Berlin, Germany
As mentioned in another post, our vacation time in Berlin took on a bit of a different tone when we realized we’d be moving there in the next couple of months.
We met up with a friend the first night at the Brewdog in Berlin. Brewdog has been in the news recently for selling a portion of their company to the lovely folks who own Pabst Blue Ribbon. I don’t care that some people see them as corporate sell-outs. When I want a hoppy, delicious, craft beer... I know where I can get one. Plus they have room for more than 7 people, which is something somewhat difficult to find in Berlin. Everything is tiny and cozy.
Not sure why they went nautical with this mural, but whatever.
One of things that you first notice in Berlin, if you've been to other German cities, is how... un-German it feels. It's a bit dirty... and the stereotypical German efficiency is generally lacking. But on the flip side of that is how casual and inclusive everything is. In the nicest possible way, no one gives a shit. As long as you aren't hurting anyone else, you can be whatever the hell you want, wherever you want.
Berlin has super lax beverage laws, where you can walk into the store, grab a beer, walk outside and crack it open and drink freely on the streets. They even have a name for it, “Feierabendbier” - I love these people. They have a word for nearly everything. Another thing that was odd was seeing people setting their beer bottles on the street next to the trash. This is because those are meant to be recycled, and some industrious folks will be by shortly to grab the empties and make sure this happens.
From one of the originators of the Berlin Street Art movement (according the plaque on the back)
It also takes some time to get used to the prolific amount of graffiti and street art everywhere. Nice establishments are covered in spray paint. At first, it sort of attacks your sensibilities. In the US, if a place is riddled with street art, it tends to be an unsavory place. You don't think of it as the safest place for you and your family. But after only a couple of days it starts to sort of fade into the background and you only notice the really good, or the really bad street art. One of the places we went for a beer, Kaschk, had a sign in their bathroom next to some terrible graffiti that said (paraphrasing), "If you're going to deface our establishment, please try and be a better artist." Establishments sort of expect to be painted up, but could you at least have some talent? Love it. Kaschk, by the way, is a great place to grab coffee in the morning, beer in the afternoon, and play some shuffle board and drink at night. Like nearly everything in Berlin, it's warm, and cozy.
