*berlin


quote by Franz von Suppé (1800)

I’ve been living in Berlin since the autumn of 2013. The first winter has been especially tough. After all the soft light, the warmer temperatures and – to put it simply – the “Frenchness” of Paris, Berlin felt gruff, grey and cold. I still don’t feel like I have really arrived but a sunny Berlin is definitely a crazy, exciting and fun experience. So, just as I did with my Paris posts I’d like to sum up my adventures in this ever changing city. If you do not want to miss any post with even just a glimpse of Berlin - just click >>here<<.

Well then, let's talk about Berlin...


&sights

I am afraid I still haven't done all the touristy things to do in Berlin. When you live in a city you sometimes just forget how much fun it is to prentend being a tourist. I especially love discovering new stuff while hosting friends and family. Here's what i blogged about so far:

Take a walk with me:
museums, memorials, interesting buildings:
Let's get out of the city:
Always keep your eyes open! Berlin is full of street art - something i really like. Examples here >>>



&shopping 

If you're a shopaholic, Berlin is perfect for you. There's just about everything you can wish for. From all those chain stores to these very hip vintage boutiques. My favorite are the fleamarkets. I haven't seen them all yet and there seem to be new ones popping up all the time. Here you can read about my shopping experiences:

fleamarkets/markets


&celebrations/fun

The people living in Berlin defintely like to party. Some of them are doing so a full weekend without pause... or even a full week. It's Berlin after all! As i am not a huge fan of big crowds and my disco days are kind of over, i am sorry not be able to give you much insight into Berlin's nightlife. So here are the parties i enjoyed in Berlin:
...or go watch a movie
Kein Kino >>> (Friedrichshain)


&food/restaurants

Oh, yes, my favorite topic! After Paris Berlin feels so much cheaper when you go out having dinner. I think we've been eating out more often since moving here. Here are some restaurants i have tried so far:

Cafés
Burgers 
in Friedrichshain
in Kreuzberg
in Mitte
elsewhere

Asian
Japanese
German
Other 
Food Markets 


&transport

I already wrote a post comparing Paris to Berlin. You can read it here >>>. All in all Berlin's pace is much slower which can be annoying for me sometimes. That concerns the frequency of transport but worse for me are the people that seem to have the speed of a snail. Biking is much faster (and easier than in Paris), though, and i guess i really need to get that bike. (All expats/people new to Berlin say they need one.) Walking everywhere is rarely an option. To really get around you cannot avoid other means of transport - because, let me warn you, distances are always much greater than they appear on a map... 


&people

To find some "original" Berliner is getting really tough. Berlin is such an international city that it's easy to find people from all over the world who moved here. It's rather "open" in every aspect as well. This also means that you pretty much can survive just speaking English. While the French may just ignore you, Germans tend to be a little less rude when you're not even trying to speak their language. Still, it's possible that the directness and lack of smile sometimes makes you wonder...  don't worry, deep down people are like soft teddybears but are known to "hide" it well. Once you've conquered their hearts you have a friend for life. With the fast pace of the city it is, however, not too easy and a lot of connections remain superficial.
One thing that leaves me astonished by now is how tourists behave in Berlin. It seems that the city is a crazy party playground to them. Yelling, public drinking (the weird kind) and destruction seem to be part of an average tourist program. Be assured that people behaving so badly are rarely Berliners!



&questions


I am happy to answer your questions to make this little section more informative!
louveaparis{at}gmail.com

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