My last couple of weeks in Berlin have been quite relaxing, but at the same time full of things to take care of. Like I wrote in my last article, I'm leaving Berlin with mixed feelings. I've had a great time here and I've made some good friends, that I hope to keep in touch with after I leave. I'm throwing a goodbye party on Friday, where I hope to get say a proper goodbye to the people I've spent my summer with. It will be a goodbye for a while, hopefully not for forever.
Last week I acquired some things that I'll need on my coming InterRail trip. I found this great outdoors store, Globetrotter. It's a huge store with everything you might need for outdoors activities. I got myself a foldaway backpack and travel pillow, both from Meru, which is quite the good manufacturer of outdoors equipment. How the quality really is, well, I might be able to tell you that after the trip. The store also has its house label, which is funny because it has a finnish name: Kaikkialla. It is apparently developed together with some Nordic countries and it seems the name is made up by a Finnish associate. I am still looking for sandals for the trip, and I'm starting to lean towards Birkenstocks, of which I at least know that they are of good quality.
My colleague Ana had her last day at the office last Thursday, so she invited me to a barbeque at her place on Wednesday. Her American flatmate was flying back to the U.S. on the next day as well, so she had also invited some guest. We were all complaining about the crappy weather and had a nice evening with delicious bbq food.
A funny thing happened the next day when Ana and I went to the shopping center in Steglitz. We were walking through the mall when all of a sudden a handsome guy in his underwear came to us. He turned out to be promoting a new underwear shop and offered us a glass of sparkling wine and gave us both a beautiful rose. I wouldn't mind getting roses from a handsome guy more often...
The weekend I mostly spent reading for a essay about social media and actually following the social (and traditional) media on the terrible events in Oslo and Utøya. It is very shocking to hear that someone is capable to such horrible deeds. He performed a massacre on his own people and shows no remorse for what he did. It is scary to hear that everyone seemed to think he was a good and nice guy and nobody could've imagined him doing such a thing. I mean how do we know that the people around us aren't planning such an attack? I feel that there is a false sense of security up in the northern countries and the neutral grounds maybe aren't that neutral after all. I do agree with what the Norwegian Premier Minister Stoltenberg said about not letting such thing scare us away from our northern value and I can with comfort quote the surviving girl how stated in the BBC interview that if one person can show this much hate, think about how much love we can all show together. It is a very comforting thought in there uncertain times that instead of spreading violence and hate, we should concentrate on spreading caring and love. And this thought has to start in each and every one on a personal level in the daily life.
It has been interesting to read about social media and at the same time follow what actually happens in the social media. I mean the news on the attacks were on Twitter and Facebook way before the news hit the international media. There sure is some truth to the fact that news travel fast, but social media faster. I will be sure to include these notes in my essay, which I'm actually looking forward to write.
But back to Berlin. Or well actually we'll make a stop back in Tampere. I have got some interesting news upon my return to Finland. I have been offered a job at a translation office and if all goes well I might start working for them as s freelance translator in September. Which means that I might be able to cut down on working in the restaurants, which then again means that I might have more free weekends in the near future. I really hope it works out because it would be amazing to work in the area that I've studied for four years. I also have news on the studies: if my professors gives a positive answer, I might have a subject for my Masters Thesis. I'm so happy about this, because I've struggled really hard to try to find a subject.
One reason for not doing very much last week, is that the weather has been horrible. It's really cold and rainy, which makes me a bit jealous on Finland for the hot and sunny weather. On Sunday the weather got a bit better and since Matt came back from his parents, we decided to go to Mauerpark, where there's a huge flee market every Sunday. It was just as full as usual there and I enjoyed the atmosphere as usual. I even found myself a hat, which I've been trying to find for weeks!
I might post one more text this week but then I'm not sure when the next one will be. I'm hoping to be able to report about the InterRail adventure in eastern Europe, but I can't promise anything. Til then and see you later.
Oh and I might add some photos to this article later, so have another look in a few days!
Näytetään tekstit, joissa on tunniste berlin. Näytä kaikki tekstit
Näytetään tekstit, joissa on tunniste berlin. Näytä kaikki tekstit
maanantai 25. heinäkuuta 2011
keskiviikko 8. kesäkuuta 2011
Guests and hot summer days
I've noticed how hard it is to get around to writing the blog. An that is not because I wouldn't want to, but because I don't have the time! I'm hardly home, and when I am, I tend to have other things to take care of. Like sleeping for instance. Some people say sleeping is over-rated, but I disagree. I am unable to function if I sleep to less. Though I have noticed, that I tend to wake up earlier during the summer, and don't have the need to sleep as much as in the winter. Another thing I've noticed, is that I can't really sleep as long as I used to. I don't think I've slept past 10.30 the whole time I've been in Berlin. I guess it has something to do with getting older, but also because I don't wan't to "waste my time" sleeping while I'm here, cause there's so much to see!
I have made it my mission not to eat in the same restaurant twice while I'm here. There are so many restaurants in this city, that you would probably have to live here for years and years to try them all. Wouldn't that be amazing?! But that would require having a lot of money. I have tried some good restaurants so far, but nothing really breathtakingly amazing. I guess I have relatively high standards after working so many years in gastronomy myself.
Talking about food, there are some things I've noticed about eating habits among my co-workers. I guess there are about two of us who actually go to the break room to have their lunches. Most of the people eat by their computers, they have their own food or they order in. Or the third option is to buy a "Brötchen", a filled bun, from the Brötchenjunge (the bunboy). The point is that they feel they don't have the time to take a break to have their lunch in peace. I find this quite disturbing, I mean it's not like there's an atmosphere there that doesn't allow you taking a lunch break. The spaniards do it right though, but after all, they grow up with their siestas. We have maybe three or four spaniards at the office, and they go out for lunch every day. Sometimes I join them, but mostly I bring my own food, because even though eating out is quite cheap here, it's still quite the amount of money to spend every day. And when I cook myself, I at least know what's in the food...
Last week was a short working week, because of the christian holiday ascension day. I had visitors from Finland most of the week. My choir friends Anna and Raigo had a stop on their inter rail trip here in Berlin, and just as any proper tourists, we took a free walking tour on ascension day. It was a really hot day, the sun was burning and the sky was blue. Our tour started at the Brandenburg Gate and the next almost five hours our guide walked us through most important sights in Mitte (centre of Berlin). The guide was from London, but had lived in Berlin for many years now, and he was very well informed. He shared with us all kinds of interesting details about the history of Germany. The tour was completely amazing and all free! I don't thing a tour that you have to pay for would be any better. And the most interesting part of it is, that the tour guides live on their tips; they don't get paid in any other way. The core idea of it all is, that everyone is entitled to a tour, whether they have money or not. So in the end of the tour you pay whatever amount the tour was worth to you. I think it's a great idea! Here's the website if you want to have a look. http://www.newberlintours.com/daily-tours/new-berlin-free-tour.html
After having a shopping filled day on Friday with my friend Kristina who arrived on Thursday evening, we decided to take it easier on Saturday. We took the train (and the bike) and went to Britzer Garten, which is a huge park south of the city in Alt-Mariendorf. The park was just amazing, there was a lot to see and you could just stroll around there for hours. There was a part of the park where there was an amazing playground for kids, and there were a lot of families there. What we were more interested in was the part where the gardens were, luckily for us it wasn't as crowded there. We tried to stay in the shade as much as possible, because it was really hot! All the flowers were really beautiful and there was even a small train that you could take if you didn't want to walk through the park. I really was a place where you could've spent the whole day, along with a blanket and a picnic basket. There were a lot of people who had realized that because closer to the restaurants and the cafes, the lawns were packed with people. A little too crowded for my taste. Luckily there were parts where it wasn't so crowded. And the park was really worth the 3 euros (discounted price) we paid to get in!
My dancing friends Thomas and Katrin had told me about the possibility to sing karaoke in the Mauerpark (the wall park). So that's where I headed on Sunday. I decided to bike the whole way, which was an amazing decition. The weather was yet again very hot and the trains would have been even hotter. At least I got a bit of wind while biking and the view was great - I tried to stay close by the river Spree. On the way to the park I stumbled upon a café which had a name that forced me to pop in and have a cold drink: Raja Jooseppi. Now, if you're not a finn, you won't understand the funny thing about it. Raja-Jooseppi (how it is originally spelled) is a crossing point and border station up in Lapland by the russian border. The place got its name by a man who lived as a hermit and reindeer farmer by the border to Russia in the beginning of the 20th century. I asked the bartender how the place got it's name, but he didn't know the story behind it - too bad.
I didn't really know anything else about Mauerpark than that they had karaoke there on Sundays, so when I came there I was quite surprised. There was a flea market (Trödelmarkt), which isn't really a traditional flee market, but like a mix of old and new, almost like a bazaar. There were tables with peoples own old stuff and also people who were selling their hand made things. In the middle of the bazaar there was a bar/café area with food, drinks and music. It was amazing! On one side of the park there was an Amphitheatre where the karaoke was supposed to take place. Thomas and Katrin joined me and we sat down in the second row. At first there was an australian band called Set Sail playing some music (https://www.facebook.com/setsailmusic), after which a theatre performance took over the stage.
When Joe Hatchiban stepped onto the stage with his two huge music boxes the crowd (and there really was one!) went wild! Joe is the founder of Bearpit Karaoke, which takes place around 3pm every Sunday in Mauerpark. It all started in 2009 and has gotten bigger and bigger ever since. As they were building up the sound system, people already queuing to get a singing turn. Thomas told me to go and sign up, or else I wouldn't get a turn at all, so I did. I was going to be number 8 on the stage. My hands were shaking by the third song... But it was amazing! I've never sung in front of such a huge crowd before and the atmosphere was very warm (not because of the sun) and cheering. The crowd went wild during every song, just because it was so amazingly brave to go up there in front of all those people. I was quite proud of myself! After my song a girl came up to me and handed me a flyer and telling me about live-karaoke. She said that I have to come, and I do intend to! There's nothing better than singing! Here's the http://www.bearpitkaraoke.com/index.htm
There are two thing I figured I'd miss about the finnish summer. The lakes and the light nights. The light nights I do miss, it's kind of strange that it's dark AND warm at the same time. I miss the lakes too, but mostly because of the short distance to get to them (especially from my appartment in Finland). I have found that there are a few lakes, where it's okay to swim here too. On Monday I went to Flughafensee, which is close to the Tegel Airport. The water is quite clear and the beaches are nice. Although we managed to come to a FKK beach, which means that the people there are more or less naked. FKK means freikörperkultur, which translates more or less into Free Body Culture, and it is a german movement. It was very big in former East Germany, but since the 1980's it has been quite restricted. FKK endorses a naturistic approach to sports and community living. Behind that is the joy of the experience of nature or also on being nude itself, without direct relationship to sexuality. I rather find it strange that people have a need to be naked in public. I mean the sauna is something else, but on a public beach? Maybe it's strange for me, because it's not really allowed to be naked on public beaches in Finland. I mean you can enjoy your nakedness in the privacy of your own cottage, but on public beaches you put some clothes on. I guess it is a cultural thing though...
This coming weekend I'm flying to Freiburg with Matt. One of my ex-collagues from my time in Hannover is going to Australia for a year, and she's having a farewell party. I figured since I've never been to Freiburg, and it supposed to be a beautiful city, I might as well go. Since it's a long weekend (pentecost) we have three days to check out the area. Matt has planned everything, and all I know is that well be driving around in France, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Germany and Austria, and that were visiting the castle of Neuschwanstein. I don't know how were supposed to have time for all that, but I'm excited!
We saw Potiché, a french film starring Gerard Depardieu.
I have made it my mission not to eat in the same restaurant twice while I'm here. There are so many restaurants in this city, that you would probably have to live here for years and years to try them all. Wouldn't that be amazing?! But that would require having a lot of money. I have tried some good restaurants so far, but nothing really breathtakingly amazing. I guess I have relatively high standards after working so many years in gastronomy myself.
Having breakfast with Kristina at a cafe in Charlottenburg.
Talking about food, there are some things I've noticed about eating habits among my co-workers. I guess there are about two of us who actually go to the break room to have their lunches. Most of the people eat by their computers, they have their own food or they order in. Or the third option is to buy a "Brötchen", a filled bun, from the Brötchenjunge (the bunboy). The point is that they feel they don't have the time to take a break to have their lunch in peace. I find this quite disturbing, I mean it's not like there's an atmosphere there that doesn't allow you taking a lunch break. The spaniards do it right though, but after all, they grow up with their siestas. We have maybe three or four spaniards at the office, and they go out for lunch every day. Sometimes I join them, but mostly I bring my own food, because even though eating out is quite cheap here, it's still quite the amount of money to spend every day. And when I cook myself, I at least know what's in the food...
Last week was a short working week, because of the christian holiday ascension day. I had visitors from Finland most of the week. My choir friends Anna and Raigo had a stop on their inter rail trip here in Berlin, and just as any proper tourists, we took a free walking tour on ascension day. It was a really hot day, the sun was burning and the sky was blue. Our tour started at the Brandenburg Gate and the next almost five hours our guide walked us through most important sights in Mitte (centre of Berlin). The guide was from London, but had lived in Berlin for many years now, and he was very well informed. He shared with us all kinds of interesting details about the history of Germany. The tour was completely amazing and all free! I don't thing a tour that you have to pay for would be any better. And the most interesting part of it is, that the tour guides live on their tips; they don't get paid in any other way. The core idea of it all is, that everyone is entitled to a tour, whether they have money or not. So in the end of the tour you pay whatever amount the tour was worth to you. I think it's a great idea! Here's the website if you want to have a look. http://www.newberlintours.com/daily-tours/new-berlin-free-tour.html
Anna and Raigo enjoying the shade.
After having a shopping filled day on Friday with my friend Kristina who arrived on Thursday evening, we decided to take it easier on Saturday. We took the train (and the bike) and went to Britzer Garten, which is a huge park south of the city in Alt-Mariendorf. The park was just amazing, there was a lot to see and you could just stroll around there for hours. There was a part of the park where there was an amazing playground for kids, and there were a lot of families there. What we were more interested in was the part where the gardens were, luckily for us it wasn't as crowded there. We tried to stay in the shade as much as possible, because it was really hot! All the flowers were really beautiful and there was even a small train that you could take if you didn't want to walk through the park. I really was a place where you could've spent the whole day, along with a blanket and a picnic basket. There were a lot of people who had realized that because closer to the restaurants and the cafes, the lawns were packed with people. A little too crowded for my taste. Luckily there were parts where it wasn't so crowded. And the park was really worth the 3 euros (discounted price) we paid to get in!
The most beautiful path under the apple trees.
My dancing friends Thomas and Katrin had told me about the possibility to sing karaoke in the Mauerpark (the wall park). So that's where I headed on Sunday. I decided to bike the whole way, which was an amazing decition. The weather was yet again very hot and the trains would have been even hotter. At least I got a bit of wind while biking and the view was great - I tried to stay close by the river Spree. On the way to the park I stumbled upon a café which had a name that forced me to pop in and have a cold drink: Raja Jooseppi. Now, if you're not a finn, you won't understand the funny thing about it. Raja-Jooseppi (how it is originally spelled) is a crossing point and border station up in Lapland by the russian border. The place got its name by a man who lived as a hermit and reindeer farmer by the border to Russia in the beginning of the 20th century. I asked the bartender how the place got it's name, but he didn't know the story behind it - too bad.
It wasn't just a café but a hostel as well.
I didn't really know anything else about Mauerpark than that they had karaoke there on Sundays, so when I came there I was quite surprised. There was a flea market (Trödelmarkt), which isn't really a traditional flee market, but like a mix of old and new, almost like a bazaar. There were tables with peoples own old stuff and also people who were selling their hand made things. In the middle of the bazaar there was a bar/café area with food, drinks and music. It was amazing! On one side of the park there was an Amphitheatre where the karaoke was supposed to take place. Thomas and Katrin joined me and we sat down in the second row. At first there was an australian band called Set Sail playing some music (https://www.facebook.com/setsailmusic), after which a theatre performance took over the stage.
The karaoke has a crowd of about 1500-2000 people every Sunday.
When Joe Hatchiban stepped onto the stage with his two huge music boxes the crowd (and there really was one!) went wild! Joe is the founder of Bearpit Karaoke, which takes place around 3pm every Sunday in Mauerpark. It all started in 2009 and has gotten bigger and bigger ever since. As they were building up the sound system, people already queuing to get a singing turn. Thomas told me to go and sign up, or else I wouldn't get a turn at all, so I did. I was going to be number 8 on the stage. My hands were shaking by the third song... But it was amazing! I've never sung in front of such a huge crowd before and the atmosphere was very warm (not because of the sun) and cheering. The crowd went wild during every song, just because it was so amazingly brave to go up there in front of all those people. I was quite proud of myself! After my song a girl came up to me and handed me a flyer and telling me about live-karaoke. She said that I have to come, and I do intend to! There's nothing better than singing! Here's the http://www.bearpitkaraoke.com/index.htm
There are two thing I figured I'd miss about the finnish summer. The lakes and the light nights. The light nights I do miss, it's kind of strange that it's dark AND warm at the same time. I miss the lakes too, but mostly because of the short distance to get to them (especially from my appartment in Finland). I have found that there are a few lakes, where it's okay to swim here too. On Monday I went to Flughafensee, which is close to the Tegel Airport. The water is quite clear and the beaches are nice. Although we managed to come to a FKK beach, which means that the people there are more or less naked. FKK means freikörperkultur, which translates more or less into Free Body Culture, and it is a german movement. It was very big in former East Germany, but since the 1980's it has been quite restricted. FKK endorses a naturistic approach to sports and community living. Behind that is the joy of the experience of nature or also on being nude itself, without direct relationship to sexuality. I rather find it strange that people have a need to be naked in public. I mean the sauna is something else, but on a public beach? Maybe it's strange for me, because it's not really allowed to be naked on public beaches in Finland. I mean you can enjoy your nakedness in the privacy of your own cottage, but on public beaches you put some clothes on. I guess it is a cultural thing though...
This coming weekend I'm flying to Freiburg with Matt. One of my ex-collagues from my time in Hannover is going to Australia for a year, and she's having a farewell party. I figured since I've never been to Freiburg, and it supposed to be a beautiful city, I might as well go. Since it's a long weekend (pentecost) we have three days to check out the area. Matt has planned everything, and all I know is that well be driving around in France, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Germany and Austria, and that were visiting the castle of Neuschwanstein. I don't know how were supposed to have time for all that, but I'm excited!
torstai 26. toukokuuta 2011
Summer, sun and strawberries
My first month here in Berlin is turning to its end. I've had quite the time getting aquainted with work and my living surroundings. My flat mate noticed something about me though, that seems to be a pattern for me. She told me she'd said to a friend of hers: "My flat mate has only been here for a few weeks, and already she knows half the city!" I guess she was referring to the evening we went to have chinese food a couple of week ago, where we met one of my collagues on the way... But I do have a tendancy to get to know a lot of people in a short amount of time. Then again I am a what you in finnish would call "sosiaalihuora". Which translates into something as horrible as "social whore". I simply like to meet and get to know new people.
That was the case a week ago on wednesday on the subway. I was sitting on the bench, and this girl at the other end kept glancing my way. Finally she got up and asked me in English if my shirt was from H&M. She had noticed it becuause, she had the same one. It turned out she was a Canadian intern, who had been in Berlin three days so far and couldn't speak any German. We got to talking and decided to meet up for cocktails soon.
What I love about big cities is the commuter traffic possibilities. The subways, trams and trains are some much more comfortable than buses. As most people know, the Germans don't speak English all too well. I mean all even all their tv-shows are dubbed, so where are they supposed to learn it? I've noticed that the announcements in the trains and trams are quite interesting. I really don't know how the people who decide about announcement have thought that a person who doesn't speak German is supposed to understand the following sentence: "Please change here for a train service to Hauptbahnhof." Well you might be able to guess that Hauptbahnhof means main train station, but when you add a nice German accent to the announcement it all gets even more interesting.
The river Spree runs right outside of the main train station and a few entrepreneurs have taken advantage of all the free space. Since the main train station was built only after the wall got torn down, the city centre(s) aren't really located around the station. When you compare it with many other German cities, where the city is build around the station, it's quite different. The station is located in the government district, not too far away from the Reichstag (parliament building). So what I wanted to tell you about was the beach bar(s) next to the station. The first one to open at the location was BundesPresseStrand, which literally means national press beach. It was opened in 2003 by an unemployed journalist and after that a few others have followed with more beach bars. The beach bar is open every day, when you can come with kids and just enjoy the sun, and at night it turns to a beach club. I went there on Saturday with Matt and three of his friends, and it was divine!
Chilling at BundesPresseStrand
The best-known Berlin Wall crossing point between
East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War
Last week when I went dancing Thomas and Katrin told me about another dancing place, that's outside and open on Tuesdays. So this week I decided to check it out. The place is called Amphitheater, more commonly Monbijou. It's directly by the river Spree right across the Bode museum. Since the summer nights here aren't light like the one we have in Finland, it can get very cozy and romantic with coloured lights and music. They have dancing there every night with different genres. Tuesdays would be my nights, because then they have ChaCha, Walzer & Co on the menu. If you want to have a look, here's the link: http://www.amphitheater-berlin.de/tanz.html.
That was the case a week ago on wednesday on the subway. I was sitting on the bench, and this girl at the other end kept glancing my way. Finally she got up and asked me in English if my shirt was from H&M. She had noticed it becuause, she had the same one. It turned out she was a Canadian intern, who had been in Berlin three days so far and couldn't speak any German. We got to talking and decided to meet up for cocktails soon.
What I love about big cities is the commuter traffic possibilities. The subways, trams and trains are some much more comfortable than buses. As most people know, the Germans don't speak English all too well. I mean all even all their tv-shows are dubbed, so where are they supposed to learn it? I've noticed that the announcements in the trains and trams are quite interesting. I really don't know how the people who decide about announcement have thought that a person who doesn't speak German is supposed to understand the following sentence: "Please change here for a train service to Hauptbahnhof." Well you might be able to guess that Hauptbahnhof means main train station, but when you add a nice German accent to the announcement it all gets even more interesting.
The river Spree runs right outside of the main train station and a few entrepreneurs have taken advantage of all the free space. Since the main train station was built only after the wall got torn down, the city centre(s) aren't really located around the station. When you compare it with many other German cities, where the city is build around the station, it's quite different. The station is located in the government district, not too far away from the Reichstag (parliament building). So what I wanted to tell you about was the beach bar(s) next to the station. The first one to open at the location was BundesPresseStrand, which literally means national press beach. It was opened in 2003 by an unemployed journalist and after that a few others have followed with more beach bars. The beach bar is open every day, when you can come with kids and just enjoy the sun, and at night it turns to a beach club. I went there on Saturday with Matt and three of his friends, and it was divine!
Chilling at BundesPresseStrand
The best-known Berlin Wall crossing point between
East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War
Last weekend the final in the German football cup DFB-Pokal (Deutsche Fussball-Bund e.V.) was played at the Olympic Stadium here in Berlin. The game was played between Schalke 04 and MSV Duisburg. The city was full of football fans and we watched the game along with the fans at Kurfürstendamm. The atmosphere was great and Schalke 04 ended up winning 5 to 0. The fans were going crazy, but it was fun!
A nice cocktail/sheesha bar called
Chischkhan close to my place
Chischkhan close to my place
Last week when I went dancing Thomas and Katrin told me about another dancing place, that's outside and open on Tuesdays. So this week I decided to check it out. The place is called Amphitheater, more commonly Monbijou. It's directly by the river Spree right across the Bode museum. Since the summer nights here aren't light like the one we have in Finland, it can get very cozy and romantic with coloured lights and music. They have dancing there every night with different genres. Tuesdays would be my nights, because then they have ChaCha, Walzer & Co on the menu. If you want to have a look, here's the link: http://www.amphitheater-berlin.de/tanz.html.
Matt and Yasmin enjoying the best sides of summer
sunnuntai 8. toukokuuta 2011
Concrete adventures
Finally it was weekend. Well I can't really say "finally", because I actually enjoy my job so far and I had a very interesting week. It was still great to get a feel of weekend. I have really never had a job with office hours, which equals that this is my first job with free weekends and evenings. So my first real free weekend was here and now afterwards I can say that I could really get used to it! I had a great weekend getting to know Berlin a little better. And miles and miles of concrete behind me.
On Friday I left Berlin though and headed to Plessow, which is a small village close to Potsdam. My boyfriend Matt goes to school and lives there. He goes to a customs school and lives in a dorm on the school area. He had planned to have a barbeque with a couple of friends and I was invited. The day was amazing and warm and we even got to enjoy some time of sun while barbequing. I had a got a bottle of rosé wine to drink while the others had beer. Well here's where I faced the first problem: there was no bottle opener. Crap! Somehow Matt finally managed to open the bottle (after hitting it against a tree and digging the cork with a knife) and I got to drink one glass of my rose while having some grilled chicken and potatoe salad. Yummie! After our barbeque we headed back to Berlin to spend the rest of the weekend there.
On Saturday we decided to have a look at Kreuzberg. After changing the underground line two times we finally got to Görlitzer Bahnhof. I'm starting to get the picture of how big Berlin really is. It takes ages to get from one side of the city to the other. From my apartment in Charlottenburg I need about 30 minutes to get to Kreuzberg, and those are both parts of the city which are relatively close to the centre! Anyways it was a beautiful day, the sun was shining and the sky was blue. We started off at Oranienburger Strasse and walked around a bit. After a while we decided it was time for ice cream, so we headed to a ice cream place my collague Chris had recommended me. I was sure worth the recommedation, the ice cream was divine. Matt had coconut and lychee and I had carrot-orange and strawberry. If you go to Berlin, I can only recommend the ice cream at this place! It's called Eissalon tanne B and is situated at Lausitzer Platz in Kreuzberg close the the underground station Görlitzer Bahnhof.
In the afternoon we got some sparkling wine and strawberries and sat down at Urbanhafen and just enjoyed the sun. Urbanhafen is a great (and popular) place to hang out when the weather is good. It's more alternative when it comes to the people and there's a lot of green. Next to the Urbanhafen I discovered a nice coffee shop, which seems to be quite new, because I can't find any information about it online. I just went there to use the bathroom, so I don't really remember what it was called, but I sure know I have to go there again! It was on the corner of Carl-Herz-Ufer and Baerwaldstrasse, that's all I know.
While chilling at Urbanhafen I was checking out my tourist map and found something interesting. Ritter Sport has a so called chocolate world called BunteSchokoWelt, where you can have a Ritter Sport chocolate bar made just the way you like it. The most interesting thing about the place was the making of the chocolate though. I was a bit disappointed, because the rest was made only for commercial reasons. There was a huge shop with different Ritter Sport products and upstairs a café and a small round where you could see how the process of making chocolate goes. After a piece of chocolate cake (which was delicious though!) and an ice coffee we walked along to the Brandenburg Gate. We were going to the Room of Silence when all of a sudden someone put on some music and everyone around us just started dancing! They were dancing swing dances and the atmosphere was just amazing! I wish my feet hadn't been to sore to dance. I decided I have to get Matt to take a dance course, because I really can't be with someone who doesn't know how to dance, I mean I love it so much!
We were actually planning on going out in the evening, but we ended up being so tired that we just went to sleep.
Today had two highlights. In the morning we went to a breakfast buffet in an arabic restaurant. The place is called Assafir and it is a cozy restaurant on Wilmersdorfer Strasse, which is the main street in Charlottenburg. The restaurant was decorated in an arabic theme with red sofas and golden decorations. They had so many different things to eat there and everything was totally delicious! I got to think about my trip to Egypt last Christmas, and I realized I hadn't tried almost any of those dishes there, but they still reminded me of the trip.
In the afternoon we went to Werder, which is a small town 30 minutes with the train from Berlin. Today was the last day of the 133 flower festival Baumblütenfest. It is basically another reason for the people to drink and have fun. The festival is arranged every year to celebrate the blooming trees. The idea came from a fruit farmer called Wilhelm Wils who thought it would be great to give all nature lover an opportunity to enjoy the blooming fruit trees. The first festival was arranged in 1879 and all the people who came to enjoy the flowers weren't of course a bad thing for the local businesses. The festival got bigger and bigger every year and at it's highest the number of people coming to the festival was in 1998 with 750 000 participants. Nowadays the number is around 500 000 every year. This year the trees bloomed way too early, so when the festival started the blooming was already over. I was very sad about this, because Matt told me how beautiful it usually is. I did enjoy it anyway. The weather couldn't have been better and we walked around for a couple of hours and tasted some fruit wines. I can understand why people keep coming to the festival - the wine. It wasn't really for me, they were all way too sweet and many with a very high percentage of alcohol - up to 17%! What I could have done was trying every stand with different kind of snacks, there were a lot!!
I have one week behind me now and it's been amazing so far. I can't wait to see what Berlin has to give to in the next three months!
Oh and I have to say: GO LEIJONAT! You've done well so far, keep up the good game!
On Friday I left Berlin though and headed to Plessow, which is a small village close to Potsdam. My boyfriend Matt goes to school and lives there. He goes to a customs school and lives in a dorm on the school area. He had planned to have a barbeque with a couple of friends and I was invited. The day was amazing and warm and we even got to enjoy some time of sun while barbequing. I had a got a bottle of rosé wine to drink while the others had beer. Well here's where I faced the first problem: there was no bottle opener. Crap! Somehow Matt finally managed to open the bottle (after hitting it against a tree and digging the cork with a knife) and I got to drink one glass of my rose while having some grilled chicken and potatoe salad. Yummie! After our barbeque we headed back to Berlin to spend the rest of the weekend there.
Matt was cutting the meat for Lenny
On Saturday we decided to have a look at Kreuzberg. After changing the underground line two times we finally got to Görlitzer Bahnhof. I'm starting to get the picture of how big Berlin really is. It takes ages to get from one side of the city to the other. From my apartment in Charlottenburg I need about 30 minutes to get to Kreuzberg, and those are both parts of the city which are relatively close to the centre! Anyways it was a beautiful day, the sun was shining and the sky was blue. We started off at Oranienburger Strasse and walked around a bit. After a while we decided it was time for ice cream, so we headed to a ice cream place my collague Chris had recommended me. I was sure worth the recommedation, the ice cream was divine. Matt had coconut and lychee and I had carrot-orange and strawberry. If you go to Berlin, I can only recommend the ice cream at this place! It's called Eissalon tanne B and is situated at Lausitzer Platz in Kreuzberg close the the underground station Görlitzer Bahnhof.
Enjoying some delicious ice cream on the most beautiful summer day
In the afternoon we got some sparkling wine and strawberries and sat down at Urbanhafen and just enjoyed the sun. Urbanhafen is a great (and popular) place to hang out when the weather is good. It's more alternative when it comes to the people and there's a lot of green. Next to the Urbanhafen I discovered a nice coffee shop, which seems to be quite new, because I can't find any information about it online. I just went there to use the bathroom, so I don't really remember what it was called, but I sure know I have to go there again! It was on the corner of Carl-Herz-Ufer and Baerwaldstrasse, that's all I know.
Sunshine!
While chilling at Urbanhafen I was checking out my tourist map and found something interesting. Ritter Sport has a so called chocolate world called BunteSchokoWelt, where you can have a Ritter Sport chocolate bar made just the way you like it. The most interesting thing about the place was the making of the chocolate though. I was a bit disappointed, because the rest was made only for commercial reasons. There was a huge shop with different Ritter Sport products and upstairs a café and a small round where you could see how the process of making chocolate goes. After a piece of chocolate cake (which was delicious though!) and an ice coffee we walked along to the Brandenburg Gate. We were going to the Room of Silence when all of a sudden someone put on some music and everyone around us just started dancing! They were dancing swing dances and the atmosphere was just amazing! I wish my feet hadn't been to sore to dance. I decided I have to get Matt to take a dance course, because I really can't be with someone who doesn't know how to dance, I mean I love it so much!
All kinds of chocolate at BunteSchokoWelt
Born to hand jive!
We were actually planning on going out in the evening, but we ended up being so tired that we just went to sleep.
Today had two highlights. In the morning we went to a breakfast buffet in an arabic restaurant. The place is called Assafir and it is a cozy restaurant on Wilmersdorfer Strasse, which is the main street in Charlottenburg. The restaurant was decorated in an arabic theme with red sofas and golden decorations. They had so many different things to eat there and everything was totally delicious! I got to think about my trip to Egypt last Christmas, and I realized I hadn't tried almost any of those dishes there, but they still reminded me of the trip.
Moroccan mint tea. Delicious.
In the afternoon we went to Werder, which is a small town 30 minutes with the train from Berlin. Today was the last day of the 133 flower festival Baumblütenfest. It is basically another reason for the people to drink and have fun. The festival is arranged every year to celebrate the blooming trees. The idea came from a fruit farmer called Wilhelm Wils who thought it would be great to give all nature lover an opportunity to enjoy the blooming fruit trees. The first festival was arranged in 1879 and all the people who came to enjoy the flowers weren't of course a bad thing for the local businesses. The festival got bigger and bigger every year and at it's highest the number of people coming to the festival was in 1998 with 750 000 participants. Nowadays the number is around 500 000 every year. This year the trees bloomed way too early, so when the festival started the blooming was already over. I was very sad about this, because Matt told me how beautiful it usually is. I did enjoy it anyway. The weather couldn't have been better and we walked around for a couple of hours and tasted some fruit wines. I can understand why people keep coming to the festival - the wine. It wasn't really for me, they were all way too sweet and many with a very high percentage of alcohol - up to 17%! What I could have done was trying every stand with different kind of snacks, there were a lot!!
A bar boat at the river Havel
Looking on to the mainland from the festival island in Werder (Havel)
I have one week behind me now and it's been amazing so far. I can't wait to see what Berlin has to give to in the next three months!
Oh and I have to say: GO LEIJONAT! You've done well so far, keep up the good game!
maanantai 25. huhtikuuta 2011
The Internship
So, I though I should start off with why I'm starting a blog. I've studied translation now for four years at the University of Tampere. Before I started studying, I worked in restaurants and bars for about 3 years and continued that while studying. So every summer between academic terms (and also on weekends during it), I've slaved my ass off working an under paid job, which admittedly I've enjoyed most of the time. Last fall I got to thinking though, that I really wanted to get the opportunity to practise what'd been preached, so I applyed for the Erasmus internship grant. After waiting feverishly for a while (which at least felt like forever) for the information whether or not I'd get it, one rainy fall day I received the happy news: start looking for a internship!
I got on with it right away, asked my professor to write me a recommendation and finally sent the application to about thirty-something firms in Berlin (it HAD to be Berlin!). Getting a place turned out to be quite a challenge. I recieved negative or semi-negative replys from a few places. That means they either said that they don't take interns at all and get in touch after graduation or they only take interns for the minimum period of six months. I did get one semi-positive reply from one firm, saying that they'd love having me, but might not be able to get a supervisor for me. After waiting anxiously (at this point it was already mid-March) for a couple of weeks I got a positive reply from another firm. They offered me an internship in translation and project management, which was totally amazing. The downside was that the place wasn't in Berlin, but I could choose from six other German cities. A few days later I got a negative reply from the first firm, stating that they hadn't found a supervisor.
Well, as you might understand I was totally desperate at this point, and decided to take the other offer. After confirming the place (which would have been in Braunschweig), I suddenly recieved another offer for translation and project management in Berlin. I immediately jumped on the opportunity and accepted the offer.
So now the last four weeks I've been working hard on getting an apartment in Berlin, renting out my room in Tampere, taking care of all the details, doing my courses at the uni and working to save some money. Now everything is about taken care of, so on Saturday I can head off to Germany with ease. Well, at least about the practicalities. I am totally excited, I'm sure it will be an amazing summer!
The fact I'm most excited about is that I got a nice job, where I'll be working at office hours. No work at weekends and evenings, how amazing is that! Some plans for the summer involving traveling has already been made, but I'm quite open to spontaneity as well. After all, I have 13 weekends of not working during the summer!
Travel jitters!
I got on with it right away, asked my professor to write me a recommendation and finally sent the application to about thirty-something firms in Berlin (it HAD to be Berlin!). Getting a place turned out to be quite a challenge. I recieved negative or semi-negative replys from a few places. That means they either said that they don't take interns at all and get in touch after graduation or they only take interns for the minimum period of six months. I did get one semi-positive reply from one firm, saying that they'd love having me, but might not be able to get a supervisor for me. After waiting anxiously (at this point it was already mid-March) for a couple of weeks I got a positive reply from another firm. They offered me an internship in translation and project management, which was totally amazing. The downside was that the place wasn't in Berlin, but I could choose from six other German cities. A few days later I got a negative reply from the first firm, stating that they hadn't found a supervisor.
Well, as you might understand I was totally desperate at this point, and decided to take the other offer. After confirming the place (which would have been in Braunschweig), I suddenly recieved another offer for translation and project management in Berlin. I immediately jumped on the opportunity and accepted the offer.
So now the last four weeks I've been working hard on getting an apartment in Berlin, renting out my room in Tampere, taking care of all the details, doing my courses at the uni and working to save some money. Now everything is about taken care of, so on Saturday I can head off to Germany with ease. Well, at least about the practicalities. I am totally excited, I'm sure it will be an amazing summer!
The fact I'm most excited about is that I got a nice job, where I'll be working at office hours. No work at weekends and evenings, how amazing is that! Some plans for the summer involving traveling has already been made, but I'm quite open to spontaneity as well. After all, I have 13 weekends of not working during the summer!
Travel jitters!
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