How did you come up with the idea to move to Berlin and start a blog about it?

When we first visited Berlin in 2006, for a brief, chilly weekend break, we knew we wanted to live here. We’d only just moved to London from the Northeast of England and we slowly fell out of love with the Big Smoke, and in love with the idea of living in Berlin. After nearly five years of procrastination, one day we decided to quit our jobs, pack up our cats and book one-way flights to Germany. We’d always wanted to collaborate on a blog, but could never find the time in our busy London lives; the move to Berlin gave us the time and a good reason to start blogging about our new life.

What is the most exciting part in your work?

Exploring Berlin and our, and other residents’, relationship with it. It’s probably a cliché to talk about all the exciting things happening in Berlin, tucked away in hinter-hinter-hinterhofs on otherwise unremarkable streets – but it’s true! überlin gives us the perfect excuse to spend our time checking out all of the city’s awesome places and events, and, occasionally, access to things that others don’t get to see. We’re lucky that we get to learn about the place we live in and love, and other people who live here, all in the name of blogging!

How does your non-German perspective influence your engagement with the city?

The fact that we’re non-natives with less-than-perfect German keeps us in a constant state of discovery, in a city that always feels new to us in some way. On the one hand, we still experience the kind of frustrations and challenges that our readers do, when they move here from somewhere else – it’s important to us to be able to empathise about this stuff. But this outsider perspective also helps keep things fresh – we’re always learning something new about Berlin, Berliners, Germans and Germany… we never get bored of the place!

How does your readership identify with you?

überlin is very personal – it’s a record of one couple’s (plus a few close collaborators’) experience of Berlin - so our readership identifies with us on a personal level. We take care to respond to every tweet, Facebook or blog comment and email that we can, and try to help out visitors, newbies or established residents in the city. We remember what it was like to move to a city where you know no one and nothing, so we make the most of being in a position to help. It’s really rewarding to give someone advice about moving to Berlin and then, a few months later, meet them for coffee in their new Kiez. We even get recognised on the street from time to time, although not as often as our French Bulldog Olive!

Why should people check out überlin? What makes it different from other blogs dedicated to Berlin?

We have a unique point of view on the city – of all of the English-language blogs about Berlin, ours is the most tongue-in-cheek celebration of the city. You won’t find us bitching when life gets hard – after all, we choose to live here and can leave any time we want – which we think sets us aside from some of the more established expat resources. We publish practical guides to help people move here, and survive once they have, but we specialise in capturing the expat experience – what it’s really like to live in such a unique, ever-changing place.

How would you sum up Berlin in five lines?

For us – despite our outsider status – Berlin is home, more than any other place we’ve ever lived. It’s a safe haven for creatives to experiment and do what they really love, without the critical backlash and financial pressures that other major cities impose. Change is in Berlin’s DNA, and its unique history has created a city that cherishes the new (sometimes at the expense of the past), which provides a unique opportunity for anyone who wants to do something different – whether that means starting an innovative company or partying for four days straight! On the flipside, it can be a hard place to live in – rents are rising and the job market’s not looking any rosier, so it takes hard work and commitment to build a life here. Like the sticker says, Berlin hustles harder!

What’s happening next on überlin?

We’re producing a self-published book based on our hugely popular post, ”What I Know About Germans“. The writer, an Australian based out of Kiel, is working on hilarious new content, and the Berlin-based artist Mischief Champion is putting pen to paper for some weird and wonderful illustrations. Coming soon! We’re also collaborating on a project called Give Something Back to Berlin, which connects expats and other non-locals to community projects, to help them to integrate while contributing to the well-being of this great city. Follow überlin on Facebook and Twitter for news on this, and come down to one of the meetups we have planned to say hello! We have lots of great ideas in the pipeline, but we try not to over-plan; we like to see where the blog – and Berlin – will take us next.

www.uberlin.co.uk

As I was tied to the bed because of another illness I decided to take it as an educational break and scoured the internet for a “Must-have-seen” list. I found one by The German Federal Agency for Civic Education. filmcritics, -scholars and –makers  created the film canon from what they found good and important. I watched three of the films they list in the last couple of days and must say I can’t wait for the others, as those were pretty great…

The Apartment (D: Billy Wilder, USA 1960)

C.C. Baxter can’t say no and suddenly his flat turns into a “Hotel by the hour” for his bosses. The story about work in the 60s is poignantly told and very enjoyable.

Blade Runner (R: Ridley Scott, USA 1982)

Dark, cold, without emotions and brutal is what this film is. Blade Runner Harrison Ford is after four replicates, robot humans without emotions that were recently banned from the planet. When he falls in love with a replicant he realizes that the assumption that replicants cannot feel any emotions isn’t quite right. A thriller, a science-fiction drama, a romance and a deeply political film.

The Ice Storm (D: Ang Lee, USA 1997)

Two neighbouring families of the 70s get completely out of hand. The parents are still thinking in the 68-generations ideals and neither take responsibility for their kids nor their own emotions. It’s a truly touching film that develops a strong pull one can’t escape by finely unravelling all aspects of the lives before the spectator’s eyes. It’s also an amazing cast with Kevin Kline, Elijah Wood, Tobey Maguire, Katie Holmes, Joan Allen, Christina Ricci and Sigourney Weaver.

Find the complete list of highly recommended films from the The German Federal Agency for Civic Education here.

We’ll start with Sopopular today, a young Berlin-based menswear label run by designer Daniel Blechman who we visted a few weeks ago in his studio in Kreuzberg. The label is in its fourth year now and has created quite the buzz with their latest Autumn/Winter 2013/14 collection titled The Wild Ones which they presented in the Studio of the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week back in January and earned great applause. For their campaign and fashion film they used some bad-boy-style tattooed models that really hit the nerve of the current fashion aesthetics. In their collection they made the smart move of combining current trends such as studs and crochet with their own unique signature silhouettes and fabric mixes. This way they created a look that is both commercially appealing while still maintaining a post-modern attitude. Enjoy the new Sopopular designs worn and photographed by Devid and me.

www.sopopular.net

For more than three years Staatsballet Berlin, one of the best classical dance companies in Europe, and Berghain, for many Berliners the best club in the whole universe, worked on their second artistic collaboration. Based on new electronic music tracks by Henrik Schwarz, Marcel Dettmann with Frank Wiedemann and DIN (Efdemin & Marcel Fengler) three different Staatsballett choreographers presented a contemporary dance piece. The topic and also the title of this three-part evening is: Masse (mass) as a social and physical phenomenon. Read more about my experience of seeing this unique production after the jump.

I could write now how crazy it is that (evil) Berghain and a (lovely) ballet company worked on a piece together (like classical newspapers did). But actually I find nothing crazy about that. Both institution have been passionate about dance for a long time and made an effort to share their passion in Berlin. So it comes natural that they joined forces in what they do best. Berghain provides the danceable space and the danceable music and Stattballett provides the dancers and choreographers. A third force joined with contemporary artist Norbert Bisky who created the stage installation for the three pieces.

I had my doubts from the start about the quality of the contemporary choreography, because that was sometimes the weak point of Staatsballett. But all three choreographers did a good job. Especially the first and third part had a diverse and powerful energy. I also loved to see the Staatsballett working as real ensemble and less as solo-dancers and extras. The space which is located next to Berghain is very impressive and has a total new appeal.

I am actually quite glad that they did not use the main dance floor of the club itself. Norbert Bisky created a good space, even if his background as an artist is obvious. I had enough stage designer friends over for dinner to know the difference between a beautiful space and a stage that works as a forth dimension for the piece’ storytelling. Most disappointing at some points was the music which lacked in significance for the choreography and for the atmosphere of the whole night. The only piece I think the audience really enjoyed was the Henrik Schwarz track. Overall I had a wonderful night. An easy pleasure for the eyes and an extremely diverse dance experience I would not have wanted to miss. What I think they should have definetly changed is the quantity of the performances because the piece was sold out instantaneously. Hopefully they do it again next year.

MASSE

www.staatsballett-berlin.de

berghain.de

In our interview with SIS, we have talked about music by Ricardo Villalobos, Eko Fresh, Anita Ward, Michael Jackson, Apparat and Lady Gaga. More after the jump.

Ricardo Villalobos Druic

This track sounds like a huge old locomotive that starts slowly and becomes more powerful over time, as it expands into the spectrum. This could easily work as well as an arrangement of 18 minutes. I love this kind of loopy minimal house, where the introduction of a simple hi-hat after five minutes changes the mood of the track entirely.

Eko Fresh 700 Bars

A few months ago I met Eko Fresh at a gig, as he was playing in the same venue as me on a different floor. He was very nice and a cool dude. I like his way of rap.

Anita Ward Ring my bell

Funny that you selected this track, as just a few weeks ago I was listening to this on repeat. This is groovy porn cocaine cowboy music, and it makes me smile.

Michael Jackson Rock With You

Michael was my idol when I was a kid. I even studied his dance moves when I was 12 or 13 by watching a video of one of his concerts from Bucharest. Every day I’d watch that video, and then one day at school I busted out the moves at a school party, and overnight I was the coolest kid around!

This is such a momentous track, it’s almost silly to discuss it. It’s larger than life. And the band who rock with him are just brilliant.

Apparat ft. Soap&Skin Goodbye

It’s so nice of you to select this track! A couple of months ago I was watching Breaking Bad and this song appeared on the show. An hour later I had made my own danceable version of it, so much did it inspire me! This track is so nice, melancholic and sad. In a way it reminds me of indians and cowboys in the Wild West, riding on stunning horses. I love this track deeply.

Lady Gaga Paparazzi

I hate being negative, I really do. I think there’s a place for all kinds of music in the world, but I just can’t seem to like this track, or any of Lady Gaga’s music for that matter. I just don’t like her voice, and the music behind her sounds quite bland and over produced. I know she has like a trillion fans, and she’s a superstar and everything, but when you compare her music to the music of a true pop star like Michael Jackson, she doesn’t even come close.

Depeche Mode Just Can’t Get Enough

This track reminds me of the good old days when my friend used to punk around my small village with red Dr. Martens Springer boots on. I was never a punk but I love that era’s music. It’s such a cool track, even today.

To win, please leave a comment with a valid email address. The raffle ends on 20 May, 2013. Good luck!

How would you describe your Instagram stream?

My pictures on Instagram are minimalist, convivial and highly attentive to details. I’m interested in long forgotten places and apartment blocks of the 70s. In my stream you don’t find dazzling colours, nor many people. I like it ‘clean’ and to the point. For example, any Berlin visitor has certainly photographed Alexanderplatz… what I wanna do is to show the ‘other’ side of the citythrough my perspective.

You don’t portray the city of Berlin with its typical iconic landmarks. Through your eyes the city develops a completely new aesthetic whilst still remaining familiar. How do you select the locations to capture for Instagram?

I choose the places and locations depending on my personal feelings and mood. The story, the colours and the design decide whether I get on the train or not. They must somehow electrify me. If they do, it may happen that I take up to 200 smartphone photos and a flood of pictures explode on my account.

Your output is quite impressive. You post up to 10 new photos per day. Would you consider yourself an InstaAddict?

I like Instagram. There is so much to see on this platform. I’m particularily interested in the themes of fashion, travel and photography. One click and off you go: you make a quick screenshot, write a comment, add a heart, edit your picture and upload it. Through Instagram I can also stay in touch with friends in Barcelona and Hamburg, and I can get a feeling of what they are experiencing. It’s also fun to share your favourite corners. The moments are ‘captured’ and I can then look at them and remember those beautiful days and hours.

What’s your favourite place in Berlin?

My favorite place in Berlin? The Hansaviertel. It lies between Moabit and Tiergarten, near the Siegessäule. As part of the 1957 Interbau it was used as the exhibition ground. Many known architects like Walter Gropius, Oscar Niemeyer and Arne Jacobson used to work there. It is quite calm in this part of the city. At every corner you can find unusual and rare architecture. If a suitable apartment would become available, I would move in immediately!

What places of Berlin are left, that you still look forward to discover and portray?

Many places are on my Instagram to-visit list. Berlin’s face changes every week, but the classics remain. These include Hackescher Markt, Alexanderplatz, Tempelhofer Flugfeld and Teufelsberg. Every day I see beautiful, ugly or adorable things in the city that fit into my photo collection.

What role does photography play in your life?

Photography: the love of my life. Since 2003 through analog and digital. It’s still fun and it enriches my life. To see everything from different angles. Squatting on the floor, stepping in the mud or toasting with other people. Sometimes, for a good picture you make yourself look like a fool. Moreover, I have become more open and have rediscovered the world.

instagram.com/lindaberlin

Read more after the jump….

When young elementary school teacher Kate Hannah (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) throws up in front of her class after a drunken night out, she covers her hangover up by telling the kids and her principal she is pregnant. When she reveals the true reason for her misbehaviour to her colleague Dave (Nick Offerman) he reveals to be an anonymous alcoholic and invites her to one of the meeting. First Kate refuses to believe she has a problem and instead goes on another bender with her husband Chris (Aaron Paul). Butt he thought stays with her and when she finds herself trying heroin and waking up in the street after plenty of booze, she decides it is in fact time to clean up her life and try to stay sober for a while.

It’s a tough choice, especially as Kate is pretty much alone with her estimate of the issue. Her husband doesn’t really understand why Kate decided to stop drinking and instead of joining her mission, he keeps getting hammered with friends and can’t even agree to the compromise of not keeping alcohol in the house. Kate’s mother appreciated her daughter’s effort, but still offers Bloody Marys. And so the young woman is left alone in her struggle, that of course alters her views on life, her ambition and plans for the future.

Smashed is a beautifully unagitated film, that slowly tells it’s plot and unfolds the depths of it’s characters psyche. It’s thought provoking and dramatic, unpretentious and mediates a feeling of understanding for Kate’s situation that is quite powerful.

I would say: label precious. Go see it!

Smashed (D:James Ponsoldt, USA 2012)

The restraurant and bar Volta is the latest addition and quite an impressive one. No wonder, as it’s run by Cookies-chef Stephan Hentschel. The menu is quite diverse and very creative. Most of the dishes have the size of startes, so I recommend ordering at least two to get a taste of the variety. With prices between 5 and 7 EUR I think this is pretty fair, especially considering the great quality, refined look and awesome taste. My favorites are the red beet slices on yoghurt and the entrecôte on sticks. Delicious! The dessert is also quite exceptional, you have to try it! And what made the whole visit even better was the service which was super friendly and charming. This might very well become my new favorite place! Have a look at my impressions and the details after the jump.

Volta

Brunnenstr. 73

13355 Berlin

www.dasvolta.com

Open Mon – Sat from 18h til late. Reservation by SMS to +491783965490.