10 Reasons to Love Berlin
This post was inspired by a similar one on Charlotte’s Web. There could be a good deal of overlap, though my German is not nearly as good as hers and that means I have absolutely no claim on sociological expertise. Still, I do believe a city can be appreciated even without being fluent in the language - especially in this wonderful summer we’re enjoying .. (ask me again in deepest, darkest winter… ) So, without going into the main reason that I’m here, which is that Berlin is the current undisputed art-capital of Europe, here are some of the other reasons why it’s great to live in Deutschland’s fair capital:
1. Cycling
Berlin is criss-crossed with bike-paths and flat as a tack. Perfect. Beware though that Germans ride FAST. And helmet-less. It’s every cyclist for himself, but don’t dare ride on the footpaths unless you want a impassioned scolding from the locals. As the proud owner of a brand new fahrrad, cycling tops my list at the moment regardless. The streets of Berlin are relatively quiet and perfect for cruising. Right now what I am appreciating most is the luxury of a late-night/early morning rides home from any of the zillion
2. Clubs.
I’ve been clubbing Hamburg, Frankfurt, London, Australia, Japan, France and Spain but there’s really nothing like Berlin. Something’s happening all the time and the atmosphere of places like Bar 25 - a louche ‘temporary’ beach bar - is endemic to Berlin. Lots of people here complain about the commercialisation of the bigger places and how ‘it’s not how it used to be’, but there are plenty of smaller spots still going strong and new ones popping up all the time. And most places are still in line with Berlin’s wonderful
3. Pace of Life.
Berlin runs at about half the speed of other European cities of comparable size, and it seems especially languid around Prenzlauerberg where everyone seems to be a designer, artist, writer or … I don’t know, full time idealist. The grass is overgrown in all the parks, people drink beer at 11am and it’s often hard to tell whether they’re going late or getting an early start. There’s no rush, no stress and everyone has plenty of time to lounge around frittering away their afternoons in one of the squillion
4. Cafes
that sprawl invitingly out onto footpaths and spring up in vacant lots in the warmer months. They are friendly places if you can deal with the relatively only-as-much-is-necessary service. Some are so laid back that you pay only what you feel like. No set prices, just throw what you think your drinks/food was worth into a jar and you’re done. And almost all the cafes are also very friendly for
5. Children.
It’s fairly well-known by now that Prenzlauerberg, while the rest of Europe’s city’s are shrinking with childlessness, is in the throws a baby boom. The reality of this doesn’t become tangible until you live here for a while and then it can become quickly overwhelming. Incredibly white bread P’berg is chocablock with prams, pregnant mothers and doting first time parents between the ages of 30 and 40. After a while you stop noticing, only to step into a park one day and realise everyone within eye-shot has a child under two. And if not a child then a dog - most likely some designery sort like a Weimereiner or a Bull Terrier. Anyway, when you have children in Germany, your old life will not stop which is somehow reassuring. Children are welcome everywhere, the child services are amazingly good - daycare and kindergarten-wise - the community in general seems to be a very safe and nice place for kids. And the little ones around here are always dressed with such
6. Style.
The unmistakable flohmarkt/designer hotch-potch that’s both the context and the expression of the city’s run-down/boom vibe. I’m talking about clothes, homes, shop interiors, galleries, bars, everything. It seems like a natural extension of Berlin’s
7. History.
Being Australian means I grew up knowing that ‘real’ history only happened in other countries. On other continents. Mostly in the Northern Hemisphere. Living in the middle of Europe means I now have the entire theatre of Western Civilisation at my doorstep, or at least within easy reach by train. The overall effect, I think, has been to make everything seem more prosaic. Living in an old East Berlin apartment (with coal stove), talking to people, imagining life with this same backdrop 10, 100 or 1000 years ago has given me a much healthier perspective on history, and maybe done some damage to the latent antipodean cultural cringe I’ve been struggling to get rid of for years.
8. Education
(For want of a better name for number eight and trying desperately to avoid using the word ‘culture’). Meaning that I appreciate how much knowledge - of the arts and other ’soft’ specializations like philosophy particularly - is valued in Europe. Most people I meet are multi-lingual and gratifyingly well-informed about a whole range of things. It seems there are not many places in the world a person could survive as a ‘freelance curator’ or ’sound artist’ for very long without a day job. Long, long degree course are normal; people are very specialised and focused on their chosen field, but can still talk about anything. Appalling generalisations, all, but that’s been my experience in Berlin. Mostly P’berg, Mitte, Kreuzberg, admittedly.
9. Space.
By which I mean it’s cheap to live here for what you get. Ignoring the twinges of conscience I feel about being yet another fringe-employed foreigner pushing the rents up in Prenzlauerberg, I can still enjoy the affordability of this place. Apartments have high ceilings, the shared backyards are lovely and in a city built for 5 million, but where only 3 and half actually live, there’s hardly any congestion, it’s always possible to find a quiet place in which to enjoy the
10. Green
I’m as lax as the next person about energy conservation etc in some respects, but I like to take the train instead of flying (even if it’s more expensive) and I love living in a city where cars are completely unnecessary – I never need one and don’t miss driving at all. What’s more, Germany has right-on official green credentials, already producing 15% of its energy from renewables while Britain has managed just 4% so far.
There are million other reasons to love Berlin. And to not love it too, but I think I’ll save that list for the winter months to give it some extra virulence.
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Tags: Berlin, bikes, cafes, living in Germany, parks
July 16th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
Great post, and 10 of the many reasons why I want to live in Berlin!