First off, we must divulge that our adventures are severely dictated by the weather situation - mostly that there are about 2 inches of ice covering every walking surface. Apparently Berlin ran out of salt, thus perpetuating a cycle of snow melting during the day and freezing at night. Basically there is new ice every morning. Awesome. The one plus side of this is that we have become skilled ice walkers, making our leg muscles intense. That being said, ice slipping bruises are a staple for all Berliners. Perhaps the worst part about this whole ice situation is that it is not typical weather - whenever you talk to Germans they will surely tell you how this is the worst winter in years.
We live in Kreuzberg in East Berlin which, as it turns out, is a pretty hip place to be these days. There is graffiti everywhere, and not just people's tag but whole pieces of art on the sides of buildings. There are a couple crazy murals right across the street from us. In general, the buildings here are painted vibrant colors - reds, blues, yellows, pastels, notably pink (not just for girls!). Unlike NY the buildings seem to average on about 6-10 stories high making the whole city feel more open. Also, apparently Berlin was built for 8 million people but only about 3 million live here so the streets feel quieter and less city-like.
One of our favorite local bars (everyone's favorite local bar) is a place we fondly refer to as 9 Dots (along with all the hoards of NYU kids) because there is no name on the overhang, only 9 dots. In reality it's called La Luzia and along with cheap drinks and chill decor, it also has a small room with a loft that holds chairs, tables, and a queen size bed. The gold walls boast many a drunken tag, now including some of our own.
While there is always something to do, sometimes it nice to stay inside with good company. We've been wanting to go sledding, so spent yesterday building a sled out of a metal easel sign we found on the street. This turned into an epic art project reproducing one of our favorite beer labels to put on the side of our toboggan. We call this beer Hell Beer because it says that on the bottom of the label, but it's actually Augustinerbrau Munchen. Hell beer is just easier. And cooler. We haven't made it to the sledding hill yet, but luckily it doesn't seem like the snow is going anywhere soon.
Today we find ourselves recuperating from a long weekend of shenanigans, but are going to check out the best fried chicken in Berlin this evening. We'll be sure to tell you all about it.
Note: The title of our blog is a famous quote from Marlene Dietrich about how she would always want to go back to Berlin.
