There are so many cyclists and people walking through the streets of Berlin this summer, they’ve definitely gotten the upper hand. All the cosy coffee shops seem fuller than ever and the word crisis has been completely forgotten. One is eating icecream, basking in the sun and taking the bicycle to meet some friends.

The people from Berlin are forgetting how poor they all are and feel sexier than ever before. Let them! Just now they might be unfolding a blanket to have a rest in the park and in a few hours they might already be at the open air cinema Kulturforum. Chaining the bike quickly to a fence and then watching an amazing sunset just behind the Neue Nationalgalerie. But seriously: How could that possibly upset us? Mitteschoen is raising the glas to drink to the summer in our favourite city.

text & photos by Eugen Braeunig

Pictures are arranged top-down & from the left to the right:

1. Is it flying away, the angel on Berlin’s Siegessäule (Column of Victory, Straße des 17. Junis) 2. Cathedral of Berlin 3. Foreground: some people enjoying the sun. Background: University Hospital Charité in Mitte 4. View on the government district 5. I heart house wall?! 6. The Berlinische Gallery in the afternoon sun 7. The government district at night, passing by in a car 8. Just a simple reflection and suddenly the platform is on the Coca Cola advertisement

text & photos by Eugen Braeunig

Okay, the Kita-closing time is here. And, yes, the weather is fantastic. Perfect for swimming, I know. But I’m tired of pools. My skin starts smelling of chlorine, my hairs hast the consistency of horsehair and finally my bikini has lost his colour. Time to do something new like going to the Kreativhaus on the Fischerinsel. During the holidays they offer a lot of different activities for the children there. All children from five onwards have the option to go on an adventure with Hucklberry Finn and learn a lot on the world of the Mississippi Delta by gambling. Admission per kid: 3.50 Euro. Reservations required. The highlight of this event is a water ride on the 19th of August. Unfortunately only the children may participate winning at the lottery. But who knows, maybe your kid is one of the lucky ones.
Another good alternative for rainy days is the MACHmit! Museum in the Senefelderstraße 5. There are workshops with a weekly changing theme like in this week “limestones”. Unfortunately, the workshops are not very cheap and the cost per five days is 80,- Euro, the courses last till 16:00 including lunch.
A cheaper alternative is the Puppentheater Firlefanz located in the Sophienstraße 10. There the children have the possibility to watch “Peter and the Wolf” for 5,- Euro (adults 7,- Euro). Reservations also required.
All bargain hunters should visit the organic market on the Zionskirchplatz taking place every Thursday. There you have the option to watch a puppet-show for free. Regrettably my own kid hates puppets and begins to cry when she sees Punch. Maybe I have seen to much horror movies being pregnant. Next time, I skip Stephen Kings “It”…

Betsie

“I like how you write it without e…” - A. Warhol

Constructed styles à la Legoland for example. Or live laptop concerts (with soundscapes and field recordings). There was also someone called Matthieu Bourel whose solo show was called Power of Boredom. Another time the subject was the release of a book and the demonstration of the associated film with the title „The pathetic Sympathy Seekers in touch with reality“. We do like all of that quite a lot. And when we found out that the place was actually a very comfortable and nice place, we liked it even more. So we just kept a note to remember to pay systM a visit.

gallery bar
torstrasse 68
10119 Berlin

opening hours
tuesday to saturday
14-22 and later

info@systm-berlin.com

text & photos by Eugen Braeunig

Pictures are arranged top-down & from left to right:

1. Appearances are deceiving – this butcher’s shop does still sell Currywurst, but it’s actually not a butcher’s shop anymore. Nothing more said about false laballing. 2. „Einhundert“ is a very cute shop that we will definitely have to introduce properly soon. 3. On the ground floor of the Circus Hotel there is not only the snack bar City Yildiz, but also the excellent restaurant Fabisch. 4. The walls of the gallery Lucas Carrieri are being repainted… 5. A drawn, street-art like whale has stranded. 6. Cloth rolls that are waiting to be made into clothes. 7. Waiting for customers.

text & photos by Eugen Braeunig

„Trains to life – Trains to death“

They’ve escaped with trains from Germany. At the end of 1938 until 1939, just until the war had started. It was many of them. Thousands of children managed to escape. The jewish community, the quakers and the british government had arranged an escape as well as their integration into new families. The memorial by Frank Meisler at the station Berlin Friedrichstraße is supposed to get this back into your minds about 70 years later.

Many will probably know what memorial I am talking about. On your way from the tram to the station, on Georgenstraße, you will have to pass it by. On the plaque that is shown above you can see the reflection. The israeli artist Meisler was born in Gdansk and was one of the children himself who escaped from the Nazi regime. It was the rescue from a definite death and the chance to start a new life. I was surprised to read in the Jewish Newspaper that at the moment there is still much criticism from many sides. In fact, it was so strongly opposed that the figueres had to be worked over. Now two of the children are bronze (saved), the other ones are grey (not saved) just like the concrete of the actual memorial. But the discussion seems to go on. And that does have a few reasons. For example it has been proven that most of those transports started at Anhalter Bahnhof, so the location of the memorial is definitely wrong.

* Many of the children were arriving at Liverpool Street Station to meet their new families. On the plaque they’ve talked about a „mixed success“. Because just like many children were treated very well, there were also the ones that were just forgotten about or that were treated like servants. At the certain station the artist Meisler has already installed a similar sculpture.

text & photo by Eugen Braeunig

Soccer, soccer, soccer: in the last few weeks the kids are talking about nothing else. Even my little one, just three, was interested in soccer, especially for the fact who’s injured and why. But at the end of the World Cup even she knows that we are crossing the fingers for the team in white or black and gold.
But now everything is over and normal life goes on. And instead of looking soccer we are going to the playground and playing with the kids in the sand. Another good alternative for this hot summer days is going in the museum which are always very cool and during the holidays they offer special programmes for the kids. Like the Bode Museum where you have on 17July the possiblity to learn what St. Michael, St. George and Frederick William of Brandenburg have in common. Or listen on 22 July how the brave Hercules killed the nine-headed snake and fights with a dangerous lion.
Another very interesting event is taking place on 22 July. On this day the kids have the opportunity to vistit on the Museumsinsel the original places of the famous german children’s thriller “Beschützer der Diebe” written by Andreas Steinhöfel. Please register in advance, the number of participants is limited.
For all those who are calling to late for this event, don’t worry, during the holiday season there will be at every weekend special tours for families.
And maybe your kid has so much fun on this tours that it will become rather an art historian than a soccer star like Beckham.
For all parents who need a lection in history here are the most important facts about Hercules as told by Disney.

Betsie