KdR

This week it's time to re-visit an old stomping ground of mine: Klub der Republik. It's been a long time between drinks at this bar. In fact it's been so long, that as I headed there on the weekend I suddenly started to become a bit concerned that it might have been closed down and made way for a hostel. But - don't worry - it's still there.

For those that haven't been, this bar is reached via a dodgy courtyard on a set of steps made from scaffolding. The first floor ex-ballroom has floor to ceiling glass looking out to the street - and it has the most unique 70s lighting system you've ever seen.

But it's still the same old Klub der Republik. Cheap drinks, good music and everyone very cool - of course. What I always liked about it was that the coolness here seems to have a real "down-to-earthness" about it. For instance, on this occasion, after an hour of sitting around looking cool and not dancing, my friends and I realised we were actually sitting in the middle of a private party. We thought the disapproving looks from the others were just the standard dirty looks that you get in Berlin whenever you walk in anywhere.

But, ah, igad, it was more than that: we'd crashed Leon's 30th birthday party. But when he found out, he had no problem with it. We should just grab some meatballs and cheese and melon skewers, he said. The beer and vodka was free. Now, THAT is the spirit of Christmas.

Let there be light!

Locals are really getting into the Christmas spirit at the moment in Berlin. People here may be a bunch of grumpy buggers most of the year round - but they do love a little bit of glowing wine or a cheeky crêpe with Nutella at the Christmas market come December time.

But obviously they'd all be happier celebrating Christmas like we all know it is TRULY MEANT to be enjoyed: namely, in the hot sun on a beach in their Speedos.

Well, now it's possible to have the best of both worlds! Euro sophistication meets sunny antipodean Christmas cheer with this exciting new product. Introducing the "DAYLIGHT Daylight Standing Lamp".

Get yours NOW. Just 49.95€ - the perfect Christmas gift!!

The Avenue of the Enthusiasts

Berliners are well known for their abusive communication skills. Other Germans often call their way of speaking "Berliner Schnauze" (Berlin Snout). So what happens when Berlin authors try to do an evening of cosy book readings? Answer: the audience goes home laughing and, of course, somewhat insulted.

The Avenue of the Enthusiasts (Chaussee der Enthusiasten) takes place each week in RAW Tempel on the site of an abandoned old railway yard near Warschauer Straße in former East Berlin. Six authors, up on stage, reading a bunch of funny stuff revolving around the zeitgeist of the week. Cost? Just 4 Euros. Can't go wrong really, unless you can't understand Berlinerisch. The evenings have been running for ages - always on a thursday night - and they have long since reached cult status amongst the students living in the area.

These two guys at the top were especially a good laugh - but be warned, it's not worth getting all "answery-back" if you are in the audience. The guy on the mic is probably cheekier than you, and he always gets the last word!

Look East

Like an annoying sales assistant that just won't leave you alone - the wicked wind from the East is back again this week in Berlin. It's calling card? Biting through all the layers of clothing that you care to put on until your skin feels like it is burning - and then not leaving you in peace until you have returned home and spent 20 minutes under a hot shower.

Most weather experts who subscribe to this blog will probably say that my assessment of Berlin's weather freak-out is scientifically wrong and that "we are actually currently experiencing a low-pressure system over all of western Europe which is being caused by the Gulf Stream and other cloud winds operating between 10,000 and 15,000 feet". But, I have findings that back up my statements you see. Today, I was hanging out at Osthafen on the Spree (skimming rocks on the river) and I couldn't help but notice that the wind was particularly cold when I turned to face an easterly direction. I think that's proof enough.

I am prepared to admit that just about all of Germany is suffering from very cold temperatures at the moment. In fact, EVEN Germany's larger than life ex-goalkeeper Oliver Kahn was grounded in Munich today due to snow and ice at the airport. As a result he wasn't able to take the balls out of the bowl at the 2011 Women's World Cup final draw which took place in Frankfurt tonight. Everyone was very disappointed.

But anyway, back to the topic at hand. I think all of you who have been here in winter know now that Berlin feels 10 degrees colder than anywhere else in Germany .... and I am blaming the winds from the East!

The Bademeister

The great thing about Berlin are the unusual, historical sights that you see when you least expect it. Like when I headed for a swim today at Ernst-Thälmann Park in the east of the city.

This mega-sculpture on Greifswalder Straße depicts one of the former bosses of the German Communist Party, Ernst Thälmann. It is about 15 metres high and made of copper. You don't get sculptures like that anymore. Up close it's a pretty tough-looking piece of work to be honest - especially when half covered in graffiti. But it fits the area quite well, because ETP isn't exactly the most charming of Berlin's public parks. And Thälmann's story isn't such a happy one either: after leading his party from 1925 until 1933, he was arrested by the Gestapo and - after 11 years in isolation - was shot dead on orders from Adolf Hitler in 1944.

Rumour has it that after the "fall of the wall" the sculpture was due to be ripped down. But, as so often happens in Berlin, somehow it hung on and it is now in a bit of a state of limbo - half-loved, half-despised. I, for one, hope that it stays.

Sensory Overload

Sorry for the missed entry last week everyone - I've received a lot of concerned fan mail here at the office. It's reassuring to hear that many of you are such devoted fans and wanted to get in touch, it's concerning that some of the sillier ones amongst you attempted to letter bomb our headquarters to show your disappointment.

Anyway after being out of town, I thought my return to the capital had to be celebrated by something classically Berlin. So, clearly, it was time to go and see some live screamtech electro from Canada. I headed with my cultural reporter Alicia H. to Crystal Castles at Columbiahalle on Monday night. The gig was a beauty. The soundsystem there really does do the job - I still am struggling to hear my colleagues at work - and the band's lead singer Alice Glass also makes a conscious effort to destroy ear drums.

I walked out of there pretty disorientated to be honest. On the way home we stumbled across this bit of modern art, Kreuzberg-style. It is a tree-stump (still fresh) with a rock on it named "Pherus". Perhaps the little fella was part of the old Berlin Wall? Perhaps he was a pet rock who had escaped his owner, looking for a better life? We will just simply never know.

Pub Crawl

This could be the most embarrassing thing I have ever done in Berlin. And that really IS saying something.

After years of living here and joking about the dorkiness of pub crawls, conducted by masses of drunk Englishmen in football shirts, I realised last week that I'd never actually been on one.

So, I took the plunge and took part in an "Anti Pub Crawl" last Friday night. The idea of an anti pub crawl (as far as I could tell) is to visit a whole bunch of places that pub crawls don't normally go to. The locations were all pretty different I have to say: "Yesterday" on Schönhauser Allee, "King Kong Club" on Brunnenstraße and definitely the most amusing spot, the gothic bar "Last Cathedral" - ending it all in the club "Frannz" was a bit lame though. But anyway: I'm not ashamed to say that I enjoyed myself all evening. And, that I even discovered a couple of bars that I'd never, ever seen before. Perhaps I'm not really that "cutting ätsch" after all.

Supermarket Sweep

There's nothing quite like going for a boring old food shop when you are in a new city. I was excited from the first day in the supermarkets here in Berlin. Mainly because everything is so incredibly cheap. Supermarkets here have reduced overheads to such an extent that I really wouldn't be surprised if next time I go in the turnstiles someone hands me a bucket and mop with the words, "C'mon, get cleaning".

Its now high-time I had a little bit of a sweep across the various options in Berlin for you. Here goes.

"Netto" on Prenzlauer Allee
The big Scottish dog from Denmark is celebrating 20 years of existence this year. I've actually done a full week's shopping in here for less than 15 Euros. The place is super cheap... and their cut price special homeware items are legendary. Spotted last week: shisha waterpipes, two for one.

"Norma" on Brunnenstraße
Not just a great name but also a fantastically random shop set-up. Halal meat section AND two rows of high octane alcohol right next to each other. The main challenge with shopping at this location is trying to get down the first aisle. Often it's just a pile of crates, or a delivery that's waiting to be put on the shelves. Sometimes it's just a huge oven with a bread roll on top. I am still to find anyone working here actually called Norma. That would be my dream.

"Intermarket Stolitschniy" in Lichtenberg
Russian food and lollies for the connoisseur. Not particularly centrally located, but the trip out to Lichtenberg is definitely worth the effort. This place is Berlin's top address for tinned Soljanka - and tinned food of all types, to be honest. Very reasonable prices on offer considering most of the stock has to be shipped in 1500 kilometers from Россия. Do not offer to pay for goods in roubles - this is considered poor form. Bring your own trolley.

"Galeria Kaufhof" at Alexanderplatz
You've always got to be a bit suspicious when your supermarket shares floor space with jewellery and handbag sales counters. This store is actually part of the Kaufhof department store so it's not surprising to see that no penny has been spared here: oak shelves, a wonderful range of fresh fish and meats and one shop assistant for every half a customer. Obviously, prices are way off the scale.

"LPG" in Prenzlberg
The organic food location of choice for Berlin's hipsters. Making jokes about this place is just too easy. Um... organic Liquid Petroleum Gas anyone?

Caption competition

I regularly wonder whether people in Berlin are strange because they are here or whether they were actually always strange and therefore came here.

Today I couldn't help but notice a group of four locals standing on my favourite bridge linking the former east and west parts of Berlin, the Oberbaumbrücke. Three of them were tied up in flourescent orange sticky tape. The fourth member of the group had a clipboard in her hand and was asking her friends a set of questions.

Was this a psychology student with a twisted sense of humour? Or a market researcher determined to finally get some unrushed answers? Either way, I want some captions from YOU faithful readers.

The best efforts will be rewarded with a set of diamond stud earrings valued at over 40,000 US dollars and a Panasonic VCR player with the serial code removed. Don't ask why, I just need to get rid of them.

Integrate... NOW!

What with all this talk about integration these days in Germany, what better way to get to know your Berlin neighbour than host a cheeky little house party? Sure, doing the requisite pasta salad is a bit tedious by now and cleaning up afterwards is also a drag but.... it's all part of doing your bit for Völkerverständigung (now there's a compound noun for you). You never know, it could be even more fun than a TV debate on integration.

What's more, now that it's hit October those dark and dreary days are closing in - that's the sort of lazy soup that Berlin nightlife so thrives upon. And just around the corner: daylight saving comes to an end. Another bonus! Even more night time for your buck. Now there really is NO excuse.

Time to update the music collection and invite everyone over. Oh, and this track is a perfect way to get your guests in the mood. Everybody now: ich bin Ausländer, leider zum Glück!

After you sir!

Some enterprising young man has gone around my local area writing messages to the locals. The one above means "Yuppies out".

This sort of thing has quite a history in Berlin. I don't think there is any other place in the world where the locals dislike the people who've moved in to the city SO much and make a point of telling them about it SO regularly. From what I can tell it's nothing racial or personal. They just really don't want their local area to be infiltrated by people from outside. They are concerned that it changes the fabric of their "kiez", that it turns it into a ...


It's all a bit of a shame really. I always thought that all the different people in this city was the best thing about the place. Tolerance and acceptance of others - not really liking anyone, sure - but letting everyone do their thing. I'm from a long way away... and I'm not going anywhere. Not for the moment at least.

Fashion tourists

This week I've discovered a new favourite song . Although it's been doing the rounds for a while now, it really is a must-see. And, it's acted as a bit of an inspiration for this week's entry.

I think the reason this song struck such a chord with me (if you'll pardon the pun) is because living in Berlin full-time, I've started to notice an influx of very confused fashion tourists entering my adopted city over the last few years.

Take a look at the chap above for instance. Now, he's clearly making too much effort. The hi-top shoes and the embroidered jacket are already pushing the envelope. But the shoulder bag just takes the game too far. No genuine Berliner would ever do this. He is either a footballer for Hertha BSC and earns way too much, or he is a "fashion tourist" from out of town. I'm tipping the second option.

The thing about Berlin is: it's fashionable, because it is liberal in it's attitudes. Locals wear crazy combinations of things either because they don't have anything else to wear in their closet or because they have designed the clothes themselves. Most of the time they get into the clubs and bars wearing whatever they want, because people here appreciate a bit of originality. Now, that's cool.

I'm no fashion guru, but buying a full wardrobe of "cutting-edge" stuff in Shoreditch before you come across on your 29 pound Ryanair flight for the weekend is, I think quite clearly, not cool.

"Das Derby"

Just in case you've had your head in the sand the last few months, Berlin's biggest football club, Hertha, are back in the second division this season.

Euroblog's hard working journos have determined that Berlin is the only European capital without representation in it's national first division football competition. We're pretty sure this news is an exclusive.

How did it all happen? After loving Lucien Favre to bits in 2008/2009, Hertha Berlin dumped him early last season after a string of bad results and signed up Friedhelm Funkel. Things went from bad to worse with him at the "helm" and - before you could say Marko Pantelic - the team from the capital was the laughing stock of the country and got demoted.

Hertha's traditional rival meanwhile, Union Berlin, has come from the other direction. The Köpenick-based club has worked its way up from the regional leagues to the second division in three years. After starting strongly last season, they ended their debut period in the middle of the table.

So, what most people thought could never happen, is now reality. Union v Hertha - in the 2nd division. Adding a little bit of extra spice to the all too predictable media beat-up, is the fact that Union come from the former communist east, while Hertha are the traditional West-Berlin club.

The first derby of the season was on Friday. The game, played at the "Stadion an der Alten Försterei", ended in a drab 1-all draw though. Bit of a let down really....especially after such a long article.

Berlin Music Week

So Berlin Music Week has been and gone. The city's biggest celebration of modern music of the year... and I attended none of it. Not even with one of my favourite bands playing, Hot Chip. Now that takes some doing. Working on Friday and Saturday, I then also missed the final day on Sunday due to "the most important cricket game of my life" - the German national club final.

For the past few weeks, the Berlin radio stations were pushing this city-based music festival until we couldn't really take it anymore. On Saturday night they then had to close Tempelhof Airport - the main location of the event - due to overcrowding. Ironic really, considering it was once one of the largest buildings in the world.

The new event is a winner for the city's coffers though. The council has already said it's going to happen again next year. Nothing like a bit of tourist dollar!

what's that sound?

I've talked about it before. It's tricky to know what to do on Sundays in Germany. Things are always shut, and the weather generally isn't very good. In Berlin though, thankfully, there's always SOMETHING going on. Today for instance I was just moseying around my local area when I stumbled across a cheeky sound installation in an ex water reservoir ....as you do!

The project inside, from Belgian artist Pierre Berthet, was called "extended drops". Set up around the inner walls of a barely-lit, labyrinth-like water reservoir, the first thing I realised was: this was going to be spooky. In the end, after being bombarded with low rumbles and high-pitched twangs for 20 minutes, I was confused as to how the sounds were even being made. This is what the flyer said:"...steel wires cross the room and are attached to membranes on loudspeakers and special resonators on the reservoir walls. The anologue drops and the resulting electronic pulses create a wide rhythmic and sound spectrum - a seemingly timeless, atmospherically-rich combination of tones in space."

Yes, well... There was only one thing to do after all that ofcourse. Head outside into the sunshine for an ice cream.

Street art

Even my dad's into Berlin's street art. And he's "no supporter of vandalism". In fact, "he won't stand for it". But the thing is, street art in Berlin is just so crazy, that everyone just gets into it eventually.

At the moment, there's a new street art bandit in town who seems to have a real thing about drawing birds. For weeks now I've been spotting pictures of flying fauna of all shapes and sizes on walls in the east. Credit to the guy (or girl), he or she doesn't seem to have one particular bird. Each bird gets a look-in - keeping things very politically correct.

But I am struggling to find the meaning of this recurring badge to be honest. The classic, the yellow fist, always had a sense of rebellion about it. This street artist just seems to really like birds though. I feel like Jake in Eureka Street - wondering about the meaning of a street message, which maybe isn't meant to be understood.

But for me, you still can't go past this massive mural from Blu on the south side of the river, right where the old border between east and west used to run. It's political, historical AND a logistical masterpiece. It's a once off though - that's probably for the best because if he started doing this on every apartment building wall in Berlin he'd probably get into a spot of bother.

Mauerpark Karaoke

It's Sunday in Germany, which means it's time to head out with the family and go for long aimless walks and eat ice cream. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But, here in Berlin, people aren't interested in that sort of good, clean fun. Instead, they grab a couple of Sternburg Export beers, head to Mauerpark and go shopping for old World War Two gas masks.

We've talked about Mauerpark before here at Euroblog - but that was in winter. In high summer is when it really shows its true colours. The place becomes a magnet for every coolio north of Alexanderplatz (the people in Kreuzberg have their own flea markets thank you very much). But can Kreuzberg offer this sort of pulling power???

You see, Mauerpark has now added an extra string to its bow - it's called Bearpit Karaoke. Run by Joe Hatchiban, a bike courier from Dublin who now lives in Berlin, this local cult event started on a Sunday way back in February 2009. The idea is simple: if you provide a laptop full of karaoke songs, two speakers and a very odd eastern-bloc amphitheater, the people will come. And it's going from strength to strength, crowds of 1500 to 2000 people are now regularly on hand to watch their neighbours embarrass themselves with a version of their favourite song. Only in Berlin.

Udo's got the look

I've been hanging out on Kurfürstendamm this week in West Berlin, doing a french course (what else?). Despite going to the effort to buy a full Hugo Boss wardrobe on the first day, I've been feeling about as sartorially elegant as a worm wearing a bowtie. It really is a different world over there. Take hairdressers for instance.

In the home of the 7 Euro haircut, Berlin's superstar hairdresser Udo Walz charges a 70 Euro fee for a consultation on Kurfürstendamm. And, yes, you saw right. He really is holding a hair dryer as if it's a firearm in the photo above. As Udo himself puts it on his website: "Udo Walz is a hairdresser - nothing more, nothing less. And he is a phenomenon."

Only on the K-damm can you get away with that.

The other beer festival...

It's not quite the Oktoberfest, but Berlin's annual Biermeile really is worth a visit if you are in the capital in August. Sure, Karl Marx Allee in East Berlin is a far cry from the Theresienwiese in Munich, but if you look closely you can see a lot of similarities between the two.

For instance, there's plenty of leather involved at both festivals. Lederhosen are a no go in Berlin of course, unless you want to get beaten up. Instead it's the "black leather waistcoat look" often combined with a pair of cheeky denim shorts and socks and sandals. And...the ladies aren't to be outdone. Instead of showing off their best in a Dirndl, the waitresses this year on the Biermeile were wearing the novelty nurse's outfit. Ah, the kulcha!

Food wise, both festivals lean towards the savoury more than the sweet. In Munich it's a Brezn (pretzel) and salty chicken - in Berlin an oversized, gnarled gerkin in a napkin is the snack of choice. A heavily marinated cucumber for one Euro - who could resist?

The beer is flowing from early in the day in both locations - after all, we are in Germany. The Berlin festival prides itself on presenting a range of beers from such "exotic" places as Japan, India and Vietnam as well as boutique beverages from around Germany. In Munich, the Oktoberfest is mainly used as a sales boost for the Bavarian big boys: Löwenbräu, Paulaner and Augustiner. The effect at the end of the day is the same in both cities. The tourists have just about all passed out, while the Germans just bust out to 80's rock'n'roll all night long.

But I did notice an important difference too: in Berlin you go home with some money still in your wallet.

Over the border

One great thing about Berlin that's often forgotten about, is that it's really close to Poland. In less than two hours you can be over the border in Slubice, via Frankfurt (Oder).

And so many things to do! Well, not really. Just over the border is mainly farmland and little villages. But you can get a very cheap haircut and if you are a smoker, cigarettes here are a steal. Of course the people are very friendly - in comparison to Berlin at least - and everything has a certain rustic charm. I was so chuffed by the place that I had to grab myself a local girl - what a find!

Berghain Eisbein

After five years of putting it off, I finally managed to get in the door of Berghain this weekend.

For those that don't know... this is apparently the world's number one club. It's the sort of place where hysteric guests scream when they've been let in by the bouncers. Anyway, after a build-up of half a decade it was never going to quite meet expectations - but it didn't do a bad job.

After waiting the best part of an hour in the queue and seeing my body temperature drop to 10 degrees Celsius, my friends and I just managed to look disinterested enough at the front door to get in. The group of Australians behind us were turned away - tourists aren't welcome. Inside we were greeted by more security controls (no-one checking boarding cards though) and a demand for 12 Euros. I would have paid that money just for the interior architecture alone.

I mean, what a set-up! What looks like a rotting, disused power station from the outside, is actually an engineering masterpiece. It's got an elevated dancefloor, HUGE speakers hanging from the roof, motorised blinds that go up and down at sunrise and more dark rooms and chill out nooks than you could poke a stick at.

Oh, and the music wasn't bad either.

Computers suck, analogue rules.

Berlin street artists have been making fun of our internet dominated culture here in the capital for years.

And in a way, I agree with them - it is kind of sad just how much time we all spend online, when we have such a wonderfully interesting city on our (icy) doorstep. Yet I'm sitting here writing a blog - ironical, innit? But hey - I'm trying to portray real city life here. Aber pardon... Isn't that what everyone is doing who writes a blog? And round and round we go.

I often think that Berliners spend so much time online due to the fact that the people here are particularly curious. Others would say it's because the city is so big and unwieldy that it is easier to have e-friends here rather than real ones. Fact is, if you only had two months of the year at a decent temperature you'd be a bit of a boofhead to not head outside now and make the most of it. Before you blink it could be all over with ice cream and picnics in the local park.

All this bedroom philosophy is doing my head in - I'm going to have a bit of a hang out on Facebook.

Elections: Berlin-style

I know it's the hottest day on record, I know it's the middle of the World Cup and Germany is surprising even itself with it's own performances...but there is actually something more important right now.

Germany has to pick a new President. Well, better said - the Federal Convention has to. Politicians from the German Parliament and representatives from the states will cast their secret ballots on Wednesday, June 30. The two prime candidates for the election are Joachim Gauck (backed by the Greens and SPD) and Christian Wulff (put forward by CDU/CSU and the FDP).

The election is necessary after the former German President Horst Köhler resigned on the 31st of May, following controversy about his statements regarding the German army.

Party like it's 2006?

It's the silly season! Not only did the whole city rock to Christopher Street Day on the weekend, but everyone else dressed up and headed out to watch football too. Supporting your team at home on the couch with a packet of cheezels is so passé these days. Public viewing is the new black. Incidentally, here at Euroblog, we still don't have any confirmation as to whether the expression "public viewing" is actually English. We don't really care to be honest.

This week the water-cooler talk (or should I say, "smoking room talk"?) is all about football. I do wonder though how things will look if Germany get's knocked out of the World Cup on Wednesday night. My German friends assure me that there is simply no way that this can possibly happen. History does confirm that the Germans have never gone home from the World Cup after just the Group stage. Time to press those thumbs!*

(*For those that don't know: that's the German equivalent of "cross your fingers".)

Hanging tough

The East Side Gallery down near Ostbahnhof has been back in full swing now for a while. It's renovation was part of the city's "20 years since the Berlin Wall" celebrations. I drove past there yesterday and couldn't help but notice - while photographing it at 50km/h - that the murals on the wall are almost devoid of graffiti.

Six months into it's new life, and no vandalism? That's almost unberlinian. Is this a new demonstration of respect from the Berlin street art community? Has the city run out of spray cans and marker pens? Normally something like this would be destroyed within weeks. Tags, stencils, stickers - you name it, they'll beat it.

Anyway, I'm impressed people - resist the urge.

Hot in the city!

It's the same story every year. We all whine about how cold it is in Spring and then suddenly: Berlin turns on the warm weather, and everyone starts complaining about how warm it is. Well, I'm not saying a word. Bring it on I reckon. Tomorrow it's going to get even hotter - 30 degrees! ACHTUNG: Close the schools, attend to the elderly!

But seriously - if you can, it's time to hit the water right now in Berlin. Either in Kreuzberg's favourite Prinzenbad, in a paddling pool at a Strandbar beside the Spree River or even by heading out to the Tegel Lake for a spot of dive bombing, like this crazy local above.

The L-word

Unless you are an ostrich with your head in a sandpit, you should by now know that Germany's newest darling, Lena Meyer-Landrut, has won the Eurovision song contest for 2010. Here at Euroblog we are taking bets about how long it will be until the 19 year old releases her first solo album. We're tipping: tomorrow lunchtime.

This sort of Europhenomena is right up Euroblog's street. Perfectly normal Germans going absolutely troppo about something that they should actually be way to cool to care about. I'd like to say that in Berlin no one cared about the outcome of this strange Italian style telethon but, alas, it's not true. Everyone from the city council website to the radio stations to ... well, Euroblog, has jumped on the band wagon.

Speaking to the average punter, you get the feeling Lena's a bit like Vegemite - you either love her or you hate her. Either way, her 15 minutes of fame isn't over yet: Ms Meyer-Landrut says she's going to be back "defending her title" next year.

The monday after...

After all the hype about sports going into this weekend, it turned out that Germany didn't really end up having much to celebrate by Sunday evening. After Bayern were surgically taken apart in the football on Saturday night (see below), hosts Germany also got a couple of trouncings in the ice hockey world championships too - at the hands of Russia and Sweden.

So, Berliners probably quite enjoyed just getting up late and moping about on Monday morning in their pyjamas and feeling a bit sorry for themselves. For many here that's nothing new of course, but this time they didn't even need to feel a bit guilty about it. Why? Because it's Whit Monday! Yay!!! Everyone's favourite holiday, even if not everyone knows what it's for.

Some christian experts from my local area who came to my door today told me that Whit Monday is the Monday after Pentecost, which occurs 50 days after Easter Sunday and which celebrates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ. If you grew up in Germany you knew that already of course. For the other Whit please click here.

Bayern Munich Party at my place!

Berliners are in a bit of a bind this week. What do they do on Saturday night, when Bayern Munich play in the final of the Champions League? Sure, they can turn a blind eye, pretend that nothing's going on and go shopping at Lidl at Ostbahnhof. After all, everyone hates Bayern - right? Especially if you are from Berlin. The capital's biggest club, Hertha BSC, has been relegated to the second division this month. For Berliners this football season is over, basta!

But hang on, this is the first time any German team has come close to winning anything in the last 10 years. In fact, if you are a football fan - or even if you're not - this game is a no-brainer. Bayern is playing great football, they have a charming coach with a haircut from the 1950s and they're up against the arch enemy, the Italians. Surely, it's time for Berlin to get behind the boys in red and white and cheer them home.... anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Ice Leg

You've got to love the traditional meat dish from Berlin, the inimitable "Eisbein" (ice leg). It's a fatty, wobbly meat treat and it's been around for ages. Some say that it's one of the most aesthetically displeasing things Berlin has to offer.

But I think that's being a bit cheeky. There's a place round the corner called "Zum Schusterjungen" which serves a seriously phat leg of ice. Order with a dash of puréed peas and cabbage that's been cooking for half a day - mmmmh, delicious.

Take a walk on the quiet side.

We cop a lot of criticism at Euroblog about Berlin not being attractive enough. Sure, Berlin isn't going to win a US Beauty Pageant any time soon - but the city has some strangely beautiful sides too. You've just got to know where to look.

Take the Neuer Kirchhof von St. Nikolai und St. Marien for instance. This graveyard situated on one of the busier streets of Berlin, Prenzlauer Allee, looks like any other forgotten park here. But once you get inside it's peaceful and undisturbed, a worthy resting place for generations of Berliners. After walking in one weekday morning and sitting uninterrupted for ages, I even found myself saying: "Ah, the serenity".

Souvenirs to go

Recently, I've been spending a lot of time at Berlin's main train station, the Hauptbahnhof. I've reported about it on Euroblog many times. After all these years, I still love the big thing, even though moving around it continues to feel like you are trying to do maintenance work on the outside of the ISS.

At the moment the station's shop owners are complaining about council plans to close their establishments on Sundays. The regulations are meant to bring the vendors into line with shop owners across the rest of the city. Here's hoping that all the shops are allowed to stay open and Berlin's main station is allowed to trade in accordance WITH NORMAL BUSINESS STANDARDS AS SEEN ACROSS THE REST OF THE INDUSTRIALISED WORLD!!!

Anyway, I'm getting sidetracked. There's a new addition on level 82 of the station. It's a vending machine for Berlin souvenir items. It's from East Berlin's most famous designer store situated on it's nastiest street, Berlinomat. The idea of this machine is that tourists in a rush leaving the city, can pick up a last minute "soov" with their loose change. Thing is, the pricing for some of the items is pretty steep.

Still, it's a winner, I reckon. AND the machine is even prepared to work on a Sunday! What a trooper.

Treehouse at the Wall

I stumbled across a unique house in Kreuzberg today. It's a treehouse built on public land with a unique story. Read about it here.

Victoria on high

The Victory Column has always been my number one address for tourists when they first arrive in Brrrlin. Going up the Siegessäule is cheap, it's good exercise and it gives you a more central view of the city than the TV Tower. So what's the origin of the thing?

Designed by Heinrich Strack after 1864 to commemorate the Prussian victory in the Danish-Prussian War, by the time it was inaugurated on 2nd September 1873, Prussia had also defeated Austria in the Austro-Prussian War (1866) and France in the Franco-Prussian War (1870–71). These later victories in the so-called unification wars inspired the addition of the bronze sculpture of Victoria, 8.3 meters high and weighing 35 tonnes, designed by Friedrich Drake. Yes, you could have read all that at Wikipedia - but would it have been as much fun?

Situated at the centre of the city's major park, Tiergarten, you need a fully-accredited German driver's licence to get close to the thing these days by car. The roundabout below it is known as "the big star". It's Berlin's version of the Arc de Triomphe and is only to be attempted by drivers at the top of their game. The surrounding park also means that every exit off the roundabout looks exactly the same.

For your info...

...the shoe of the future looks like this.

It comes with AM/FM radio, an ice cooler for storing drinks, and a zip wallet for holding loose change. Euroblog was put on to the new shoe by a "trendspotter". These people habitate the suburb of Mitte and can be recognised by their outlandish combinations of extremely baggy and extremely tight clothing.

We are informed that, ideally, this type of footwear is to be worn in combination with a silver one-piece jumpsuit with a v-neck stripe and a mirrored helmet. The shoe should be available worldwide from August 2012. Here at the Euroblog offices we have 20,000 pairs to give away. Just send us a stamped, self-addressed envelope for your free pair (size 13 only available).

Just Döner... oder was?

Can there be any more fulfilling moment in life than tucking into a Döner Kebab late at night? Well, I'm pretty sure there can be. Your wedding day for example, or the birth of your first child. Perhaps even your first century opening the batting.

Those things are all great obviously - but can you have them with three types of sauce? Don't answer that. In Berlin Döner joints there are three standard toppings you see - yoghurt, garlic and spicy. Everyone has their favourite. I'm a yoghurt man myself, but I can see the appeal of combining garlic and spicy.

The meteoric rise to fame of the shawarma has made me have second thoughts though... It's in pita bread you see, and the meat seems to be a little more, well, meat-like. But one thing you don't get in a shawarma shop is that crazy Döner atmosphere. Just check out the number of guys behind the counter at Prime Kebab at Ostbahnhof.

Spring is in the air.

I try not to talk about the weather in Berlin, it always seems so irrelevant to the inhabitants. Whereas your average Englishman could start 20+ conversations in one day with a remark about the weather, most Berliners tend to find such comments useless and interpret it as an attempt to ask for money. But, anyway, the fact is inescapable: the snow is now apparently gone for good. And that deserves a mention.

The people are outside, the dogs are pooing on the pavement and the parking police are out booking cars again. In fact, some guy in Wedding was so excited about it all, he decided to just bust out and take his couch out to the tram stop. Whether he actually spent time sitting there waiting for the tram or whether it was just a good-natured gesture to the people of Berlin, we will never know. Either way, it's definitely my number one spring time photo.

Of Polar Bears and Albatrosses

So, Hertha Berlin's fans like a bit of rough and tumble. Tell us something we didn't know already. But while football fans are destroying the Olympic Stadium in sheer frustration, there are other sports teams in the capital just busy winning games.

Look at the Eisbären for instance. The two-time defending champions are now leading the Deutsche Eishockey Liga again - this time by 25 points. Wow. Now, I find ice hockey a bit dull to be honest, but this team really is without doubt, the best in the country.

Alba Berlin is another top sporting team from the capital. Despite the disappointment of missing out on Europe's top basketball competition, the Euroleague, the Albatrosses are top of the BBL table and also doing well in the second-tier Eurocup.

Both teams play in 02 world - a brand-new stadium built in the area that used to be death strip behind the Berlin wall. It's small, but packs in a lot of people. Which makes you wonder: if Hertha started playing in there, could they perhaps avoid relegation this season?