When it comes to Halloween there are 3 types of people—those who hide in the dark pretending they're not home, those who are too busy hopping from one halloween-themed party to the next to pay attention to trick-or-treaters and those who have their flat fully decked out with every piece of vaguely scary paraphernalia and a bowl full of sweets just ready and waiting for the kids.
If you're the third type, you're probably American because, boy, do they know how to do Halloween. Here in Berlin, you're more likely to find the first and second type. While Halloween is gaining in popularity in Berlin it's more centred around getting dressed up and going out rather than recreating a whole haunted house within your little flat.
Whether you're dressing up as a sexy witch, evil Spongebob Squarepants or just hiding under a blanket at home here's a few Halloween-themed words for you that might come in handy. Click on the images to see more details. Happy Halloween!
With this latest cold snap, one thing is for sure–Autumn is here. But apart from the cold and the sun setting earlier, there are a few other tell-tale signs in nature that autumn has arrived.
Tomorrow is the 25th anniversary of German reunification! Whilst the Berlin Wall fell 25 years ago last year, it took a little longer for the two halves of Germany to come back together again.
I've been living in Berlin for a year and a half now. If this was any other city in Germany I would probably be fluent by now, but it's Berlin, so I'm not. I've been thinking recently about how I learn German–whilst nothing really beats taking lessons, if you can't afford that then here are a few tips to incorporate into your daily rituals.
Around the corner from my house is a small indistinct park running by the side of the railtracks. Indistinct, except for one time of the year... now. Around April, the path suddenly explodes into a lane of cherry blossoms which feels quite magical as you walk beneath the rose pink petals.
For me, sparkling water is, and always will be, very fancy. It's the thing you order at a restaurant to impress rather than your normal request of 'just tap water, please'. Imagine my surprise then at finding my world views turned upside down upon arriving in Germany.
This week the sun has made the occasional welcome appearance. It's on days like this when you look around anew with the sun glinting in your eyes and a little bit of warmth in your heart and think, ok, Berlin is a pretty cool city. Here are 6 things that make the city so recognisable, and so loved.
The Berlin streets are awash with Christmas trees, disposed of in heaps at every junction. Overnight they crawl into the street and cause havoc with the morning traffic. While the smell may be overwhelmingly Christmassy, there is one clear message - Christmas is so last year. It's time to move on with 2015.
After an extended Christmas holiday in London, I'm heading back to the delights of Berlin today. It is with some trepidation that I'm returning to Berlin as I have yet to experience the full brunt of a German winter and, as many of my veteran Berlin friends gleefully tell me, I haven't seen anything yet.
It's been said many a time before - Germans, they like their rules. It might be a stereotype, but after you've been shouted at one too many times for cycling on the pavement or crossing the street when you shouldn't be you realise that there's some basis to the stereotype.