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EXBERLINER MAGAZINE

CULTURE

The best of Berlin in June

In June, Exberliner, Berlin’s leading English-language magazine, discovers a multitasking café, tries on some communistic clothing and explores a new English-language bookstore.

The best of Berlin in June
Photo: Exberliner

Heroic multicafé

Quirky Mary Ocher, disco-synther Miss le Bomb and new wavers Trike! have all taken to the little stage in the back. The walls are covered with monthly-rotating works by local artists, and a whiff of freshly made coffee blends with the sharp scent of goat cheese from the quiches baked on site. Neukölln café-of-all-trades Heroes is a little bit of everything. French-American owner Caroline Burnett originally wanted to open up a full-fledged music venue, but since opening in 2009, Heroes has evolved into a sort of melting pot of food, music, films, books and art, housing a weekly film night (Tuesdays at 9 pm, always in OV and following a monthly theme) that moves outdoors in the summer. It’s a place where the back room is known to play host to an impromptu poetry session, a dance party or an exhibition. And it’s all accompanied by food deriving from Burnett’s dual national origin: French and American-style Sunday brunches (from €3.50), quiches and crêpes in various varieties, all of which can always be washed down with a €2.10 Picon bière (beer + orange liqueur – it’s a French thing). Everything is wrapped up in Ziggy Stardust-esque stripes, painted playfully across the walls of the front room, paying colourful tribute to Mr. Bowie, who’s also the inspiration for the place’s name (taken from his 1977 Berlin-trilogy album). The décor – which includes items like a dummy torso and a birdcage left behind by a friend who decamped to Switzerland – is as schizophrenic as the cultural offerings – but all in the usual playful-eclectic Berlin way. Don’t miss the sonic summer fun when Heroes helps turns Friedelstraße into a outdoor fest on June 21 at Fête de la Musique. A full programme can be found on www.heroesberlin.com or www.48-stunden-neukoelln.de.

HEROES | Friedelstr. 49, Neukölln, U-Bhf Hermannplatz, Tue-Sun 12-20 (or later when there are events)

Venture communism

A spectre is haunting Prenzlauer Berg designer clothing outlets: communism. Schivelbeiner is small and stays stays open for barely half the week, but what it lacks in size and availability, it makes up for in revolutionary ambition. For it’s not only a slightly anaemic mixture of Kneipe and Teehaus; Schivelbeiner is also the new retail home of the world’s first apparently-socialist designer clothing brand, OCA. The founders, Lisa and Iain Ross (from Bavaria and Scotland, respectively), wouldn’t really fit in with the crust punks one normally associates with leftist activism in Berlin – they are soft-spoken and polite, conservatively dressed. They opened Schivelbeiner in May after six months of painting, sewing and fomenting. Lisa’s hand-painted faux-wallpaper patterns march rigidly across the wall until suddenly dissolving into noodly civil war near the back corners. In what might be called the “Teach-A- Man-To-Fish Business Plan,” Lisa and Iain are selling kits, not clothes. With OCA, Lisa and Iain intend to smash the branded establishment and encourage consumers to seize the means of production. The kits sell for the (decidedly un-proletariat-friendly) sum of around €100 and come with everything you need to make your own garment: fabric, needles, thread, plan and even a label tag certifying its authenticity. More adventurous/broke comrades can opt to buy the plans without the materials for around €15, and shameless bourgeois pigs can buy the finished clothing with price tags ranging upwards of €300. If you’re politically confused, well, you can just have a Beck’s.

OCA IM SCHIVELBEINER | Schivelbeiner Str. 7, Prenzlauer Berg, U-Bhf Schönhauser Allee, Sun-Wed 11-22

On the Czechlist

Roman Kratochvila, the soft-spoken Czech that owns Shakespeare & Sons, Berlin’s brand new English language bookstore, seems oddly noncommittal about his new Prenzlauer Berg home. “I was told here or Kreuzberg,” he says. Some benevolent wind guided him, together with his business partner Radin and wife Laurel, when they parachuted in from Prague last month, seemingly with nothing more than the shirts on their backs and the business experience that comes from 10 years of running Prague’s most successful English-language bookstore. Shakespeare & Sons is your inner-bookworm’s paradise and a perfect fit for the Helmholtzkiez: Sunlight shines through the big, street-facing windows onto houseplants in cute porcelain tubs and rows of lineographed dust jackets. By now you’re thinking, “Finally I can buy a graphic novel and satisfy my curiosity about home cheese-making in the same place,” but it’s more than that. The plan is to stock one-third used, two-thirds new English-language books, as well as a small French section and an extensive selection of children’s books. Penguin Classics reissues and basically anything with muted blues or a bird on the cover line the walls (including a comic section that holds a Prenzlauer Berg graphic novel!), and there are a few comfortable armchairs tucked into the corners, their upholstery matched to the green-stained hardwood floors. The proximity of the venerable and respected St. George’s, a mere two blocks south, would be daunting to most aspiring booksellers. But judging by the crowd of multilingual Prenzlauer Berger swarming in the street outside, there’s more than enough demand to go around. Tip: Prices are based on current exchange rates, so books imported from America will save you some money.

SHAKESPEARE & SONS | Raumerstr. 36, Prenzlauer Berg, S-Bhf Prenzlauer Allee

Bubble trouble

At BoboQ, Berlin’s first dedicated bubble tea house, the crowd is loud, numerous and principally Asian, a good sign one might think. Done well, bubble tea – the Taiwanese iced tea typically made with balls of tapioca, milk and flavouring – can be the perfect summer drink. Unfortunately, the slimy texture of the tapioca and the artificial, overly sweet taste spoils the fun. To get a good version of the drink, book a flight to Taipei – or at least Los Angeles. Drinks range from €2.80 to €3.50.

BOBOQ | Marburger Str. 17, Charlottenburg, U-Bhf Wittenbergplatz

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STUDYING IN GERMANY

What’s it like to study abroad in Berlin?

Picking the right city to study abroad in Germany can be a tricky decision, and there are numerous factors to consider. Freya Jones shares her experience of doing a year abroad in the capital and explains why Berlin could also be the right choice for you.

What's it like to study abroad in Berlin?

Five months after moving to Berlin for my year abroad (a compulsory part of my German degree from the UK) the German capital is certainly a destination I’d recommend. 

Although it’s less “traditionally German” than many other corners of the country, and simultaneously more comparable to the blanket big city experience worldwide, Berlin’s unique history and culture make it a great place to explore – and unsurprisingly very popular with international students. 

Like all capitals, it has its pros and cons, so here’s what stood out to me during my experience so far.

Arrival

You’ve probably heard horror stories about the Berlin housing market, and from experience I can say they’re largely true. Finding an apartment here before moving to the city is notoriously difficult, and more expensive than in other parts of Germany. 

What you should bear in mind, however, is that unlike other German cities, Berlin doesn’t impose fines if you’re unable to secure a registration appointment within two weeks of arrival (three months if you already have a visa). This makes searching for a good WG, Studentenwerk, or other rental far easier post-arrival if your first stop is a homestay or somewhere else temporary. 

Blocks of rental flats in Berlin.

Blocks of rental flats in Berlin. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Monika Skolimowska

Despite a recent wave of strikes and construction work, transport links in Berlin are still very strong. If you’re enrolled as a student during your year abroad, you’ll be entitled to a discounted pass for city transport, including a number of tram, bus and train options that run all the way to the city’s outskirts and even into Brandenburg (Zone C).

What’s more, direct trains from Berlin’s BER Airport make it more accessible than more remote locations in Germany when you arrive equipped with a year’s worth of luggage.

English

My German tutors in the UK were slightly concerned when I chose Berlin, because they didn’t think I’d have much opportunity to practise my German. Looking back, this worry wasn’t without cause, and if your primary goal is German language improvement, it may be worth considering somewhere more rural or less international. 

Unlike small towns I’ve visited elsewhere in Germany, where many people speak little to no English, it’s everywhere in Berlin. Because the international population is so large, new friends from any country are likely to speak it by default.

However, this can obviously be mitigated by signing up for German-only university classes, as I’ve done as an exchange student at Humboldt University, or finding a German language job. And on the flip side, if you’re here to study a discipline other than German, the ubiquity of English in Berlin has you covered.

READ ALSO: The top German cities for international students in 2024

Cultural Experiences

Unsurprisingly, Berlin offers no end of unique cultural experiences. For new arrivals, there’s plenty to fill your time with, and I’d really recommend “playing the tourist” for a couple of weeks while you settle in. 

Bucket-list locations include the National Gallery and museums on Museuminsel, the Berlin Wall memorial, the Brandenburg Gate, and the site of the Berlin airlift at Tempelhof. And beyond this, there’s never a shortage of things to do – walks around Tiergarten and the customary Sunday flea markets (Flohmarkt am Mauerpark being the most famous) are popular with visitors and locals alike.

A skateboarder performs tricks on Tempelhofer Feld

A skateboarder performs tricks on a former runway at Berlin’s Tempelhofer Feld, a popular meeting place in Berlin-Neukölln. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Christoph Soeder

Something I’ve also really enjoyed after being here for a while is noticing the small details which differentiate the former East and West Berlin sectors, such as different traffic lights and types of transport. While much of the architecture is admittedly stark, grey and not as pretty as other parts of Germany, the way in which present-day Berlin is a visible product of its recent history makes it a fascinating place to live.

READ ALSO: How do I get a student visa for Germany and what does it let me do?

Pros & Cons

Any culture shock inevitably comes with both positives and negatives, and these are a few which particularly struck me after moving to Berlin from the UK. 

Cons: many shops refuse to take card payment and only accept cash; all shops and supermarkets close on Sundays; there’s no guarantee of being let into a club or bar on a night out, and the traffic lights genuinely seem to conspire against drivers and pedestrians alike. (Also, the weather in winter really will destroy your soul, and this is a Brit talking…)

Pros: the quality of food is much better here than in the UK, and cheaper; the cost of alcohol is much lower; public transport is cheaper and more efficient than in London; work-life balance and mental wellbeing are taken very seriously; and finally, there’s a far less visible “class system” than in the UK, possibly due to the greater access and affordability of German universities.  (This is really nice, especially if you’re coming from a UK university where socio-economic prejudice is very common.)

READ ALSO: How to stay in Germany after graduating from a German university

Overall, Berlin has been a vibrant place to spend my exchange semester. Not only has it given me insights into the most significant shifts in recent German history, but it also offers the archetypal experience of living in a bustling, multicultural city. So while it’s distinctly different to anywhere else in Germany you might be considering, the variety of things to see and do in Berlin will keep you engaged for your full year abroad.

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