The School of My Life: The New Book by Berlin-Blogger Matze Hielscher

The School of My Life: The New Book by Berlin-Blogger Matze Hielscher

photo: Ferdinand von Schwilden. 

Who wouldn’t like to be told by famous German TV host and producer Frank Elstner how to shape a career like him? Or how to learn to have an answer ready for every situation by iconic talk show host Anne Will? Or how to become as free and unbiased as former MTV host and writer Charlotte Roche. Matze Hielscher, co-founder of the digital city magazine “Mit Vergnügen” and host of the popular interview podcast “Hotel Matze” has written a wonderful book in which he has captured the wisdom of impressive people. For whom this book is made? “For all people who find themselves standing at the edge of the pool and don’t quite dare to jump in. Because most of the people in the book felt the same way at some point.”

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The Ball of Superheroes: A Special Voguing Event for a Good Cause

The Ball of Superheroes: A Special Voguing Event for a Good Cause

Do you miss experiencing and cheering at a proper Voguing Ball as much as I do? There have been many cancellations in the Berlin ballroom scene, but the Charity Voguing Ball of Superheroes does it differently! The ball is hosted by David from the Kiki House of Angels and European Father of the House of Milan and will be brought to you guys as a shared experience with drinks and snacks to enjoy together with fellow ballroom fans as a Livestream screened at Neuzeit Ost followed by a secret queer movie screening. 

You’ve never been to a voguing ball? Then this is the perfect event to get to know the heart of it. Our author Valerie explains the Voguing scene in more detail here. To get a visual taster you should check out our colorful animated photo sets from last year’s Pride Ball and Ocean Ball that should give you an impression of what a Voguing Ball feels like. If you want to understand more about the different categories, have a look at our Ballroom Guide.

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8 Amazing Nature Destinations to Escape Berlin for a Weekend

8 Amazing Nature Destinations to Escape Berlin for a Weekend

We get it, Berlin has gotten boring without the clubs, concerts, and festivals that you are usually on to get yourself busy during the summer. Since corona has made us re-appreciate time spend outside and in nature, we thought about quenching your thirst for nature and giving you guys some ideas what to do on your weekends, in order to get out of Berlin and do something new and exciting. Stay tuned!

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Aperitivo Berlino: A Guide to the Best Aperitif Bars in Berlin

Aperitivo Berlino: A Guide to the Best Aperitif Bars in Berlin

The days are heating up again, the evenings are getting longer and the desire to share a cool aperitif with friends is pulling many Berliners out of their homes. The streets are filling up again with lively people, craving to catch up on the latest news from their friends, seeking the next delicious glass of Aperol Spritz. To give you some ideas on how to start the upcoming warm summer nights, we would like to introduce you to some great aperitif bars in Berlin.

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The Studio of Wonders Fulfills Your Selfie Dreams

The Studio of Wonders Fulfills Your Selfie Dreams

A luscious jungle without any tourists in it? An empty underground train wagon and a super high up rooftop without any spectators? Yes, these places really are in Berlin and not part of a dystopian fantasy. And they are waiting for you to take your picture with them!

Leipziger Platz, the little brother of Potsdamer Platz, now has a new attraction to show off – the Studio of Wonders. The Selfie Paradise follows in the footsteps of a new wave of Selfie Galleries that have emerged as an ongoing trend worldwide. Born from Instagram’s ideal to constantly deliver new exciting photographs to show off to an online audience, the Studio of Wonders helps his curious visitors to create new content with 20 different dreamy and unusual scenes on 500 spacious square meters. 

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Finally Together Again: A Photo Shoot with AA Collected

Finally Together Again: A Photo Shoot with AA Collected

photos: Lovis Ostenrik. 

What an unusual time it has been. I feel excited and uneasy, that we can with absolute certainty say, that this year has truly not been like any other year of our lives. Staying inside and not being able to see our friends and family for an uncertain amount of time was a tough new challenge. 

Never before have I missed human connection as deeply as I have during these past months. I can’t imagine the consequences this will have on human interaction for years to come. To now be able to finally meet people again actually brings my heart rate up. It made me realize how important a sense of togetherness is, more than I ever thought possible. 

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A Berlin Guide to Local Vacationing

A Berlin Guide to Local Vacationing

Now that Corona has thrown all our annual plans completely over the edge, after an understandable phase of disorientation and a pinch of healthy self-pity, it is time for a new orientation.

Since long trips, festivals and clubbing are canceled for the summer, we have to get creative with what is left for us to do. After endless weeks locked down in our own four walls, most of us are drawn outside into nature, far away from our well-known quarantine station. We want to get away, get out, and experience something new. So we have been thinking about how you can make this year’s weekends a little more exciting.

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These Berlin Clubs Re-Opened from Lockdown with New Concepts

These Berlin Clubs Re-Opened from Lockdown with New Concepts

photo: Birgit & Bier. 

Our fingers are itching. After months of staring at the woodchip wallpaper of our Berlin flats, we have “BOCK” as we like to say in German (which means to be very much in the mood for something). Bock, to go out again. Bock to sway to smooth electronic or raging techno beats while moving our bodies, sipping on a cold beer. Normally the Berlin crowd is used to completely different circumstances at the start of the summer party season when the painful question is, what party to attend, instead of none at all. 

This year everything is different. Or least we thought so. After Berlin’s motivated party crowd heavy heartedly accepted the no-clubbing-corona-rules for 2020, there now appears to be hope. Little by little the bigger clubs with an outside area are opening their gardens! At first only for gastronomy purposes with strict “no dancing” rules, but that’s enough to give our grieving party community a glimmer of hope.

Note: Please consult the corresponding social media pages of each club for any changes in regards to their opening times. These might change according to the weather and the current situation.

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Berlin, Berlin: The Cult TV Show and New Movie is Out On Netflix Now

Berlin, Berlin: The Cult TV Show and New Movie is Out On Netflix Now

Cheeky, charming and full on 2000s – the German cult series “Berlin, Berlin” returns to our screens! Who knows and loved it? The high school graduate Lolle and her clumsy life and love adventures. For some, the opening credits of the 2000 cult series alone will awaken childhood memories: the wild tracking shots throughout Berlin, the cheesy but awfully catchy soundtrack and the well captured big city feeling. Between 2002 and 2005, the series was shown on the public broadcaster ARD and thrilled an audience of millions for over 4 seasons.

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This Photographer Takes Beautiful Remote Portraits via Whatsapp

This Photographer Takes Beautiful Remote Portraits via Whatsapp

photos: Lilika Strezoska. 

History has proven to us time and time again that necessity truly is the mother of invention. In 2020 this saying strikes again, as these spectacularly unusual times have driven people to find solutions for the limitations that the wake of the pandemic has brought upon our daily lives. As the routines of our private and work life have been rethought, we want to shed light on ways especially creative people have found, to still exercise their craft. The no contact rule has sparked ideas, that allow our creative Berliners to pursue their passions even in times of crisis.

One fantastic example is Lilika Strezoska. The talented photographer has moved to Berlin one and a half years ago to study Communication Design at the University of Applied Sciences – way before the pandemic changed our lives. Given that we are all to stay home and facetime, rather than meet in person, she came up with a simple solution to still take pictures of what she loves most in photography: people.

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