Germany – Berlin (week 2)

I’d have to say that Europe is off to a good start.  It is been very easy to adapt to reading books in cafes, sitting in parks, drinking beer in the afternoons, and wandering in and out of little boutiques.  The weather has improved quite a bit and the nights have been weirdly short (sunset was at 10 pm, sunrise at 4 am).  Berlin has much to do and I’ve been getting out to some interesting places.

On “Museum Island” I hit the top exhibits of the 5 neighboring museums floating on an island in the Spree: the Ishtar Gate (entrance to Babylon), a bust of the Egyptian Queen Nefertiti, Greek sculptures, and European renaissance-era paintings.  Also on the island is the Berliner Dom, a beautiful Evangelical cathedral.  It being a clear and sunny day, there were many people “worshiping” from the lawn just outside.

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Velvety wallpapers in dark colors, oil portraits, and porcelain were all the rage when Queen Sophie Charlotte of Prussia commissioned the 17th-century baroque palace “Schloss Charlotennburg”.  The decor still creates the desired effect–intimidation and wonder at the vast wealth of the monarchs.  Although the inside of the palace is impressive, the real jewel is the garden out back which–while it is still landscaped to royal standards–now serves as a public park.  Having brought two sandwiches from a Turkish bakery, I had a small picnic near the pond and then just laid in the grass for a while.

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I went back to the Reichstag building one evening to tour the glass dome that stands on top.  The dome is a nice modern ornament on an old gray building and although it is made of clear glass it always looks blue under the sky.

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Over the weekend, I went out with my Air B’n’B hosts to some Berlin hipster bars.  Here is how to open a Berlin hipster bar in 5 easy steps: 1. Find a space that could be plausibly be described as “reclaimed” or “formerly abandoned”.  2. Make no improvements.  3. Collect furniture left curbside for city trash collection.  4. Install two 30-watt bulbs for lighting.  5. Hire a DJ to spin obscure 60’s psychedelic rock.

These places are actually very cool and I loved hanging out in them.  You see the quintessential European social scene: 12 people crowded around a tiny table covered in glasses and candles, having long, quiet conversations–presumably planning their next revolution.

I spent a Saturday afternoon day drinking and swimming at Badeschiff, a revelation in waterfront utilization.  On the bank of the Spree, a white sand beach has been man-made and from it extends a dock leading to a swimming pool inside the river!  A bar, stage, and upstairs deck complete the scene.  Highly awesome.  A group of 10 guys showed up in Baywatch jackets and red swimsuits, reinforcing the mythical German love for David Hasselhoff.

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Sunday afternoon was the famed weekly Mauerpark flea market, attended by thousands.  It’s another chance to pick up a cool t-shirt or vintage leather jacket or just hang with your friends and have a cookout on a tiny portable grill.  Best of all, there is karaoke.  The small amphitheater where it takes place was packed and the singers were performing to a crowd of around 2,000!  Amazing.  Next time, I’ll be on the performance bill.

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Returning to the question of whether Berlin is the coolest city in the world, I’d like to offer few more reasons why it may be true:

1. Free park-ing – Berliners know how to make an afternoon in the park, usually packing friends, dogs, beers, and perhaps a small grill or a boombox or an acoustic guitar.  I enviously eavesdropped on this party in Volkspark Hasenheide and marveled at the genius of their playlist (Dusty Springfield, Iggy Pop, et al.).

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2. Ubiquitous art – from museums to galleries to murals to graffiti to urban animal statues to the humble cappuccino.

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3. Doner on every co’ner – Doner kebab is the unofficial official food of Berlin and, should you order it, will possibly be remembered as the best 3 € you ever spent.  Some locations offer interesting options, such as the surprisingly delicious falafel-fried cheese-peanut sauce sandwich.

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4. Hanging (out in) gartens – Like their diesel engines, some German traditions were built to last.

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5. Freedom of beach – Being land-locked does not deter Berlin from offering excellent (if artificial) mini-beaches.  In summer the Spree is a snaking soirée.

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