Learnings from Berlin
Halo! I had a chance to live in Berlin for almost 6 months in 2014 and I had some great experiences there. I decided to share the experiences to let people know how cool Berlin is.
Read up & plan your trip to Berlin soon.
1) Use 'Bitte' like sugar in every Gujarati dish
If you don't speak fluent German and you happen to go to any part of Germany, the best way of playing safe is to use 'bitte' in every other sentence. Germans or at least the locals in Berlin, are so proud of the word, that an average Berliner (not referring to the local beer ) will probably use the word at least 50 times a day.
Some reference to context -
If you want to buy a beer, you need say 'Einer berliner, bitte' and the reply you will probably get is "Zwei Euro, bitte".
You will surely come across one smart bugger who is trying to confuse the shit of out you by using the word when you least expect it.
Try asking someone for help in English & the reply is "Bitte"
2) Nobody in the entire Milky Way, parties like Berliners do!
For someone who has grown up in Mumbai, the definition of partying on a weekend is somewhat summarised as follows -
Pre drink - sort your entries for free in a club (because everyone knows someone influential) - dance before you become sober - club closes at 1 am - go for cheap street food - sleep at 2 am
But Berlin does it differently. Clubbing here beings around 11 pm on a Friday and goes on all weekend till Sunday mornings. Yes, 2 nights in a row, not just 2 hours in the night like in Mumbai or 20 minutes in Bengaluru !
Getting into a club on a Friday night and getting out when the sun is out a day later is not at all a unusual sight in Berlin.
3) Google search results for authentic German cuisine ?
NO RESULTS FOUND!
With an exception of a Currywurst (which is just sausages cut up with some tangy sauce), its really hard to find an authentic German dish in Berlin.
The Turks in Berlin have done the same thing Gujju's have done in Ghatkopar, Total domination!
Every 200 meters you will find a Turkish kabab shop and some streets will make you believe that you are living in Istanbul.
4) IMPORTANT - Riding the u-bahn / s-bahn as a tourist
The transport system in Berlin is spectacular. It is a system which was invented when India was fighting for its independence but is still in great condition.
If you are one of those persons who likes to challenge authority on why should I pay for using public transport, then Berlin is the place for you. There are no checks of tickets at an entry or exit of stations.
You can quite easily manage to roam around the entire city using the local transport without spending precious Euros - 1 Euro = 60 Indian Rupees
But beware of the 007 agents of Berlin. In random timings and trains, 2-3 mostly Turkish tourist looking guys will board your train and flash their FBI type badges and ask to see your ticket. By chance you don't have ticket, DOOMSDAY has arrived.
Your expected to pay a fine of 40 Euro's. Just to put it in perspective, a single ticket cost 3.50 Euro's.
5) Berlin has the best Indian Embassy in the world!
As a tourist, this may not necessarily interest you. But have you ever wanted to be part of a large group of your fellow Indians, hoist our flag in a foreign country and proudly sing our national anthem?
Berlin is probably the only place you can do it.
Apparently, Indians are considered to be a minority in Berlin ! Yes, its true.
So the Indian Embassy based in Berlin does some amazing work by getting Indians who are living in Berlin involved in various cultural and national events. Every independence day & republic day, all Indians are invited for a flag hoisting ceremony in the Embassy, followed by a cultural programme and FREE FOOD !
Thanks to the last element, the Indian embassy soon becomes an Indian shaadi type venue where you can't hear your friend's voice who is stand 10 meters away from you.
But the coolest thing is that, only people with a valid Indian passport are allowed to enter the embassy premises.
6) Finally, Germans love their Football!
I was fortunate enough to live in Berlin when Germany won the World Cup in 2014. And the city went crazy that night!
A few locals told me that they had never seen the city like this. So yes, lucky me.
Danke Schoen und wir sehen uns in Berlin !
Halo! I had a chance to live in Berlin for almost 6 months in 2014 and I had some great experiences there. I decided to share the experiences to let people know how cool Berlin is.
Read up & plan your trip to Berlin soon.
1) Use 'Bitte' like sugar in every Gujarati dish
If you don't speak fluent German and you happen to go to any part of Germany, the best way of playing safe is to use 'bitte' in every other sentence. Germans or at least the locals in Berlin, are so proud of the word, that an average Berliner (not referring to the local beer ) will probably use the word at least 50 times a day.
Some reference to context -
If you want to buy a beer, you need say 'Einer berliner, bitte' and the reply you will probably get is "Zwei Euro, bitte".
You will surely come across one smart bugger who is trying to confuse the shit of out you by using the word when you least expect it.
Try asking someone for help in English & the reply is "Bitte"
2) Nobody in the entire Milky Way, parties like Berliners do!
For someone who has grown up in Mumbai, the definition of partying on a weekend is somewhat summarised as follows -
Pre drink - sort your entries for free in a club (because everyone knows someone influential) - dance before you become sober - club closes at 1 am - go for cheap street food - sleep at 2 am
But Berlin does it differently. Clubbing here beings around 11 pm on a Friday and goes on all weekend till Sunday mornings. Yes, 2 nights in a row, not just 2 hours in the night like in Mumbai or 20 minutes in Bengaluru !
Getting into a club on a Friday night and getting out when the sun is out a day later is not at all a unusual sight in Berlin.
3) Google search results for authentic German cuisine ?
NO RESULTS FOUND!
With an exception of a Currywurst (which is just sausages cut up with some tangy sauce), its really hard to find an authentic German dish in Berlin.
The Turks in Berlin have done the same thing Gujju's have done in Ghatkopar, Total domination!
Every 200 meters you will find a Turkish kabab shop and some streets will make you believe that you are living in Istanbul.
4) IMPORTANT - Riding the u-bahn / s-bahn as a tourist
The transport system in Berlin is spectacular. It is a system which was invented when India was fighting for its independence but is still in great condition.
If you are one of those persons who likes to challenge authority on why should I pay for using public transport, then Berlin is the place for you. There are no checks of tickets at an entry or exit of stations.
You can quite easily manage to roam around the entire city using the local transport without spending precious Euros - 1 Euro = 60 Indian Rupees
But beware of the 007 agents of Berlin. In random timings and trains, 2-3 mostly Turkish tourist looking guys will board your train and flash their FBI type badges and ask to see your ticket. By chance you don't have ticket, DOOMSDAY has arrived.
Your expected to pay a fine of 40 Euro's. Just to put it in perspective, a single ticket cost 3.50 Euro's.
5) Berlin has the best Indian Embassy in the world!
As a tourist, this may not necessarily interest you. But have you ever wanted to be part of a large group of your fellow Indians, hoist our flag in a foreign country and proudly sing our national anthem?
Berlin is probably the only place you can do it.
Apparently, Indians are considered to be a minority in Berlin ! Yes, its true.
So the Indian Embassy based in Berlin does some amazing work by getting Indians who are living in Berlin involved in various cultural and national events. Every independence day & republic day, all Indians are invited for a flag hoisting ceremony in the Embassy, followed by a cultural programme and FREE FOOD !
But the coolest thing is that, only people with a valid Indian passport are allowed to enter the embassy premises.
6) Finally, Germans love their Football!
I was fortunate enough to live in Berlin when Germany won the World Cup in 2014. And the city went crazy that night!
A few locals told me that they had never seen the city like this. So yes, lucky me.
Danke Schoen und wir sehen uns in Berlin !
No comments:
Post a Comment