What Movie are We Watching? #1

zum Beispiel = for example
Macht Spaß! = Have fun

Germans have some strange translations for American movie titles. Zum Beispiel (z.B) Miss Undercover is the german version of Miss Congeniality. While this one make sense (although why they didn't just keep the title as it originally was, I don't know), I thought it would be fun every so often to post some movie titles and see if you can guess what their original English title is.

Here's how it will work. In the blog post, I will write the German versions of a few popular Hollywood movies. I will write the answers in a new tab called "Movie Titles" next to the weather graph. Before looking at the answers, see if you can guess what movie the german translation is talking about! Post in the comment section if you wish! Macht Spaß!

• At the First Time (Beim ersten Mal)
• The Knights of the Coconut (Die Ritter der Kokosnuss)
• You Should Be my Lucky Star (Du sollst mein Glücksstern sein)

*Source

Give Me a High Five #6: Berlin Specialities

The other day, I went to KaDeWe to run an errand. Since I can never go to KaDeWe without visiting the 6th floor, I went to go see if they had Snapple. I cannot tell you how badly I am craving Snapple's Diet Peach Ice Tea. Sadly, no Snapples were to be found, which shocked me, as I would consider Snapple a staple drink in American culture.

That sparked the idea for this post. When I think of typical "American" foods, I think BBQ, peanut butter, burgers, Kraft Mac & Cheese, pizza, Snapple, Relish, Chips, and the list goes on. Most of you are American; you don't need me to tell you what typical American specialities are! However, many of you do not know what typical Berliner specialities are. With that being said, here is a list of 5 (unordered) specialties that are native to Berlin. Notice that I said native to BERLIN...not Germany!

1. Berliner Kindl Weisse
This has been mentioned a few times in my blog. Click the link if you want a refresher.

2. Currywurst
You either love it or you hate it. Jack loves it, I hate it. Currywurst is very popular in Berlin, found at fast food stands (called Imbiss) and in German restaurants. It is a wurst (aka sausage/hot dog) sliced into rounds with a curried ketchup. Usually, it is served with Pomme Frites and a colorful plastic fork. You can make a DIY currywurst. Mix a generous portion of curry powder with ketchup. Get a Hebrew's national, top it with the curried ketchup. Voila!

Source

3. Döner Kebab; aka, Döner
Döners are everywhere...not kidding. Döner shops are more popular than Starbucks are in the States, and for good reason; they're delicious. Döner Kebab is actually a Turkish dish made popular here in Berlin, but I'm counting it as a Berlin delicacy anyways. A Döner is a pita with veggies, meat, and your choice of garlic and/or hot sauce. Basically, it's a gyro. The meat, however, is unknown. Is it beef? Chicken? Pork? No idea...you see the meat on a vertical spit that spins around a grill, and the Döner man scrapes the meat off per order. Unless the Döner place specifies (and they usually specify Chicken when they do), you're guess is as good as mine as far as what the meat actually is. However, they are absolutely delicious, unless you find a bad Döner, in which case, they are disgusting. A tip to those in Berlin; the best Döner is in the Wilmersdorferstraße U-Bahn as you walk out to the S-Bahn. It's a chicken Döner, and they even grill up artichoke hearts. Super lecker and Amaze-balls!

Source

An amazing picture of "Mutti" (Angela Merkel) shaving meat from the spit for a döner

Click here for an article on how to order a döner properly, as well as a few German words!

4. Berliner Pfannkuchen
It's a jelly doughnut filled with plum jelly. Yep...that about sums it up...

Source

5. Boulette
This is a food I have yet to experience, but was recommended by some American friends. Boulettes are large meatballs, served with a side mustard, pickled eggs, and pickles. Most of the time, they are the size of falafels, but I have seen them as large as a burger and as small as swedish meatballs. Most bars and German restaurants serve it, sometimes with a bun, making it a Berlin version of the hamburger.

Source

Bon Appetit!

Walk with Your Head Down

Stolperstein = Stumbling Block

Stolpersteine = Stumbling Blocks

When walking in Berlin, or anywhere in Germany for that matter (and many other countries), try looking down. Eventually, you will come across Stolpersteine. These are little golden blocks that you find in front of businesses and/or apartment buildings. Usually, you walks by these blocks without even noticing them. However, once they are pointed out, you will see them everywhere.

It's hard to read, but each Stolperstein has the words "Hier Wohnte", meaning "Here lived" followed by a name, two or three dates, and a place. The name is of the Jewish, homosexual, african, disabled... person that lived or worked in that building during WWII. The first date is the date of birth (JG= Jahr Geburtstag). The second being when the individual were taken and put into concentration camps, and the third of when they died. The one above says:

"Hier Wohnte 

Elly C. Schindler

JG 1907

Deportiert 1.11.1941

(something I can't read)

Ermordet 8.5.1942 in

Kulnhof"

Like I said, most of the time, people walk by the Stolpersteine without even noticing them, and in the previous picture, you can see why. They're not that big...the size of the other cobblestones in the cobblestone sidewalks. However, for me, Stolpersteine are one of the biggest and most important things to see in Berlin. They commemorate those who died and the few that survived the Holocaust. This commemoration is small, but very personal, as each block is placed in the last known residence or workplace of the individual(s). Sometimes, you will see candles, flowers, or wreaths around the blocks. Many times you'll come across a Stolperstein for a child. For me, those are the most emotional. While I did not take a close enough picture to see, this is a set of Stolpersteine for a family.

So next time you're in Germany, instead of looking up at the Street Art, the buildings, or the beautiful (hopefully blue) sky, walk with your head looking down. You'll find Stolpersteine all over the place.

Frühling ist hier!

Frühling = Spring
ist= is
hier = here

The ice cream shops are opening, people are sitting outside cafes and restaurants, the weather is warmer, and spring flowers are up. I think that Frühling ist hier!!!

Live and Learn #5: Berliner Kindl Weisse

Early on in this blog, Jack made a guest appearance, counting down his Top 5 German Beers. One beer that made his list was the Berliner Kindl Weisse, a cross between beer and soda. This is a "Berlin speciality." There are two flavors; Rot and Grün. Yes, rot and grün are not flavors per se, but that is how they are ordered. Our Vermieter ("landlord") was kind enough to leave us a few Berliner Kindl Weisses as a welcoming gift. As Jack said in his post, "Not that great on the first taste, but [it] gets better as you keep drinking..."

The other day, Jack and I met up with some friends for a tandem session. Jack and another friend decided to give the Weisse another chance. Jack ordered the rot, our friend ordered grün. What we did not know was when you order a Weisse from a restaurant, it is served with a Schuss Wodka, or a shot of vodka. So now, this drink is part beer, part soda, part cocktail.

At first the sound of the combination sounded absolutely disgusting. Beer by itself is somewhat disgusting to me, but add soda and vodka? These Germans are crazy! However, having to try a sip of both Jack and our friend's drink, the tastes are actually quite interesting. The grün tastes exactly like a jolly rancher. No exaggeration, I really thought that there was a jolly rancher in my mouth. The Rot, while not tasting like a jolly rancher, tasted like cherry candy. No, not the cherry candy that tastes like cough medicine, but the good tasting cherry candies. We can't put our fingers on what to compare it with...perhaps cherry cola? Then again, I can't recall the last time I ever tried Cherry cola, so I could be wrong.

While not something that Jack wants to order on a regular basis, Jack was pleasantly surprised with the Weisse, and enjoyed the drink. He almost ordered another, but decided against it, as after one glass, it gets pretty sweet. If you ever decide to visit Berlin and enjoy beer, soda, or cocktails, it is worth a taste.

Grunewald

Grün = green

Wald = forest

Grunewald = green forest

der Berg/ die Berge = mountain/ mountains

Jack and I spent a good part of today hiking and strolling in Grunewald. Grunewald is a huge forest in the west of Berlin that is known for strolling, naked lake swimming, mountain biking, kite flying, and Teufelsberg. Since we have been having such wonderful weather (Sorry, America. It's 50s and mostly sunny here), Jack and I decided to go hiking. Jack was here when he was in Berlin a few years ago, and loved this area because of how peaceful it is, and he was not wrong.

We started the day bright and chipper. Jack was like a boy opening presents on Christmas day, sitting on the S-Bahn with a big smile and bouncing with anticipation to get to our destination. When we got there, we spoke (auf Deutsch, natürlich!) of all of the people that were walking, biking, strolling, horseback riding, and skateboarding. There were so many people! Germans love being outside, and this is just another further example of how they enjoy the outdoors. 

Off in the distance was one of the few Berge in Berlin, which is where Jack wanted us to sit and enjoy a picnic lunch. Drachenberg, the name of the mountain, actually has a very interesting history. Berlin is naturally flat. This mountain is man-made. What is under the land to make it a Berg? Debris from WWII. This mountain is literally made of metal, bomb pieces, and other debris that had no where to go after the war. Drachenberg is one of the highest points in Berlin, and kite flyers come here to fly kites while others picnic and sit in meditation. We had to hike up to the top, which proved to be difficult, as we are not longer accustomed to hills it seems, and were very out of breath and tired when we got to the top. This is where we picnicked admired the view.

Afterwards, we hiked a little higher up to Teufelsberg, a tower that Americans used to spy on East Germany/the Soviets during the Cold War. You're not allowed to walk to the tower (not safe), but we walked around it, dodging bikers huffing their way up and down the Berg. We walked by what Jack calls "The Naked Lake", where many people lounge and swim in the nude. Lucky for us, it's still too cold for nakedness, and our eyes are still untainted :)

Teufelsberg: Source
And yes, I do realize what this looks like......

Views from Drachenberg

We continued our walk along dirt footpaths, taking us around the forest. It was nice to be in nature for a change, rather than the hustle and bustle of city life. Time went by slower, more smiles and friendly "Hallo!"s were made, and even wildlife was spotted. We have noticed that other than birds, very little (if any) wildlife can be found in Berlin. No squirrels, no chipmunks, no bunnies. It's strange. But, we did manage to see a red squirrel with a mohawk of some sort. This red squirrel is my Big Foot...the few times I have seen one, I never am able to capture a clear picture. One day, I hope to take a picture of this red mohawked creature. 

We ended the day tired, exhausted, but content. While cloudy, the weather was in the low 50s and enjoyable to walk in. Hopefully, we can come back on a clear day and provide some more pictures. Hope you all enjoyed your weekends :)