It all started a year ago when I was still living in Barcelona, so there’s not much connection to my everyday Berlin reality within this odd-ball post, except from that I did wanted to escape badly the heat wave in Europe. Around the time I visited Iceland in June 2014, my Danish colleague told me about spending last Christmas time even more drastically North: on Svalbard. Since then, my wandering soul stayed uneasy and there was no turning back for me: I knew I had to go to the Northernmost settlement in the world, sooner or later. I started studying about Svalbard, and looking for the best opportunity to go there as a tourist. Pardon me, a traveller. Being a tourist on Svalbard means something very disrespected and stupid.
I read about moving to and around the island, paying attention to the safety regulations, and protection against the polar bears. Though polar bears are considered endangered species, they are actually quite often seen on Svalbard, so it’s better to walk protected with a riffle (asking the governor for a renting licence prior to your visit). Or with a guide. Or with a newly acquired friend in town who owns a riffle, there are plenty of options to organize your activities there actually. Bearing in mind that the mighty nature is always the most important governor of the island!
Although Svalbard is still a very remote and wild place to go, I have to say it’s pretty well-connected now with the rest of Europe. In the summer time there are about 2 daily flights directly connecting the airport in Longyearbyen with Oslo, in the winter time there’s a daily flight from Tromso in the northern Norway. Longyearbyen, currently the largest town in the archipelago of Svalbard, on its largest island – Spitzbergen offers a wide range of hostels and hotels – from sharing a dorm with some other adventurers in a former coal miners’ lodge to 5-star hotels, like Radisson Blue or Mary Ann’s Polarrigg Hotel (with a very quirky look). So all in all, to go to the Northern tip of the world from my flat in Berlin took me maybe 7 hours in total. Quite surreal, isn’t it?
While the heat was treating the continent quite cruelly last week, I spent some lovely Arctic summer days: hiking on the Spitzbergen’s mountain ranges, sailing and kayaking around the fjords and Russian settlements, birdwatching or exploring the abandoned buildings on my own.
It’s not a trip for everyone. The place is pretty different to anything you’ve seen so far, and the conditions on the sea/in the mountains can get quite hostile. You have to respect the local customs and the nature, trying best to behave like an invisible tourist, which is often repeated in the informational brochures. The alcohol is very cheap as for the island being a tax-free zone, but in order to prevent tourists behaving like jerks, you have to carry your boarding pass whenever you’re buying a booze, as the quantity of what you drink is noted, and eventually – counted. Well, not really – and for the intoxicated tourists there’s a unique cell prepared too by the local governor – and I’ll definitely write about it in my next post featuring the usual day in Longyearbyen. I’ve learn best that there is no such thing as crime out there, just plenty of tourists that can spoil last pieces of wilderness on Earth. So once again: thumbs up for travelling, not being a tourist.
Faces Places Spaces
Hundstage – where to escape from heat in the heart of Berlin?
I learned this German expression after watching a controversial movie by Ulrich Seidl back in a day. ‘Dog days’ stand for unbearably hot summer days where the ‘dog’ star, Sirius, coincides with sunrise. I suspected the heat wave to hit only once (first weekend of July), but it seems it hit again and will stay with us for the next 10 days or so :). So let me share my 3 fave swimming pools & city beaches to escape from the heat.
Disclaimer: they can get crazily crowded during weekends (other 4 million people can really have the same idea!), or when extremely hot temperatures hit. If you decide to go there, better go first thing in the morning.
1. Badeschiff – a floating pool on the Spree river in between Treptower Park and Oberbaumbrücke within the Berlin Arena area. Entry as for 2015: 5 EUR, offers a nice bar, burger place and massages on the deck. Not so much healthy food options though. Swimming pool with a sunbathing decks, offering great views over the Spree is just worth the price of it all, even queuing to get into kaltes, klares Wasser.
2. Haubentaucher – named after a lovely bird, this swimming pool is a surprise within the urban jungle of Urban Spree. It offers much more healthy cuisine, and the pool itself is pretty spacious. The only missing part is the smell of water, but it’s equally refreshing. Entry as for 2015: 3-4 EUR.
3. Rampe – hidden in the bushes near Michaelbrücke, was a nice revellation to me on Sunday when temperature rose to 38 degrees and I was hopeless where to hide. I heard nice music and sneeked in, no entry fee was needed. Swimming pool was not as spectacular, but located in the nice shades of trees, and the beach had a typical seaside sand. There are various open air parties organized there on a regular basis, as I learned later, so depending on the line up, the entry fee can go up to 10 EUR.
Of course, if you are more determined, you can escape to the Baltic Sea coast, both on the German and Polish side. Or to catch a train and discover the beauty Beyond Berliner Ring.
Sunday Funday in Berlin: now & then
Today is one of these days one can only expect the unexpected in terms of the weather in Berlin. Intervals of sun, rain, storm and wind vary and it is rather difficult to plan anything outdoor. But the summer has been pampering the Berliners so far – even to the extreme.
Sundays are never boring: either you go on with the party mode or you go on a nature retreat. Alone or with friends – up to you, this city adjusts to all prefered options, be it brunch by the river channel, sunbathing in one of the public swimming pools or city beaches, visiting museums and galleries or cycling around the city.
It’s fun to see that the city was very active and alive on Sundays many years ago too, in the pre-Nazi era in Berlin. A light-hearted film made by Robert Siodmak in 1930 shows a group of the amateur Berliners in a very Sunday Funday mood. Many of the places pictured in the movie are still a very popular locations for hanging around on a sunny Sunday. However, it’s very interesting to see how the city looked before the WWII and live the spirit of the epoque: strolling down the Nicolassee, falling in love and chilling by the lake shore with a gramophone, or play with the sausages (just check this out!).
The movie will be shown in the Freiluftkino Friedrichshein next weekend (25th July) but for those that for some reason won’t make it, or are stuck at home on this rather rainy day, I attach you below an English-subtitles spoiler. Happy Sunday everyone!
Summer in the city or: my top 5 outdoor destinations around the Berliner Ring
Since I arrived, I have heard ‘just wait for it, summer in Berlin is truly magic’. It seems like everyone’s setting up in parks for BBQs, biking all day long, kayaking or dancing the night away (and day anyway) in the open airs. All of the sudden you discover so many great spots for the nature lovers all over the Berliner Ring and get almost the holiday-like feeling stil staying within the city limits. Let me share with you some pics and impressions about my top 5 fave ones as for June 2015. Disclaimer: some photos were taken earlier in the spring, hence the trees are still not looking as spectacular as for now!
1. Pankow & its surroundings.
It’s not an exact place, it’s a neighbourhood. There is a cute cycling path that leads from Pankow to Barnim region (i.e. Bernau and its wonderful lakes) or even, for the most triathlon-loving ones, all the way up to Copenhagen! For those that want to spend time in parks, feeding ducks and goats, and take a breathe in the green surroundings and still staying in the city’s limits, I fully recommend the short trail around Panke river, being also a part of Berlin’s Mauerweg. You will see a lot of interesting reinvented buildings. Perfect combination of how urban and post-urban landscape could look like.
2. Tempelhofer Feld.
The biggest empty spot in the city’s map as for 2015. Not sure if this will last for much longer (?), so enjoy the empty runway, and green grass surrounding it. Perfect for cycling, skating, wind-skating, sun-bathing, BBQs and what-not.
3. Potsdam & Babelsberg.
Needless to say, the royal town, situated only 30 minutes away from Berlin is a must for the history-loving people or the ones that love to discover the beauty of the past (which got already destroyed in the WWII). An interesting spot nearby would be Babelsberg park, where the citadel locations for Tarantino’s ‘Inglorious Basterds’ and many more were set. Definitely deserves a separate post, coming up soon!
4. Rummelsburg.
If you’re tired of hanging around Friedrichshein’s bar and clubs (my fave party Kiez around Ostkreuz), you can follow the path on the northern side of Spree till you reach the Rummelsburg lake. Post-industrial architecture interchanged with endless green spots makes it a perfect location for a Sunday Open Air.
5. Along the Spree and Spreepark.
On the other side of the Spree river, the magic still happens but you need to be quick to still spot it. One of the best abandoned locations, Spree Park is about to disappear from Berlin’s map. Make sure you hear the abandoned wheel still spinning, notice dinosaurs, rainbow cats and GDR-era toys. A very interesting documentary about Spree Park’s history will be screened on 29th June in the Freiluft Kino on the Spree nearby.
Hafen City
Long time no write, but what a month it was… May is a very special month in Germany. Not only the cities become greener and more appealing, the days are truly longer, but also ,surprisingly, there are a lot of long weekend deals. This is why I was too busy travelling and/or going out these days to keep my German diary updated.
My first destination outside of Berliner Universe was one of its rival cities: Hamburg. I always wanted to go there are this is one of the biggest and also open-minded cities in Germany. For centuries, it’s been a most important Hanseatic port which allowed different cultures influence this part of Europe.
My biggest surprise of all was to encounter the genuinely Portuguese corner very close to the city centre. And as we speak of the neighbourhoods, even though Hamburg is not as big and diversified as Berlin, I was enchanted by its variety of choices.
Obviously, the city lives on water, which I find a vital thing. The former port and its belonging granaries is currently the most elegant, refurbished and newly acquired Hafen City where restaurants, bars and galleries are popping up one after another. It is also a visual pleasure for the architectonic aficionados, be it the Hamburger Philharmonic, or various 17th century port buildings.
Hamburg has also its own beach up North – Blankenese, where residential life meets the beauty of nature. For the nightlife and affordable eating out, I would definitely recommend the ever-alternative St. Pauli and Sternschanze (which, no offence, somewhat made feel very similar to Berlin’s most trendy Kiez). On the May 1st, traditionally a Riot Date in Berlin – St. Pauli became a war place between the Left and Right wing and the police in between, so maybe next time I’d recommend to avoid this neighbourhood when around this time. At least if you’re not a definite riot type, it’s just better to chill, feed birds and enjoy the breeze on the Alsterpavillon.
Zero ist der Anfang
Zero – a zone of silence and of pure possibilities for a new beginning. Taken from the 1957, this art manifesto still makes us think about the essence of art and its meaning nowadays. Times are as turbulent over 50 years ago, but maybe the society feels a bit more indifferent and lost in the stimuli coming from all over the place. The night o 11th April in Martin Gropius Bau proved the need for reconnecting with pure art, beauty in the collective experience.
To enter the all-night event it was recommended to dress in white. More importantly, it was for free then. The long queue to the museum’s entrance looked then very bold and elegant. Maybe a bit like the crowd from the ‘Clockwork Orange’ though. Zero was a manifesto created with a mission to reinvent and redefine art in the aftermath of World War II.
The collection gathered in Martin-Gropius-Bau Museum was rich in picturing the whole spectrum of the European movement around Zero, including works of Ives Klein, Enrico Castellani and presenting the history of the whole movement. The night of 11th/12th April gathered also musical interpretations of the Zero movement. I was simply stunned.
Zero manifesto could also be my own private summary of the past six month here in Berlin. Extremely active and always challenging my curiosity, both at my work and outside of it. Enriching my vision and insight. I found the taste of the solitude, with both its positive and negative connotations. Then meeting numberless people, with great life stories and visions. I embraced the darkness literally and metaphorically, and realized the preciousness of the light coming up next. All in all, I feel this city is a bit like me – non linear, reinventing itself, changing, at times hectic and centre-of-the-world-like, at times very slow-paced and melancholic.
Zero manifesto:
»Art is no longer the act of viewing a finished object; art has become a living process. It is realized in the empty human being. The picture itself has no meaning; it is merely a stimulus for the visualization of an idea, of an impulse.«
Zero der neue Idealismus:
The Long Now
Last night one hour was missing, as we switched to Summer Time. It would not be anything unusual, but it is worth mentioning that between 28th & 29th March, a very special, 29-hour event took place in Kraftwerk Berlin. This ‘literally powerful place’ in the Mitte was built alongside with the Wall that tore the city apart. It was a power plant supplying Eastern Germany with electricity. Abandoned after the democratic fall of the Berliner Mauer, this building was reinvented around 2006 as a setting of the new location of the Tresor club. It is also hosting the famous Berlin Atonal festival each year in the summer
This weekend Kraftwerk hosted various artists for The Long Now event, a part of the MaerzMusik festival. The purpose of the Long Now was to create time and space bubble filled with the latest experimental sounds. One could walk in and out during 29 hours of the event, seeing the audiovisuals, film productions, concert and live sets. While I am writing this entry, the set of Actress is most likely to start off and will be followed up with an after party. If it wasn’t for me being tired and having heard him live in some other occassions, I would probably be there!
The highlights of this event would definitely be: the 16-hours-long documentary from Burkhard von Harder together with his Live-Sound Performance, Kassem Mosse’s Chilling the Do (just when I was enjoying the coffee for breakfast) and Thomas Köner‘s Tiento de las Nieves. This artist, representing Denovali Records is especially close to my state of mind, with its cold, yet very melancholic sound. Thoughts about relativeness of time, presence in space and other dimensions of existence match these sounds perfectly.
All in all, it was worth visiting at least for a while this amazing space filled with the unique music installation, just to feel that no moment of the shortest day in the year was missed.
Photos: taken from the official facebook The Long Now, I wouldn’t take better ones.
Le Sacre du Printemps
Das Frühlingsopfer – this the German title of Igor Stavinsky’s ‘The Rite of Spring’, a masterpiece which pictures best by far the uncertainty and drama of the current season. Spring as a process within human minds and the slow rebirth of the nature can be painfully difficult. It is a struggle when sometimes there is no energy left to overcome the drastic changes. There are no better words and sound notes to illustrate this moment in my life, so I’d love to dedicate this post to my dear friend I suddenly lost few days ago in tragic circumstances.
Thinking about the loss as a process of life can be helpful till certain extend to accept its dark shades and harsh moments. I give myself time to think about the value of pain, grief and irreversible flow of time and space. I question the things I take for granted. I keep the moments I happily lived with him and think about the values he appreciated the most. In search for the answers and gathering the thoughts, I find it Stravinsky’s music especially close to the state of mind I am in. Not without sense, Le Sacre du Printemps is a musical journey through the idea of the sacrifice, the reinventing the seasons and yet, the usual process that takes place each and every year.
Knowing that my friend loved theatre, art and whole range of earthly pleasures and beauty so much, I would love to dedicate him Das Frühlingsopfer in this revolutionary Berliner Philharmoniker version directed by the living legend of the Kammermusik, Sir Simon Rattle. He didn’t make it to pay me a visit in my new city and I did not show him my favourite places that I promised him in my last e-mail. There is nothing else left now than appreciating the beauty of life while we are here and now in this amazing universe.
Smell the flowers while you can.
Um:laut
Another interesting week has passed in the Augenblick, as would Germans poetically call ‘the moment’. As I am happy enough to live just between the most interesting spots of Friedrichshein, Mitte and Kreuzberg, I decided to visit the mysteriously-named Radialsystem V. This former water pumping station turned in 2006 to a ‘creative space for arts and ideas’.
Yesterday I went to one of the Um:Laut sessions – dedicated to experimental music with the presence of British pianist Tom Hodge and producer Max Cooper. In the first part they both presented works from the ‘Piano Interrupted’ and ‘Fragmented Self’ EPs, and in the second part, Max Cooper debuted with his world premiere of the ‘Emergence’ visual performance. While the first part was full of experimental piano-electronic klang, the second part was a 90 minutes DJ & VJ set. Even though I’d probably cut out all of the dubstep-ish parts from the ‘Emergence’, I have to admit I was struck by the logic, story and musical vs. visual diversity. The logic of the visual was representing the chemical participles as a part of the universe, cities and human bodies, that eventually coexist and create one living mechanism.
The radiant-looking Radialsystem V last night seemed to perfectly match its surroundings: Spree river, the moon and the first spring time night in the city. As far as I am concerned, Radialsystem V is famous for hosting multiple pieces of the renowned dancing company from Berlin: Sasha Waltz and Guests but also, various workshops dedicated to the contemporary dance and expression.
Don’t forget to go home
It is not absolutely necessary to wait for the weekend when in Berlin. Often during the week even more interesting things are happening: for instance, the Boiler Room session which took place in Stattbad only last Wednesday. Totally acceptable to the civilised-schedule and rather sober techno-aficionados as it started off as early as 8 pm. There are regular parties happening early-Wednesday-mornings or Sunday-late-afternoon.
There is obviously more craziness going on, but comparing with the past years of the techno evolution (some 20 years ago), Berlin seems like a tranquility mecca, at the same time being not losing its glory of the island of creativity. I have gathered some of the documentary movies picturing the milestones of the city’s history watched through the darkened techno lenses:
Technocity Berlin – epic documentary from the 90s (in German)
Children of Berlin – what was then – this is now
Don’t forget to go home – a short history of Berghain, or rather formerly Ostgut
Watergate X – a journey to one of the weekends at the Spree bank’s famous location…
Meanwhile, the spring has come slowly, but surely and the bleakness of the city seems to be washed away with the rays of sun. And I am so much looking forward to wearing sunglasses not only at night.
Berlinering 