Berlin, the sequel

After spending the last 8 months in Asia it's great to be back in Europe. I've returned to Berlin and It's summer now so the weather is far better than when I was here last. For the past four months I've been learning German and it's fun being able to put it into practice. Most times I do well, sometimes I'm like a deer in headlights and other times I get a giggle or English in response. I'm seeing Berlin in a different light. Staying with new friends in nicer areas and experiencing some of the cool and unique things that I was totally oblivious to before. I now have a completely different opinion on Berlin. Im really impressed with the multitude of parks, I've visited beautiful lakes and seen architecture that I thought didn't exist.

Klunkerkranish When does a bar become a Bark? I walk into a typically large multi storey shopping centre. Catch the elevator to the upper floor car park. Step out and wait in a very long que to enter the largest roof top bar I've ever been to. It fills the entire top floor of the car park. And that's what it's like, a bar park or what I now call, a "Bark". It's huge, groovy, alternative and cool and provides great views over Berlin.

Park life Imagine this in Australia, I can't. It's a warm summers day, we're sitting on a bench in a local and popular park. We're minding our own business and enjoying the sun when a couple on a trike roll up beside us. "What are these two up to ya think?" I say. A young girl jumps off a large box fixed to the front and politely says "would your like a free beer?" Shocked, I said something like "oh yes please, that would be nice". Or words to that affect. Not only did we get free beers but coupons as well which we used the next night for more free beers.

Vilotaxi Berlin is very flat so it's ideal to get around on bikes. A Vilotaxi is a peddle/electric powered trike that's popular with tourists. It's as simple as this, you hire the Vilotaxi from the operators, roll up to the popular tourist spots, wait for a customer, drive them and take their money. At the end of the day you drop the Vilotaxi back to the depot. They're mainly used for trips from one tourist site to the next as well as short haul journeys with locals. Sabrina once drove these for a living and still has a contract so we hired one with the intention of making some quick money. After she drove a little I had a go and then we decided to just park it and have a nap under a tree in the Tiergarten. Later we took it in turns cruising the streets then returned it without looking for or picking up a single customer.

Book depository It's not uncommon to see small boxes of books placed outside people's houses or apartment blocks. The books are free and anyone can take them. Mostly they're written in German but sometimes you can come across English versions. There are also larger depositories like this one made out of an old telephone booth with lighting provided by solar power so you can even peruse the collection late at night. Sometimes you can find small items that aren't books that are also free.

10 stories max

Berlin city is built out, not up. There are no high rise buildings and no skyscrapers. For a large capital city in one of the most populated European countries I find this quite strange. Especially considering land is a premium, space for development is limited and affordable housing is difficult to find. But I learned that all the old buildings are not allowed to be extended and as most are old, and there is no free land to build anything new, that's the way it's going to stay. On average I don't see any building higher than about 10 stories with the exception of a few newer apartment buildings. It's not what you would expect but it's also quite nice.

Winter preparation Berliners regularly dispose of their unwanted items on the street like Tasmanians do on clean up nights. They leave out all kind of things for the taking such as chairs, beds, fridges, clothes and so on. If a passer by doesn't take it the garbage collector does. Items made of wood are especially popular because people take them, break them apart and store the pieces to be burned in the heaters at winter time. I did my part for the winter collection.