#191 Berlin - Freak Carneval

I don't believe there is anything in the whole earth that you can't learn in Berlin except the German language. - M.Twain

Berlin is a dirty city and it's filled with all sorts of freaks, that's what makes it interesting. This Saturday we ended up a punk club called Rauchhauskeller. They had the most interesting ticket security feature I have encountered. They painted a nail of the visitor green. People were dancing to the wall of speakers while the techno Dj was behind them. The beer cost an euro and the entrance was 3-5€. We also ventured next door to a strange garden thing. I can't even begin to describe it.

The two of the rarest creatures ever caught on a
photo - an unicorn and a photographer.

From Friday to Monday the Karneval Der Kulturen took place. We made it down on Sunday.  Enjoy the photos of the outfits, cosplay and street fashion. There were endless cars with different groups who identified themselves by their nationality or interests.
People were dancing, mingling and drinking various festive drinks. There were also a selction of local street foods, we went for some Samosas which I had in Barcelona last time. The locals took part by throwing water from their balconies, considering it was 30+ degrees outside, it was a good thing.

The punk club. I was too tired to look for a person
to ask if photos were okay so I just snapped some shots.
Look there's an unicorn.

Next door to the punk club there was the garden party. We had to make our way
through a maze of old cars and wagons and then we saw a surreal stage
with music and old hippies dancing.

The japanese cosplay paraders, who could have just wandered
around freely, instead of being in the rope cage.

Balloons were a must and there were some funny incidents that
I witnessed but couldn't really capture.

There was a popular group of four or five spidermen, one of them had to be the
black spiderman, I guess the shop had run out of the red ones
and he was the last one there.

People were sitting and doing other stuff where ever, no one cared.

Against all odds, this was the guy playing the hardest techno,
with the tibetian girls serving food next to him.

Some people just took their paints with them and painted their friends at the
festival. The guy looking at the camera was pretty much the only one
I asked for a photo.

The Sri Lankans.

It was okay if you forgot your wig, you could buy everything you needed from right there.

Neon was the safest dress code.

On the edge of the festival I discoverd this guy
and dug his style. He is wearing Adidas winged sneakers.

See you next week.

#184 First in Berlin

don't You like Berlin?

The crew posing as a 90s band.

Greetings from Berlin where I have relocated to for at least a while. Having grown tired with Tallinn I decided to buy a one way ticket to Berlin to possibly stay here for longer.

Enjoying cigarettes and some Riesling wine by the S Bahn.

I must send props to Air Baltic for one of the smoothest flights I've ever been on with a seamless transfer in Riga. The local public transport was almost as good and I only rode one stop in the wrong direction.

Sharing a Club Mate vodka in the Berlin night before the techno club.

Having lived in Paris for a year it's the main experience I can compare this to. The main difference is that while Berlin is about nine times bigger than Paris it doesn't have that many more habitants (2 mill vs 3,5 mill). This translates into more space, longer travels and less of a crowd.

The space between numerous techno clubs.

Berlin is a city of sin, if you consider drinking, smoking and taking drugs as a sin. It's okay to drink everywhere and that's what people do. A decent bottle of Riesling wine starts from 2€ and a cheap beer is 30 cents. Weed is being quite freely smoked everywhere. Also helpful guys approach you on the busier central streets offering molly or other substances for sale. In that sense I guess it's not that different from Paris. According to Vice magazine these are also the two most dangerous cities for buying drugs.

The visual metaphor of Berlin culture.

The local bars are interesting and at times cheaper than the ones in Tallinn. The atmosphere is laid-back throughout the city and I imagine there are quite a few young people who wake up discovering they have turned thirty or forty.

While visiting her we discovered a stash of old caps.

The sunny morning after a night out.

The landmark Fernsehturm

See you in Berlin.