iainisinberlin-blog

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Day 11

With only a few days of freedom left I thought I’d better start making the most of it and I did this by ticking off another local museum. The Stasi Museum is located just off Frankfurter Allee, around a 30 minute walk from the flat. It offers a fascinating and terrifying tour of what life was like in East Germany and also showed the nefarious tactics used to monitor it’s citizens. It was interesting how the Stasi went from using brutal beatings and murdering people early on, to exiling and other less savage solutions. This was because they were trying to be recognised as more of a global power throughout the 70s & 80s. It also posed another stark reminder of how fresh it all is in Berlin and how truly unique this city is.

After leaving the museum I headed home and decided I needed to sort out some German lessons. Having seen some ads for Speak Easy and seeing that they have good reviews online I had a brief online chat and headed down to their offices. I got there and had a look through some of their text books and decided I was around an A1.2 level. I sat in on an A1.2+ level later on that evening and though I didn’t feel completely lost, it felt a bit advanced for me. I think I will join a class soon as it would help day-to-day and when meeting new people.

After that relatively traumatic experience, I headed home and drank a few beers to take my mind off it all!

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Day 10

10 whole days. 🎉

Today was a football based day. It began with another walk into Mitte (Alexanderplatz to be precise) to purchase some astroturf boots for my Berlin Kickabout debut. Wondering what the nearest Intersport would hold I wasn’t sure how much I’d pay, but I was pleasantly surprised, picking up a pair of lairy plastic adidas numbers for £20. Intersport is basically the Sports Direct of continental Europe, only it’s not owned by a fat greedy plastic Geordie (I assume). Again I was surprised by how quickly I managed to get into Mitte. Compared to Chiswick it’s basically round the corner from my flat. Friedrichshain is somewhat similar to Chiswick however, in the sense that there is nowhere one can buy football boots but there are 7 artisanal bread boutiques & 5 antique bookshops. 

Making another good dent in my podcasts during the walk, I headed back to finally make my blog for Metal T-shirt Poetry. Only a year and a half late, but it got there in the end and I’m actually happy to have completed something and not half-finished it like most other things I’ve started. Hopefully this will change in Berlin, as I won’t have to spend all of my time on admin shit and worrying about moving to Berlin.

The football was extremely well-placed for me, being a short walk from Storkower Straße (where I alighted 10 days ago on Day 1). I arrived a little bit early, but there were a few lads hanging about. In the end there were only 6 of us and it proved to be a bit of a farce in places playing Sunny D 3on3 on a pitch that could cater for 7vs7, but it was good to have a run around and get into football again. Hopefully there will be a few more games there and I could join in with some other groups from it. Also it was Kostenlos so that’s always nice.

Today was also another day of exercise and no booze. Fuck yeah.

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Colours on the way to the Mauerpark

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Märchenbrunnen - Fountain of Fairy Tales

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Day 9

Another nice day for a walk, and this time I decided to go for a wander towards the Mauerpark (literally ‘Wall Park’ due to it’s proximity to the wall), which is renowned for being the place to be on Sundays. After considering public transport I though I might as well walk it, which is also a good opportunity to make a dent in all the podcasts I’ve neglected over the past few weeks. On the way I walked past some lovely roads and areas, and also diverted through the Volkspark, seeing the beautiful fountains that are a highlight of the park.

After around an hour of walking I had arrived finding the ubiquitous Sunday market and plenty of sun-worshippers and Sunday drinkers enjoying the last vestiges of Summer. I had intended to see the famous Sunday karaoke which I have read about in various guide-books and blogs, however when I got there all I saw was a green haired man telling some pretty awful jokes. No matter though as I had explored a bit more of Berlin and that’s really what these first two weeks are for.

Following a spot of lunch I went to Bikram yoga, aiming to make the most out of my 30-day class card. It was supposed to be a German class, but fortunately it was 50/50, with the first set in English and the second set in German. I feel I could do a class in German as I’ve been doing it for a few years so know the series off by heart. Either way it’s nice to get into yoga again and also start doing sport a bit more regularly after I had been so hindered by my moped accident in Vietnam. Also I think the more exercise I do, the less inclined i will feel to smoke which is a bonus!

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A great thing about Germany is that you can say 'Ciao' with complete earnest and people won't think you're a massive bellend.

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Day 8

A waste man day //

Barely left the flat. Cricket //

and Bojack Horseman //

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Day 7

1 week down - a few hundred(?) to go. Another grey day, so another day not spent too far from the confines of the flat. Mooched around the flat in the morning but around midday I decided to get a haircut, and this presented a good opportunity to find a local barbers. On the walk down to Frankfurter Tor there are a few hairdressers, one of which was somewhat out of my price range so decided upon the other one. Inside it looked fairly similar to my favourite Turkish place in Teddington and they gave me a decent cut, although perhaps a bit too much taken off. Plenty of time to grow it out over the infamously long Berlin winter. Also for €10 who’s complaining.

I then had a few hours to prep for my first Bikram class as a Berlin resident, making sure I had a wholesome lunch and drinking plenty of water. I had a rainy walk to the studio and had a really good session even though I was mistaken for an Aussie. Afterwards having had an hour and a half of sweating my tits off and doing great things for my body, the best thing to do was go to a gig, drink a load of beer and smoke cigarettes all night. The gig at the Badehaus was not far from the flat and featured Last Revelations, Skywalker and LANDMVRKS. It was a really cool small venue and hope to see plenty more gigs there in the future. Walking home i popped in Paul’s Metal Eck for a beer, which was pretty busy as was every bar & restaurant on Simon-Dach Straße. A short time later I was tucked up in bed, but now I’ve finished off my first box of cigarettes, I’m hopeful I won’t be buying any more in the next few months as I’d like to do as much sport & exercise as I can!

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Day 6

Up at 9ish and feeling happy to have done some exercise again. Today was also the day that I’d take my first tentative steps in the world of ‘meetups’. However, before all that there was a day to waste. I succeeded in this by heading out to get some paper for my ‘German word of the day’ posters. Hopefully this will be a good way for me to increase my vocabulary through increased exposure to words I see whilst out and about.

The rest of my day was spent milling around the house, before heading to Beach-Mitte for my first taste of beach volleyball in Berlin. This brought about my first experience of getting the tram, the closest station of which is conveniently located 2 minutes from my house. A 25 minute tram ride later I was at my stop. The journey taken also provided a bonus history lesson with the route running parallel to the site of the wall, with larges parts of it still intact and also steel rods sprouting from the ground. There were photos of what it looked like throughout the years and was once again a reminder of how recent the city was divided. The tram only serves the east of the city as post-war the tram was considered superfluous in the west and was largely dismantled. Even with this handicap it is still the 5th largest in the world in terms of track length.

Being early I milled around for a bit before heading towards the booked court. The place was vast, with over 50 courts and was unlike anything I’ve ever seen; it was the Beach volleyball equivalent of Hackney Marshes. I was the first one there but more people soon turned up, and before long the full compliment of 10 were there. It was a diverse mix of nationalities, with 4 Germans, 1 Spaniard, 1 Israeli, 1 Indian, 2 Americans, and myself (English). We played for over 2 ½ hours, representing pretty good value for €5. Everyone was really lovely and welcoming and it was a good standard of competitiveness considering the disparity of talent on display. After the exertions 5 of us decided to stay for a beer, and had some really good chat.

Today has made me think that being new in a place where you know no one is an incredibly liberating experience. All the reservations, paranoia and anxiety that followed me around since childhood are somehow washed away, and all that’s left are the fun parts when meeting new people. Another great thing that has helped (inspired by my girlfriend) has been the act of forgiving oneself. When you let past mistakes go and stop beating yourself up about things that happened years ago, you have so much more energy to spend on things that make you happy.

All in all, a pretty successful day!

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Day 5

Up again at a reasonable hour and the weather had taken a turn for the wurst. Fortunately this presented itself as an opportunity to take a look at one of the many museums Berlin has to offer. The first one I visited also happened to be the closest - The Computer Games Museum a short walk from my house. The museum had a variety of sections, ranging from early history of games, to VR, to a wide selection of playable vintage arcade games. It was an enjoyable way to spend a few hours with a lot to read and plenty of interactivity. There were also some consoles set up, one of which was an N64 with Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time with the sound turned up so that was a nice soundtrack to the day.

After a bite to eat at lunch I headed off to the early evening session at Berlin Hot Yoga which was a ‘Vinyasa flow’ class. Not knowing what to expect, I packed a variety of things to wear. It turned out it was pretty hardcore with quite a high temperature and very little rest time. It was, however extremely enjoyable and made a nice change to Bikram. Afterwards I headed home for some dinner, happy to have done something organised & communal, instead of wandering around by myself!

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Day 4

A long lie an after yesterday’s early rise and I decided it was time to venture out from the safety of Friedrichshain. I made a bee-line to Mitte along a street adjacent to the main road and was at Alexanderplatz in around 40 minutes which I was surprised by. It was an extremely hot day so my choice of clothing (black t-shirt & trousers) left a lot to be desired, but I soldiered on regardless.

Not sure what was hoping to find I quickly tired of the chain brands and American fast-food restaurants and returned to my quest of finding a decent bicycle. After a spot of googling I found a bike market in Kreuzberg. I proceeded to take the U8 from Alexanderplatz to Kotsbusser Tor to save my legs.

After coming out of the station I instantly felt a bit less comfortable than I do in Friedrichshain due to more noise, thinner pavements and what felt like more people. However the further I got from the main station the more the crowds dispersed and the happier I got. Following google to get to the market I came across an empty park. Checking google again I saw the market was only open on Saturdays. Always check the opening times.

I decided to walk back to my apartment stopping for a coffee on the way. I ordered it in my best German, only for the Barista to say ‘2 euros please’ in a very English accent. I find this funny that people will switch the conversation to English (this has happened twice - both in coffee shops), but is it weirder for two English people to continue in German? Wer kennt? 

I also came across a beautiful bike shop, 8 Bar Bikes which do completely custom fixed gear bikes. One day I’ll treat myself to one maybe.

I headed home for a call with my accountant and spent an hour or so on bizadmin, before finally taking the plunge and getting involved with some meetups which I’m very excited about. I’m starting with beach volleyball on Thursday and football on Monday. Fairly easy starts to ease me into the Meetup world.

So with that done, another vaguely productive day was done. Also my first day without beer so far! 

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Day 3

A Monday, and like most office workers this represented a bump back down to earth after the weekend’s euphoria. An early start (not through choice) led me to try and get my admin out the way so I could enjoy my holiday. 

A wander down the now familiar road from Frankfurter Tor to the Oberbaumbrucke got me to my destination - a copy shop to print my housing contract, which I needed to register with the local authority. I proceeded confidently to the Bürgeramt (citizen office) only to be met by a fairly polite Nein from the lady behind the desk. In retrospect she had a remarkable amount of patience considering I’m sure she gets several clueless, tongue-tied (sprachloc, stumm) immigrants like me through her doors every day. I was told to call a number first thing the next morning. This did not fill me with hope, and I spent a few minutes feeling totally lost and as I truly am, alone. I consulted my girlfriend (who doesn’t live in Germany) and as she has been throughout the move, was incredibly supportive and made me feel more confident and helped me find a route through the fog.

Looking for an alternative to speaking German over the phone I did what any good exiled Londoner would do - pay a (wo)man to do it. I contacted Red Tape Translation (5* rating on google at press time) who promise a helping hand, brain and mouth to get through the fabled German Bureaucracy™. After a quick email exchange and throwing some digital money at them through the seemingly-very-handy Transferwise, my mind was eased. I had read so much about the dreaded Anmeldung that I thought they would literally make me jump through hoops. That are on fire. Whilst blindfolded.

After the mornings excitement, I decided it had been too long since I was on a bicycle, so went for a wander around Friedrichshain on the lookout for 2nd hand bikes. The first (and only notable) place was Bike-a-way. Another google reviews frontrunner, this place was fantastic. I was met at the front door by an enthusiastic bald American man, who after hearing my price range proceeded to show off his wares. He has some incredible bikes in stock. Some new and shiny city bikes, but the highlights were some pre-unification fixed-gear city bikes which were great to ride and had the retro dyno lights. I took a few for a test run but have decided against a purchase until I have got my Chiswick flat deposit back. I also spotted a cool looking tattoo place - Crime tattoo, which I will note down for future reference.

After a zig-zag route I ended up back at Simon-Dach Straße, and finally decided to try one of the local vegan places. This time it was Zeus Pizzeria. I had the jalapeno, artichoke and coconut milk cheese pizza which was exactly what Der Arzt ordered. I’ve definitely been working up an appetite walking over 5 miles a day so far. Natürlich it was washed down with a Weißbier. Sitting outside cafes & restaurants people watching over the last few days, as i was then, I have had so many moments that have made me think how lucky I am to be here. Just seeing the freedom and comfort in the way people express themselves fills me with so much happiness.

Wanting to make the most out of the beautiful sunshine, I decided to check out my local park - The Volkspark. A 10 minute walk from my house, this park is apparently the oldest in Berlin and I was so glad i took the time to see it. After a quick walk from the entrance I came across an depressed open space, around 10 metres lower than the rest of the park. As well as the usual drinkers, walkers, lovers, skaters, bikers & smokers there were beach volleyball courts as the centerpiece and also a dreadlocked fellow doing a ludicrously long slackline across the dip. It must have been over 60m long - I saw him get half way twice but then fall off. Impressive nonetheless.

Heading back home after another tiring day, I was happy that it had been productive but it did show the downsides to moving away by yourself! Hopefully they will become less and less apparent as I meet more people and begin to integrate.

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My style inspiration lately has been like, 'Chinese dad on holiday'

Stranger on the Street

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What do you call a beard that everyone is amazed by?

Ein Wunderbart

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Day 2

I had a well deserved lie-in after a long day yesterday, waking at around 10:30 for an impressive 11 hours of sleep. I think it might take me a while to get used to waking up and remembering I live alone. After pottering around the apartment for a bit i ventured out for a now customary mooch. A quick meander around Friedrichshain ensued, picking up a coffee and scoping out the co-working space I have decided to join (or whatever the verb is for it). The location of it surpassed my expectations - it looks to be in an old factory building, set back from the main streets but a stone’s throw from plenty of bars & coffee shops. Also in the same development there are offices of Vans & various other fashion brands so that’s exciting. 

I then aimed to get to Treptower park, a public park heading out south-east from the city. On the way I walked past Cassiopeia to find they had a bustling market on. Unable to resist i went for a stroll around it and happened upon a ‘punk-rock market’ which was excellent, hosting vinyl, merch and clothing stands. I bought myself a tote bag with a great ‘NO BORDERS’ design. http://nomoreborders.bigcartel.com/why-benefit-and-who-is-behind

A stroll over the river later led me to the park, a large and varied space with markedly different styled gardens. The centre of the park hosts a stunning Soviet War Memorial which really needs to be seen to be believed and I almost didn’t walk to it because I was going to walk back along the road and not through the park! I then got the S-bahn back to Freidrichshain, had a spot of lunch & headed back home. I plan to go to some ‘meet-ups’ this week to really get in the swing of Berlin life.

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Day 1

Waking up at 3am to catch a flight having had 2 hours of agitated sleep, I was a bundle of nerves. Having had a lot of worries over the last few weeks I was apprehensive about what was to come, but found comfort in the fact that Iains from years past had worked hard to get me where I am now. However I still couldn’t quite believe it was happening but here we were, my Mum & Dad driving me to the airport.

Some emotional farewells and a smooth flight later I landed at Schoenefeld, rode the S-bahn to Storkower Straße and took a short stroll to my apartment building. Having half an hour to kill before my contact turned up I took up residence at my local bench and waited. What I saw made me feel more comfortable about my choice of area (Friedrichshain); Middle-aged couple out for a morning stroll, groups of young people heading out for the day, parents and children going to the local park. The best parts though were: 

i) Dogs EVERYWHERE. It was notable how many dogs there were compared to where I lived in London. I could have stayed there for hours looking at all the people passing by with their pups. 

ii) So many cyclists. It was immense. As a cyclist for so many years in London and generally being marginalised to a yard-strip on the side of the road, seeing the freedom and space given to cyclists in Berlin it makes me itch to get back in the saddle.

Once I had met the Keymaster, he took me up to my first-floor apartment. I had seen photos, but wasn’t quite ready for the size of it and also the fact that it was all mine, particularly because I have never lived alone.

After unpacking whilst grinning like a mad man and shooting the customary video tour of the apartment I went for a mooch around Friedrichshain with the goal of ending up at Veganz, an entirely vegan supermarket. Having spent a fortune there I wandered back through the streets of my new home town, stopping for a beer on the way. It was only when I went to a ‘normal’ supermarket later in the day that I realised everywhere sells an extensive range of vegan food. Just another reason that Berlin is my kind of town. 

I had the intention of a night out (seeing as it’s my first day), hopefully finding some dinner and a gig to go to. However as soon as I sat down on my sofa I was nodding off. My first evening in Berlin was spent with a beer and the T20 Blast final and tucked up in bed at 10:30. Still, there’s plenty of time for eating & partying. The most important thing was, I’d made it.