10 from Berlin

  1. 5 museums visited. Linda McCarney’s Polaroids at C/O and Hall of Mirrors at Museum of Film and Television Berlin were both breathtaking, unforgettable and highly inspiring. Street art is everywhere and you get a sense that there is some kind of streetart mark almost every step. Urban Nation is also worth visiting.
  2. Comparing to last year, more places using card / contactless payments. One was even a card-only place (The Barn near the Zoo Banhof). Don’t know of it’s due to the COVID-19 situation or sth else.
  3. Almost 100 km’s walked during the 7 day stay. Not bad, not terrible, bit one thing is for sure. The city is a best friend for psychogeographers and notorious strollers. 
  4. Love the untamed green left all over the city. Urban Jungle is one of my favourite trends in the big cities. And the people seem to love it. 
  5. Lots of small private stores (phrase to remember: Spätkauf), caffes and such. A weird feeling that there are more Rossmann stores in the Tricity region, that in Berlin (highly doubtful, but I cannot find any data on that).
  6. If I could choose one Berlin thing and implement it in my town, it would be the public transportation and/or driver behaviour in the city. Padestrian and bike friendly with flaws but not as big as those in the TriCity region. The ticket buying system needs improvement though, especially during the COVID-19 time.
  7. My guilty pleasure beverage of choice (meaning all mate-based cold drinks) are around 0.70 E here – three times cheaper than a bus ticket. The lowest I got them in Poland was around 1.80 E.
  8. Was amazed by the quality of soundproof windows in our budget hotel. Discovered that there was some roadwork only after waking up and opening the windows.
  9. Due to the popularity of the city, the rents going higher up, co-living spaces are becoming more and more popular. Don’t really know what to make of it – is it a bitter trend (privacy) or a modern necessity. Either way, everything is going towards privacy (both digital and physical) becoming a luxury in the coming years.
  10. The food in the most unexpected of places. Three words: Thai Park Saturdays.