Berlin 24/7: A Guide for Night Owls

Berlin 24/7: A Guide for Night Owls

photo: all.x

Having studied at another culturally forgettable -yet very beautiful in the summer – German town, I always thought that the main difference between living in the capital and living in a place, where breathing large amounts of non-polluted air almost didn’t feel right, was the night life. What differentiates Berlin from other smaller cities is not just its numerous wild parties, where the right drug combination can bring you to euphoric levels of happiness despite the insufferably monotonous beats and pull you into a life crisis the next day, while wondering how you managed to look like you already had a divorce and a few heart-attacks. Luckily, Berlin is so much more than that.

The main difference lies in the possibilities awaiting when the sunlight starts to dim and the city puts on a new outfit, less fancy but always stylish; not the let’s-have-a-reunion-at-the-cemetery-kind, but in a far more original way.

Blame it on your insomnia, your constantly unsatisfied desire to explore as many as layers of this city as possible, your biological needs, or simply your Fear Of Missing Out, Berlin is here to keep you company through the sleepless nights, when doing anything other than “sleeping, because I am working tomorrow” could feel just a little bit abnormal; to be your remedy. Read on…

ORA – An Old Pharmacy Reborn as Charming Cafe

ORA – An Old Pharmacy Reborn as Charming Cafe

Berlin never ceases to surprise with unusual places and repurposed locations. Everything deserves the chance for a second life, may it be a former swimming pool, a cultural institute or an old post office. The old pharmacy at Oranienplatz has been empty for quite a while now. It’s one of the really old cool looking ones with the wooden counters and shelves and all the little jars and glasses. Obviously this stunning place needed to find a new purpose and so it did a few weeks ago with the opening of the cafe and bistro ORA. Most of the old pharmacy charm has been preserved and refurbished which easily makes this cafe the best looking one in Kreuzberg. While you can still see all the little drawers and jars in the shelves obviously the medicine has been replaces with coffee and liquor. And instead of ointments and pills they serve small bistro-sized dishes such as pulled pork, roasted chicken, mild rice and polenta. Their specialty is their freshly baked sour dough bread that you can order with a variety of toppings. The cafe offers a lot of space inside and a few seats outside and is currently really one of the nicest places in the area. Check out our impressions after the jump.

Read on…