Yasmin | iHeartBerlin.de

Polish Lifestyle in Berlin

by Yasmin | Art, Bars, Books, Cafés, Food, Photos, Restaurants, Shops

“Doublefaced No. 21”, photo: Sebastian Bieniek

Berlin is a city made of puzzle pieces, a mosaic of multitudes. Its irresistible charm and distinctive difference is made of the people that shape the city culturally. A Berlin without its cultural diversity is not only hard to imagine – it just wouldn’t even be as interesting probably. The contributions of inhabitants from all over the world helped forming a colorful kaleidoscope of ethnic elements.

We want to take a closer look at all the possibilities and present to you the manifold ways of experiencing Berlin’s diverse cultures. Today: The Polish Edition!

Polish people are some of the best people! In our last edition, we told you about the Turkish Lifestyle in Berlin. This time we want to cover the beautiful polish things to spend your days with in the capital. From Pierogi to Polish Fashion, Germany and Poland have a lot of history together that lingers on. See our little selection right after the jump. Baw się dobrze! read more…

The Most Iconic Fountains of Berlin

by Yasmin | Friedrichshain, Mitte, Places, Prenzlauer Berg, Schöneberg

photo: kaffeeeinstein / CC

What is the essence of a city? What is Berlin made of? As we already established, it is mostly made of the people inhabiting it. Berlin is a concrete jungle, with many beautiful buildings. Old architecture and new people mix well. They flow through the city like water in the canals. Water is life, water pulsates, water is the substance we are made of. And there is a lot of this substance in a metropolis like Berlin. Next to the Spree and the seas of the capital, there are other springs of water: Fountains. All over the capital you will find those sometimes grandiose, sometimes simple water oases.

But they are always architectural masterpieces, relics of other times, loaded with history and symbolic meanings. But they are also places to rest and dwell. On fountains, people who don’t know each other come together, people who have a date, people who are alone.

See ten of our favorite water places in Berlin and get some inspiration to plan your next walk in the city. Right after the jump.

Falling in Love with Berlin

by Yasmin | Videos

Love is a beautiful thing. And comes in different forms and manifestations. Be it the love to your surroundings, details, your friends, family, pet, food – god knows you can love a good burger. Love is unique and universal equally. We don’t know where it came from, we don’t know where it’s going but we do know how it feels, each and every single person on this planet. Only the stories attached to the feeling differ. And that’s the beauty of it.

Pablo Ruiz Sánchez is a filmmaker who shares his love story with us today. In his charming video he follows a girl through various places of Berlin while recounting his thoughts about her with poetic words. Of course the girl is not really a person but a metaphor for the city that he fell in love with so deeply. With the story told in German and subtitles in Spanish, maybe not everyone of you can understand what is being said. But surely, everyone will get what he felt. And enjoy the nice Berlin shots. See the short video here, right after the jump.

Edit: Now you can choose between Englisch / German / Spanish subtitles. 🙂

The Most Awesome Independent Book Shops in Berlin

by Yasmin | Books, Shops

photo: Alicia Kassebohm

We all know the beauty of a good book. The luxury of indulging in the written word is incomparable. We might have told you about the books about Berlin. Now it’s time to shed light on where to best get them.

There are over 285 book shops in Berlin, each one of them with their own beauty. Some are small, some are bigger, all of them are good. A few of them have such a special atmosphere though, which is worth listing. See 12 of our favorite book shops of the capital after the jump. read more…

With Eyes of Wonder: Exploring Berlin as a Child

by Yasmin | Videos

photo: Robert Agthe / CC

Experiencing your surroundings, the world, a particular place is always a very personal experience.
A place, city or even room can be encountered and told differently, depending on who experienced it. Which is why it’s always interesting to see and hear how others perceived the world. How they felt about certain streets, stores or details.

Eaglewood Films recently came out with a nice short film featuring Berlin. The motion designer and visual effects editors published “Moments of Berlin”, a nice short film that features a little boy during his first adventures in the capital. From his first flight to Berlin, to his first kebab in the city – the clip shows his every step in an almost soothing manner. As a viewer, this special perspective of the capital is not only heartwarming but also eye-opening – to another point of view. See the clip right after the jump.

Exploring Berlin: A Guide To Moabit

by Yasmin | Bars, Cafés, Market, Restaurants

photo: Till Krech / CC

Moabit – this district between Mitte and Charlottenburg. I can’t say exactly what it is, but it seems like an area that is not overloaded with places that push a ‚healthy‘ lifestyle, full of cool start-ups or snobby places. While much of Berlin evolves on the cutting edge of trends you could say that Moabit keeps it real.

Moabit has the former JVA Moabit (correctional facility), and the embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan. But of course, Moabit is more than these things. You’ll also find Berlin’s Hauptbahnhof and the district has a myriad of possibilities for artists to display their works. And you will start to appreciate the very earnest facet of the district.

We put together a list of things to do in Moabit. Once a part of Tiergarten, in 2011 the traditional working-class district separated. Still, some of our suggestions might be on the verge of Tiergarten. See them right after the jump.

Street Food around the World

by Yasmin | Food, Market, Videos

Food is a way of coming together, a huge chunk of culture, a defining moment of – you guessed it – taste.

While in some cultures street food has always been a big part of daily life, it is on the up-and-up in Berlin, bringing delicious and quality street food that matches the fast pace of the metropolis. Next to the long-existing bratwurst, currywurst and döner there are numerous opportunities to expand your taste buds. Korean, Japanese, Mexican, you name it: Food is like a language, ever evolving. Time to get behind the magic.

Together with filmmaker Karsten Boysen, the guys of OSK made a lovely video about street food, following their hunger and ideas behind it. Observing and portraying the fast (but good) food on the streets in New York, Beijing and of course Berlin. See the foodie-licious result with a good chunk about the popular Street Food Thursday at Markthalle IX after the jump. read more…

Berlin is… Ready

by Yasmin | Stories

Slowly but steadily the temperatures rise again. One more time the winter asks us – just this month – not to forget him. Coming and going, falling and staying in a place of remembrance.

But with every ray of sunlight the city gets more power. Here comes the enthusiasm again, here comes the light. There goes the heavy breathing and hiding out of sight. Winter, say your last goodbye – for this time at least.

We are ready to start, ready for the sun, ready to get to work, ready to breathe again. The waiting is done, the hiding is over. Ready to blossom, ready for a makeover.

This beautiful time of the year, where hopes are growing and the smiles get bigger. This time, when it seems as if everyone is opening their eyes again and seeing their surroundings. Berlin’s awakening.

Like a fruit ripe for the picking, Berlin is ready. Ready to change and be the same, a coming out of the winter hiding, building momentum for the reveal.

Spring, here we go.

The Time Berlin Became a Metropolis

by Yasmin | Books, Photos

Mehringplatz, photo: Robert Prager, 1894

There was a time when Berlin was a kingly residence, a time of Prussian glory.
In the 19th century, the city changed with the industrialization in full swing. After that, it became the capital of the Wilhelmine empire. The photographs of that time document a city in change, Berlin’s transition into a metropolis.

Miriam Paeslack put together a coffee table book full of treasures of photography that illustrate the city’s change. Her book “Berlin im 19. Jahrhundert: Frühe Photographien 1850-1914” was published at Schirmer/Mosel. See some of the impressive photos of a Berlin long ahead our time right after the jump. read more…

Let’s Dance – A Berlin Ballerina

by Yasmin | Photos

photos: Anna Rafeeva

Dance, when you’re broken open. Dance, if you’ve torn the bandage off. Dance in the middle of the fighting. Dance in your blood. Dance when you’re perfectly free. – Rumi

Sometimes, no matter how hard the surroundings – all you can do is dance. There are enough reasons no matter what the situation. Seems odd? But you can move forward lightly even on the hardest grounds. All you need is the right inner rhythm.

The photographs of Anna Rafeeva are dreamy, soft and powerful – what better location to place them then good old, rugged Berlin? In the midst of Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg, the photographer captured a Ballerina flying through Berlin and dancing away in front of colorful walls. See the beautiful shots right after the jump. read more…

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