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!

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".)