English
Français
Deutsch
Italiano
Español
ONLY BE BERLINER
Only-Be Berliner
Berlin International Film Festival
Are you a cinephile? A movie buff who usually memorizes the dialogue of your favorite movies and can’t go to sleep until the last statuette has been awarded on Oscar night? If so, you’re in luck because it the 65th Berlin International Film Festival is about to begin. From February 5 to 15, the Berlinale Palast will host the screening of about 400 films produced worldwide. But only one of these will win the Golden Bear for Best Film, the Berlinale’s highest award. This year, the difficult task of choosing the best film of the festival has been tasked to the American filmmaker Darren Aronofsky, president of the International Jury of this edition. The Oscar-winning director of Black Swan and other members of the jury have a difficult job, because the line-up for the 2015 Berlinale is full of well-known names of international cinema. One of the most anticipated productions of the festival is the adaptation of Cinderella directed by Kenneth Branagh and starring Cate Blanchett, Richard Madden and Helena Bonham Carter. Another of the highlights of the Berlinale 2015 is the premiere of new work by Terrence Malick. The American filmmaker and author of The Tree of Life returns to directing with Knight of Cups, a film about the search for true love starring Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett and Natalie Portman. In addition, the 65th edition of the Berlinale has a Spanish accent. The Catalan filmmaker Isabel Coixet will be responsible for opening the exhibition of cinema with his new film Nadie quiere la noche, a film that follows two women from opposite backgrounds who become companions...
Alternative Shopping in Berlin
The more you travel, the more aware you that the world is a market. A market in which you can even buy a part of history in the form of pieces of the Berlin Wall. So we grabbed our coats to go shopping in Berlin.
Picnics in Berlin
The only things you’ll need are a checkered blanket, a basket full of sandwiches, and a thermos to have your own picnic. In this post, we recommend favorite spots of the “weekenders” in Berlin. Tempelhof, Viktoria, and Tiergarten are some of the green gems that this city has to offer. photo source: midwestliving.com Tempelhof Park is one of the most interesting green spaces in Berlin due to its long history. It used to be an airfield, and was a symbol of the city in World War II, but has now been converted into a park. Back in the day, it was a strategic point for allied aircraft to deliver supplies. It closed its doors, however, in 2008. These days, youth and families from all corners of Berlin flock here every weekend to get in touch with nature in the middle of the metropolis. If it is very sunny, which is unusual, it is advisable to bring an umbrella, since the main concourse was an old airport runway and provides little shade. Viktoria Park is one of the fashionable parks in Berlin. It serves as a meeting place for many, where people sunbathe and play sports, including tai chi and soccer. There are also tables where you can have a picnic with your family, partner or friends. Everyone likes to lie in the sun here, since the sun’s rays are sometimes absent and therefore, sought-after by Berliners. It is very common for people to arrive by bike. Usually these are leaning onto trees or lying in the grass. From here, you can also visit Kreuzberg, a hill...
Berlin from A to Z – Part I
A – Alexanderplatz. The heart of the city, this square was named in honor of Tsar Alexander I in 1805, which is when he visited the city. The train and metro station is one of the busiest on its square you’ll find the World Clock and TV Tower as well as several shops and restaurants. Locals refer to as ‘Alex’. B – Brandenburger Tor. The Brandenburg Gate is probably the most iconic landmark of the city. It was built in the late 18th century by the Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm II as a symbol of peace. Today it is a place of celebration for modern-day Berliners, from the fall of the Wall to the New Year. C – Currywurst. Don’t leave Berlin without having tried currywurst, a grilled sausage that is cut into pieces and served with ketchup topped with curry powder, sometimes eaten with a roll. They sell it in several places at stands on the street so you can eat it on the go. D – Division. Berlin was a city divided by a wall for 38 years, during which West Berlin was part of capitalist West Germany and East Berlin was part of communist East Germany. The wall erected in 1961 divided families and friends for nearly four decades, during which time it was difficult or impossible to visit one another. E – East Side Gallery. It is the name given to a part of the Berlin Wall that is still standing. It’s called ´gallery´ because the wall itself is decorated with artistic works by a variety of artists. A must-see stop. F – Fernsehturm. Which...
The 2014 Bread & Butter in Berlin
In English, the expression “bread and butter” means something very simple, something to which one is accustomed to do. And the tradeshow Bread & Butter is anticipating big things in Berlin this year, where it will celebrate its 10th edition. As an exhibition of urban and contemporary fashion, Bread & Butter brings the best brands from around the world, and the brands are the stars of this event. More than 600 exhibitors from the worlds of fashion, fashion denim, sports, street fashion, workwear and smart casual fashions will exhibit their works for three days, from July 8 – 10. Once again, the venue will be the former Tempelhof Airport, which is now abandoned and used as a park, the setting for big concerts and as an exhibition hall that hosts major international events like B & B. Bread & Butter was founded in 2001 and is celebrated twice a year, in January and August. It started in Cologne with great success but moved to the German capital, Berlin, in 2003. As a representation of our ever-changing world, the show was held in Barcelona in 2005, and then was alternated between the two cities until July 2007 when it stayed in Barcelona. In January 2009, Bread & Butter returned to Berlin, where it has remained to date. In these thirteen years of existence, the brands that have populated the stands of the fair present new and different proposals each time, so you won’t feel like you’ve seen it before. As the organizers say, Bread & Butter “realizes the concept of an innovative trade fair event for contemporary clothing culture.” Here you’ll find the latest...
Berlin from A to Z – Part II
N – Neukölln. One of the emerging areas of the city, this is where you can find a mix of student life and art as well as the decline this neighborhood suffered after the fall of the Wall. Neukölln is definitely the coolest place in Berlin right now. O – Olympiastadion. The Olympic Stadium, which is located on the outskirts of the city, maintains its imposing structure and is characteristic of Nazi architecture. Built for the 1936 Olympics, this is the place where Jesse Owens won four gold medals in front of Adolf Hitler. Today the field is primarily used for soccer matches and is home to Hertha Berlin. P – Potsdamer Platz. Destroyed in World War II , today Potsdamer Platz is once again one of the city’s hubs, as it was in the 20s and 30s. Featuring high and ultra-modern glass buildings, it is one of major intersections in Berlin and contains one of the oldest traffic lights. There are also remains of the Wall there. It’s well worth a visit. Q – Qdamm. Kurfürstendamm is a shopping street that’s shortened to KuDamm or, even shorter, Qdamm. This avenue lined with trees is full of shops, restaurants and hotels, so it’s perfect for a day of shopping and eating, with its dozens of restaurants of different cuisines. R – Reichstag. The seat of the German Parliament, the Reichstag is the building that symbolizes German executive power. It was built in the late 19th century in a neo-Renaissance style and was burned in the 30s by the Nazis and destroyed during World War II. Now rebuilt, it features...
Berlin with Pets
One of the most common handicaps when traveling is a pet, since they are usually not allowed in hotels, nor in cafes, shops, theaters, museums, or even aboard some planes. Sightseeing with a dog or a cat is easy if you have accommodations, if not it’s better to leave them with a family member or board them. Pixabay, by Alexis Are you thinking, “Not without my pet!”? No problem! In Berlin there are alternatives, from airlines that allow pets to stores that don’t make you make you tie your dog up outside in the freezing cold. The dog is in fact a customer in most shops in the German city of Berlin. Air Berlin provides one of the clearest examples of animal tolerance. Some airlines simply don’t accept dogs and cats, in others they may travel in the hold, and some like this one allow dogs under 6 kilos to travel with their owners in the cabin. And bigger dogs don’t travel in the hold but in compartments especially for them. Of course, there are exceptions. Animals are not allowed flights departing to and from the UK. And you will need to have all their documents with their shot records, since you may need to show them at your destination. Interestingly, there’s an airline called Pet Airways that takes this idea much further. This U.S. airline, which was designed exclusively for the transportation of pets, was the first to move forward. The big difference is that with them the animals travel alone, without their owners. It is mostly used for relocating puppies to their new homes. During the flight...
Berlin, 2014 Gourmet Capital
Who said that German cuisine is limited to sausage, sauerkraut and beer? Certainly, there are widespread views on just about any issue but one of the most uninformed is that one will eat poorly in Germany. If you are German or a Germanophile and feel offended every time someone says the food of your country is no good, you can always respond with the fact that Germany is in fourth place when it comes to the number of Michelin stars that have been awarded worldwide. Indeed, Germany has a total of 333 Michelin stars restaurants: 11 3-star restaurants, 37 2-star restaurants, and 226 1-star restaurants. And I doubt very much that they have been awarded for their excellent currywurst and good beer. At the epicenter of this boom of German cuisine is the country’s capital, Berlin. Although it is not the city with the most Michelin stars in Germany, it is a city where gourmet cuisine is growing in a disproportionate way. In the last five years in Germany, there has been a 25% growth of restaurants with Michelin Stars in Berlin and it continues to grow. According to Michelin editor-in-chief Ralf Flinkenflügel, “The demand is there. If nobody went to these restaurants, they would not exist. Berlin is developing as one of the European gourmet capitals, thanks to its five two-star restaurants and nine one-star restaurants.” When asked for a comparison with Paris, Flinkenflügel responded to the German weekly Der Spiegel, “what has been accomplished in Berlin in the last twenty years is simply amazing”. vía Flickr So I hope this has whetted your appetite to sample...
So, Where is the Berlin Wall nowadays?
After the end of World War II, Germany’s western side was controlled by the Western Allies and the east side by the Soviets. In 1960, millions of runaways from the eastern to the western part drastically affected the Soviet Germany. To prevent further escapes, a wall that fenced West Berlin was constructed in 1961. On the 9th of November 1989 the demolition of the wall began, leaving behind the sad story of a divided country that suffered the horrors of the war for many years. Most of the wall was recycled to rebuild the reunified Germany, but some fragments remain in museums and other important venues around the world. So, Where is the wall nowadays? Seoul- South Korea A piece of a fallen wall can be especially inspiring in a country that still suffers the horrors of division. There are three sections of the wall in the middle of Seoul at the southern end of Cheonggye Stream’s Jangtong Bridge. Berlin gave Seoul these pieces of the wall along with a sculpture of a blue bear that symbolizes the German capital. These symbols of consolation and encouragement seemed to be appropriate for a country that still has reunification ahead of it. Address: Cheonggyecheon Jongno 5(o).6(yuk)ga-dong, Seoul Photo vía Las Vegas, USA There are many segments of the Berlin Wall in the United States, but the most curious place of all is, undoubtedly, the toilets of the famous Main Street Station Casino. Obviously it is not possible to piss directly on the wall, but in the urinals that are on it. On top of the curious historical urinals, you’ll find...
