Some things are so self-evident, they don’t require justification. For example, sunny weather is good. Autumn is nicer than winter. And old-fashioned trams with wood-trimmed windows and brass bells that ding are simply more fun to ride than modern ones. For example, the very cute, very cool old-school tram line still running at the edge […]
Tag Archives: GDR
Karl-Marx-Allee 99 // Berlin, nostalgia, and a bygone Briefmarkenhandel
Like everyone, I have my vices. These include: Haribo candy; buying more lip balm than I could ever use; a mild Google-stalking habit; nostalgia. The word “nostalgia” was coined by a Swiss medical student in 1688. Back then, it was considered a disease, to be treated with leeches, opium, and bracing Alpine air. In her […]
Subterranean Subterfuge // Berlin Wall escape tunnels from Treptow to Neukölln
Curiosity is a highly underrated virtue. Especially in a city like Berlin, where curiosity–along with an observant eye–is frequently rewarded by an unending array of things to discover. Amazing things, beautiful things, tragic things–or oftentimes, a combination of all three. On a recent meandering walk through one of my favourite neighbourhoods for just that kind […]
The Schrebergarten Diaries // One girl’s adventures in Berlin-style urban gardening
I am the proud owner of a Schrebergarten, a.k.a. a Kleingarten–you know, one of those expanses of fenced-in gardens you’ve most likely seen from the S-Bahn. The English translation of the word, allotment garden, doesn’t really do the concept of Schrebergarten-ing justice. For there is so much culture and tradition and politics behind these little […]