer questions by sms.

Last Thursday I attended my first Mittendrin concert. In this case rather than sitting in the middle of the orchestra, the seats were arranged around the orchestra. As soon as the Hungarian conductor Iván Fischer walked into the concert hall, he was quick to point out that Mittendrin was not quite the right description and that rundherum (all around) would have been preferable. He explained that this type of music - Philip Glass "Façades" and 

John Adams „Fearful Symmetries" - could only be performed by the orchestra when the musicians sit together. Nevertheless, it was a unique experience. The music sounded amazing and the introduction about minimal music was made all the more interesting by  Iván Fischer's eloquence (very impressive for a non-native German speaker), charm and humour. To anyone looking for a different way to experience music, I would definitely recommend attending the Mittendrin concerts. As all the good events in Berlin, tickets sell out fast so make sure you book yours well in advance.

Goodbye Kaiser's

If you have been out food shopping in Berlin lately, you may be feeling a little confused. There are supermarkets with Kaiser's signs on the outside that inside sell Edeka products and there are supermarkets with brand new Rewe signs and half-empty shelves. This is because the Kaiser's Tengelmann supermarket chain is being taken over by Edeka and Rewe. The 120 odd Kaiser's supermarkets in Berlin have been equally split between the two competitors and the Kaiser's brand is being phased out.
I have to admit that I am quite sad about this. After eight years of living in Berlin I had grown fond of Kaiser's and their products. Whenever you needed groceries there would always be a Kaiser's nearby. But now everything is changing. At the moment it is all rather chaotic, as anyone who has ever been through a takeover knows only too well. Apparently there will be no jobs lost, but I could see the confusion and worry in the eyes of the employees in a supermarket under transformation yesterday. 
While change is happening everywhere around Schönhauser Allee and 
Pappelallee, I was relieved to see that my closest Kaiser's has not changed yet, but I know it is now only a question of days. Goodbye Kaiser's, we will miss you.

Wrapping up the Berlinale

The curtain has closed on the 67th edition of the Berlinale. Now that I have actually seen all the films I had bought tickets for, I can say that it was well worth the queue.

The Other Side of Hope is indeed a great film. It shows humanity, compassion and humour and above all is well directed. So congratulations to Aki Kaurismäki - the silver bear for best director is well deserved. 

My favourite film from this Berlinale has to be The Party. This dark comedy by Sally Potter is clever, funny and the acting is brilliant. Look out for it at a cinema near you.

Finally, the documentary Beuys by Andres Veiel about the artist Joseph Beuys is interesting in the sense that it shows a lot of archive material, but the film itself is rather disappointing. Having recently seen some of Beuys's artworks at the Hamburger Bahnhof (Museum for Contemporary Art) here in Berlin, I was hoping to gain more insight from the film. Unfortunately, I left the cinema thinking that the director had missed a really good opportunity. 

Berlinale impressions

After 10 days of screenings, press conferences, photo shootings and discussions, the winners of the 2017 Berlinale will be announced tonight. So far I have only seen one of the films in competition: the Brazilian film Joaquim, which unfortunately failed to impress me. I will watch three more competition films on Berlinale Publikumstag, the Sunday devoted to the public. However, my prediction is that the Finnish film Toivon Tuolla Puolen (The Other Side of Hope, about a friendship between a Finn and a Syrian refugee) will be a strong contestant for the Golden Bear this year. I also have a feeling that the Chilean film Una Mujer Fantastica (A Fantastic Woman) will win some serious prizes. 

In the past two editions of the Berlinale I happened to pick both winners before they were announced (Taxi in 2015 and Fuocoammare in 2016) so let's see if I am right this year.

Of the films I have watched, the ones I enjoyed the most were T2 Trainspotting (though don't expect Trainspotting 2) and Call Me by Your Name by Luca Guadagnino. Viceroy's House (set in India at the end of British colonial rule and ending with the partition into India and Pakistan) and The Lost City of Z (about British explorer Percy Fawcett) were both watchable and entertaining, with good acting. 

I also attended a talk at the HAU theatre with Berlinale jury president Paul Verhoeven and jury member Maggie Gyllenhaal. The theme of the talk was Courage Against All Odds. I thoroughly enjoyed watching clips from Robocop, Basic Instinct, Elle and The Secretary and listening to Paul Verhoeven's amusing tales.

To anyone planning to attend the Berlinale, I highly recommend going to at least one talk or Q&A. Last year's Q&A with Tilda Swinton after the screening of The Seasons in Quincy: Four Portraits of John Berger was both entertaining and inspiring.

To quote my friend Francesca, who attended a premiere at the Berlinale for the first time this year: "You have to fight for everything here!" I couldn't agree more: from buying the tickets, to getting into the cinema, to finding a good seat, or posting the card for the Panorama audience award, you have to constantly battle your way through the Berlinale. But once you sit down, the lights go off, the Berlinale theme tune starts (and the coughing begins), you will most likely have a rewarding and magical experience. Just remember: be prepared and follow my tips. Until next year...

Berlinale ticket fever

It is a Monday morning in February. There is an extremely cold chill in the air, but that does not stop Berlinale fanatics from leaving the warmth of their houses to queue up for the advance ticket sales. For the first time I have decided to join the queue. I have strategically picked the Potsdamer Platz Arkaden because I know that at least I will be in a warm place, unlike Kino International where the queue is outdoors. I arrive at 9:00, one hour before the box office opens. For the lucky ones with a Mastercard (official partner of the Berlinale) there is a special ticket counter with a short queue. However, I have no choice but to join the long queue. The people at the front are well equipped with sleeping bags, foldable chairs, blankets, hot drinks. One lady has a supermarket trolley full of luggage. Some have spent the night here. Others arrived in the early hours of the morning. By 10:30 the first film in the Competition category has sold out and the queue has barely moved. One of the old hands patiently explains the sales process to the non-adepts: "On the first day it takes twice as long  - his guess at 9:45 is that we will queue up for two hours - which unfortunately proves to be an underestimate - because people buy tickets for themselves, for their friends and because of the large number of tickets on sale, for example at the Friedrichstadtpalast. The advantage of buying tickets for the Friedrichstadtpalast is that you can watch films in the Competition and Berlinale Special categories and the atmosphere is good, but the downside is that the seats are uncomfortable". This is where my tip from the last post comes in handy: pick two films in a row to increase your chances of getting a good seat, at least for the second viewing. 

As it gets closer to 11:00 and we are still far away from the front of the queue, people start to get a little impatient. Nevertheless, everyone is still in a fairly jolly mood and hopeful of getting the tickets they want. I am a little disappointed, however, when I find out that one of the films I wanted (Theater of Life - part of Culinary Cinema goes Kiez) is sold out. As I finally get closer to the ticket desk and the writing on the screen becomes more legible, there is a moment of confusion among the non-adepts: "Why are there tickets on sale for next Monday?" - a woman cries out - "I thought you could only buy tickets three days in advance!" There is a collective sigh as we all think: "You have had three hours to study the programme and you still have not understood the ticket policy".  By the time it is my turn to buy the tickets I am exhausted after over three hours of standing. The man next to me is leafing through the programme, trying to make up his mind at the very last minute. I cannot think straight so I end up buying two tickets for every session, which is not what I had set out to do. But at least I bought tickets for all the right events. Some people are planning to queue up again tomorrow, but I have decided to give the online ticket system another go.

How to survive and enjoy the Berlinale

February in Berlin is by far the bleakest month of the year. It's grey, it's cold and it feels as if the winter will never end. Fortunately February is also the month of the Berlinale, the Berlin Film Festival, a major international event that brings excitement and glamour to the city of Berlin. 
Now in its 67th edition, the Berlinale is an indie film lovers' paradise, with hundreds of films from all over the world in original language (with English subtitles), projected on large screens in warm and comfortable cinemas and theatres across Berlin. The choice is huge: from obscure and odd films to indie masterpieces.
However, it can also feel rather daunting and stressful, due to the large crowds, long queues and variety of films to choose from. So if you're not a member of the press or a film professional and you want to make the most of your Berlinale experience, you too need to be prepared.

Understanding the Berlinale
First of all get yourself a programme, possibly both online from the Berlinale website and on paper. You can find the printed programmes at cinemas and theatres participating in the Berlinale and at the Potsdamer Platz Arkaden.
The programme has over 10 different sections.
The main section is the Competition. This is where you find the big names of cinema. Only the films that are part of the Competition are eligible for the big prizes: Golden Bear, Silver Bear, etc.
Just to make it more confusing, there are certain films (like T2 Trainspotting) that are shown in the competition section, but don't actually compete for the prizes.
The other sections of the Berlinale programme include 
Panorama: wide-range of art house films by renowned directors, but also debut films and new discoveries.
Forum: eclectic collection of experimental, avant-garde movies by young film-makers.  
Berlinale shorts: the name says it all.
Generation: films about young people.
Perspektive Deutsches Kino: films from promising German filmmakers.
Berlinale Special: new films by great directors and actors. Some big names here as well, but no prizes.


How do I buy tickets?
Advance sales start at 10:00 am on the Monday before the start of the Berlinale. Make a note in your diary!
Ticket sales for all screenings in Friedrichstadt-Palast, HAU, Volksbühne, Berlinale Goes Kiez and the last Sunday of the Berlinale start on the Monday.
Tickets can be purchased three days in advance. 
Tickets for repeat screenings of Competition films can be purchased four days in advance. 

If you are stuck at a desk all day, your best bet is to buy the tickets online. Make sure you have both a Berlinale and an Eventim account beforehand. Log on to the website of the Berlinale and be glued to the screen from 9:55 am. Keep your finger on the mouse and as soon as the sale starts click like a maniac! The tickets will sell out in seconds.
The other option is to brave the queues at the Potsdamer Platz Arkaden and at a few other locations.

Where can I see the celebrities?
One option is to stand by the red carpet of the Berlinale Palast. This is where the Competition films have their premieres. The opening and awards ceremonies also take place in the Berlinale Palast so the red carpet is pretty impressive!
Another option is to attend the Berlinale Special Gala at the Friedrichstadt Palast or at Zoo Palast. 
Try to gatecrash one of the many parties.
Hang around the posh hotel lobbies around Potsdamer Platz.

Where does it all happen?
The heart of the Berlinale is the area between Potsdamer Platz and the Berlinale Palast. But there are many other venues around town. I've already mentioned the  Friedrichstadt Palast and the Zoo Palast, but there's also the Kino International, the Haus der Berliner Festspiele and many more. There is also a special section of the Berlinale called Berlinale Goes Kiez; the idea is to bring the Berlinale to art-house cinemas in various Berlin neighbourhoods (or Kiez, as they are called in Berlin).    

What should I wear?
Unless you are planning to be on the red carpet, I recommend warm clothes and comfortable shoes! Berlin in February is usually cold and the pavements and streets could be covered in ice and snow. Be prepared to stand in long queues. You might even have to queue for long periods in the cold.

How do I get the best seats?
Get to the venue as early as possible and be prepared to wait.
One way to avoid queuing up in the cold is to watch two films in a row in the same location (for example at Friedrichstadt Palast). You will have to queue up for the first film but you will beat the crowds for the second screening.

Der Waldkindergarten (forest kindergarten)

It's a bitterly cold morning in January. The temperature is -6 degrees celsius according to my weather app. There is a thick layer of snow and ice on the pavement. The people out on the streets are all bundled up and walking purposefully towards their goals (tram stop, underground station, school, office). It is simply too cold to chat and linger outdoors. But as I leave my son's nursery I can't help noticing the bus parked on the corner opposite and the parents waving at their children.  

Just like any other morning, the bus will drive a group of three-to-five-year-olds and their teachers into the forest, where they will have breakfast, sing and play for three hours before being driven back to their warm kindergarten. These children attend a Waldkindergarten (forest kindergarten). The idea is that although the children grow up in a city, the forest is their playground and every morning their parents drop them off by the bus, which will drive them for half an hour outside the city into the forest, whatever the weather. Even when the temperature is several degrees below freezing. Obviously there are a number of advantages: the forest is a wonderful playground, the air is clean and pure and the children are free to run around, play, observe and learn about nature and the changing of the seasons. 

This concept is great in the spring, in the summer and even in the autumn. But in the winter? In Berlin? I know I'm missing the point here, but I'd rather be warm indoors than brave the cold Berlin winter for three hours every morning! 

Europe's number one airline

I remember my first flight with Ryanair. It was from Bournemouth to (Frankfurt) Hahn and it cost around £10. I had just finished university and low cost flights were a novelty back then. Hahn was tiny and still looked like a military airport. It was (and still is) difficult to reach, especially from Frankfurt, but flying had never been so cheap and parking was free.

Over the years other low cost airlines emerged and whenever I had a choice I would avoid Ryanair like the plague. I was delighted when I moved to Berlin to find that there were plenty of alternatives and for years I hoped that either easyJet or airberlin would start a direct flight to Palermo. Alas, that never happened. For a while there was Air One, but that soon disappeared. There was also Wind Jet, with a stopover in Rimini, but that airline no longer exists.

Then Ryanair announced a new connection: Berlin Schönefeld-Palermo. So after a long break I had to force myself to start flying with Ryanair again. Although I still would opt for easyJet when given the choice, I have to admit that I prefer Ryanair's policy of allowing passengers to take two pieces of hand luggage on board. 

What I find really annoying (as I assume most other people do) is the constant selling and announcements, including the jingle at the end of the flight if the plane lands on time. 

What amazes me is the fact that they are always looking for new sales opportunities but, as I recently discovered, that can be tricky when you "only" have two and a half hours of flying time. 

On my most recent journey back from Palermo, shortly after take off, the flight attendants started their procession as usual with a drink and snacks service, followed by duty free, then scratch cards, second bar service, special duty free sale (all perfumes for €20) and, wait for it, third bar service. With all this selling activity, the poor pilot couldn't get a word in edgeways. While two flight attendants were still passing through the cabin with their trolley and stopping to serve a cup of Lavazza coffee to the gentleman sitting behind me, the pilot signalled that we would be landing in 15 minutes. The stewardess looked at her colleague aghast: "This is ridiculous, we are landing in 15 minutes!"- she told him. So the flight attendants quickly cleared everything away and while one steward advised passengers that we would be landing soon, the pilot jumped in to announce that we would actually be landing in 10 minutes. A few minutes later as the pilot told the crew to take their seats, it all quietened down and we were able to land. "Ladies and gentlemen welcome to Berlin, where the current time is 1.30pm. Thank you for flying with Ryanair. Anyone for a cup of Lavazza coffee?"

There is only one response

I was at home in Berlin yesterday evening. My son hadn't been feeling well all day and I'd just finished putting him to bed. I finally sat down to check my emails: one from Amnesty International about the evacuation of East Aleppo caught my attention. So I turned on Twitter to send a tweet about Aleppo and I happened to notice a tweet about a truck seen driving into a Christmas market by the Gedächtniskirche, the memorial church in the centre of West Berlin.

My first reaction was: "It must have been an accident". I couldn't believe in an attack, but as more news emerged and the WhatsApp messages from anxious friends and family arrived, the reality started to sink in.

After the recent attacks in Paris, Brussels, Nice, etc. an attack in Berlin wasn't totally unexpected. Nevertheless, it was shocking and I'm still struggling to believe it really happened.

Berlin is a welcoming and tolerant city. It's the city of artists, free thinkers, LGBTQ+, liberals... everyone is accepted in Berlin. I've never felt like a foreigner since I moved here. As far as I can tell, it's trying its best to be a welcoming city for refugees. I know so many people who help or have helped in refugee centres here. 

So the day after this awful, cowardly, horrific act there is only one possible response: Berlin must remain a free, welcoming and tolerant city. It must remain a haven for artists, free thinkers, LGBTQ+, liberals, refugees. Those who have criticised Angela Merkel for welcoming refugees in Germany and who are blaming her for this vile attack should be ashamed of themselves.

Today we are all Berlin.

Advent - Berlin style

Advent in Germany is a special time. 

It's the time of the year for lighting candles on the Adventskranz (advent wreath), for baking Plätzchen (cookies), for drinking Glühwein (mulled wine) and heading to the Weihnachstmarkt (Christmas market).

If you're looking for traditional-style Christmas markets in Berlin, the ones at Gendarmenmarkt and Schloss Charlottenburg are worth seeing.

However, if you're looking for a more "Berlin" experience then head to one of the alternative Christmas markets. Always hosted in amazing locations, with tasty quality street food (pulled pork anyone?) and DJs, you'll find lots of original gifts: pictures, clothes, jewellery, handbags, lampshades, works of art (and much more) made by local designers and often sold at bargain prices. Don't expect pretty candles, traditional Christmas decorations, felt hats, Christmas carols, Bratwurst, Kartoffelpuffer (fried potato cakes) and the Christmas traditional market fare. 

Holy Shit Shopping - for one weekend only (3rd-4th December), but if you missed the one in Berlin you could still try Stuttgart or Hamburg. The location for this well-established indoor designer market this year was the former power station Kraftwerk Berlin.  

Weihnachtsrodeo - on the weekends of 10th-11th & 17th-18th December. The location this year is Postbahnhof am Ostbahnhof. Expect plenty of designer stalls, yummy street food, hip music and of course hipsters.

Holy Heimat - open from Thursday to Sunday during the entire advent season, this alternative Christmas market offers both indoor and outdoor attractions. 
The location is Haubentaucher (RAW Gelände) in Friedrichshain. As well as street food and designer pieces, there is also an ice skating rink, kid's wonderland and live music.  

For a non-shopping experience, head to the Christmas Garden Berlin at the Botanical Garden in Steglitz between 5 pm and 10 pm for a magical after-dark walk in a beautifully lit park. There is also an ice-skating rink.

Whatever you do, avoid Alexanderplatz at all costs. It's a tourist trap and possibly the ugliest place in Berlin.

We don't need more walls

It was November the 9th 2009. People, leaders and celebrities from all over the world had gathered in the German capital to mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall. I had just moved to Berlin and was delighted to be able to participate in the celebrations by the Brandenburg Gate. It was a cold night, it was raining, but we were all excited to witness this historical moment.

One of the leaders who gave a speech about the importance of the fall of physical and mental walls was US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. 

How sad and ironic that exactly seven years later Hillary Clinton should lose the US presidential election to a man who has promised to erect a wall on the border between the United States and Mexico (amongst many over outrageous proposals).

Former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown was also in Berlin for the 20th anniversary of the fall of the wall and spoke of one united Europe. Seven years later Brexit happened.

If there is one place on earth that knows the devastating effects of a wall this is Berlin, the city I live in and a city that was divided for almost 30 years.

When people worldwide choose to build more walls, more barriers, more fences both physical and psychological, something has clearly gone wrong.    

Mogwai Play Atomic at Admiralspalast

Mogwai Play Atomic

30.08.2016 Admiralspalast Berlin

Judging by the crowd gathered outside the Admiralspalast on a calm Tuesday evening for the German premiere of Mogwai Play Atomic, two things were clear:

a) it was an event not to be missed and

b) there was no way it would start on time.

Thirty minutes after the scheduled “doors open” time, the queue stretched all the way along Friedrichstrasse to the edge of the river Spree, while amused waiters and passers-by wondered what on earth was going on. The waitress at the Café Madrid had never seen a queue like that outside the restaurant.

Once inside, there were more queues for the toilets, but the most impressive one was for the drinks. As the bar queue got longer and ticket-holders still kept streaming in through the main doors, an usher spoke in an agitated tone into his walkie-talkie: "We have run out of cold beer!". Clearly, this was not your typical evening at the Admiralspalast, a rather grand 1920s Art Deco theatre, which normally hosts more mainstream events. As if by magic, a crate of cold beer materialised within five minutes and was delivered to a relieved barman.

As the venue finally filled up, the lights were dimmed and Mogwai quietly settled on stage, while the projection of the film began.
The documentary itself was a collection of powerful images based on the atomic theme. The majority focused on the deadly aspects of nuclear energy: the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and its horrific impact on the land and its inhabitants, as well as the devastating effects of Chernobyl and Fukushima. There was also interesting footage of the anti nuclear movement, the Cold War, as well as instructions to the British population on how to prepare in the event of an atomic bomb. Towards the end there were some references to the more hopeful and positive applications, such as nuclear medicine. 

Mogwai’s music entirely captured the mood of the film and reflected both the horrors and the more hopeful and beautiful moments.  The live music experience made the emotions generated by the images on screen all the more powerful.  As the film came to a conclusion, the sounds continued to propagate from the amps and one by one the musicians left the stage. The lights came back on, while a satisfied crowd applauded warmly.

Mogwai’s live performance of their soundtrack to Mark Cousins’s documentary Atomic: Living in Dread and Promise was part of the Pop-Kultur festival.

Special thanks to Nils for the photographic contribution 
http://www.nilswittephotography.de/