Hallo Leute!

So this post is going to be a quick one! I just wanted to show you all a place I found recently that I thought was insanely cool! An East Asian Supermarkt! Now I know this sound a bit too regular and/or lame to get excited about, but I found it to be awesome. You see, I used to live in Southern California for a few years, and since there is a large East-Asian Community in that area, one could find many Asian supermarkets in any town. In these supermarkets one can find countless items imported from countries like China, Japan, or Thailand. One could find spices, snacks, home wares, exotic vegetable, meats, sweets, you name it! After I moved from California to Miami, I missed those Supermarkets immensely and thought I wouldn’t see them again for a long while. But lo and behold! Here they are, right in the melting-pot of a city, Berlin! If you are a fan of East Asian food and/or culture, I highly recommend a quick trip to an Asiatischer Markt in your area.

This is one of many many rows of East Asian products!

If you find this, buy it! It’s dried red Perilla seasoning and works well on so many items, mainly rice! Mmmm…

Until then, bis bald!
-Milan :-)

Hallo Leute!

So a few months back I wrote about my uneventful trip to the Pergamon, during which renovation and reconstruction was going on, causing a large part of the museum to be closed. That left me a little dejected about museums for a while, but last week I decided to suck it up and go to the Alte Nationalgalerie! And boy, am I sure glad I did!
Like most of the other main museums in Berlin, this one is on Museuminsel (S7 stop Hackescher Markt) and stands next to the Neues Museum (the one that houses Nefertiti’s Bust!! I still have to go there!) It costs 15 Euros to get in, but is free for kids 17 and under which is great if you have a large family. This museums houses an extensive selection of art, from paintings by Monet and Rodin all the way to sculptures like the Thinker! Not only is the inside beautiful but the outside architecture is just as impressive, and is arguably one of the most incredible buildings in the area (after to the Bode Museum of course).

I don’t think this lady meant to photobomb, but alas!

I highly recommend a visit to this incredible museum! You can spend anywhere from a half hour to 3 hours in there, depending on how fast you walk haha! If you walk very fast, I also highly recommend buying the Museuminsel pass for you can see all the Museums in one day!

Quite a dramatic scene, don’t you think?

This is perhaps one of my, if not my top favorite, favourite sculptures in the entire museum. You can’t see it too well in the photo (blame my crappy camera quality), but the amount of detail on it is incredible!

Hermes and Psyche.

P.S. The Museum is closed on Monday!
Until then, bis bald!
Milan :-)

Hallo Leute!

So this is just a really quick entry about where I went the other day! And that is… dun dun dun drumroll please, Mustafa’s Gemüse Kebab!!!! Now if you are unfamiliar with this establishment, it is (as the name implies) a Kebab Stand that supposedly sells the best Döners in Berlin. Now because I have a strong dedication to food and Berlin, I stood in the line that normally lasts anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes. Luckily, we went on a weekday so it wasn’t as busy and we only had to wait about 45 minutes. Unluckily, having to wait any longer than 10 minutes when you’re extremely hungry is terrible, so by the time we got to the stand to order we were all hangry (hungry and angry)! Naturally there were only about three items on the menu, but quality over quantity, right? When we finally got our awesome 3 euro Döner, we were overjoyed. And honestly, nothing beats that first bite.

Now I wouldn’t consider myself a Döner expert, but I have had a fair amount of Kebabs in my day and this one was definitely in the top three. The sauces (yes plural!) were so delicious and the bread was not too heavy, toasted just right. The veggies are obviously fresh cut and the entire mixture was heavenly. They add fresh Käse on the top as if the rest wasn’t enough. Now I can not definitively say that this is objectively the best Döner Kebab in Berlin, as I have not tried every single one, but it definitely is one of the top. Perhaps even worth the wait! So please do yourself a favour and get yourself a Mustafa’s Döner in Mehringdamm.

Look how long this line was! We waited about 45 minutes!

Can we please talk about how good this looks?

Until then, bis bald!
-Milan :-)

Hallo Leute!

Heute möchte ich etwas über Essen sagen. Eigentlich möchte ich immer über Essen sprechen, aber heute werde ich nur über Frühstück sprechen. Ich liebe Frühstück. Alle Frühstücke! Von Amerikanischen Pancakes und Waffeln bis Deutschen Backwaren. Ich denke dass Frühstück mein Lieblingsessen des Tages ist.
If I am being completely honest though, Deutsches Frühstück is very different from American breakfast, in more ways than one.

I think first and foremost, the biggest difference, is the popularity of breakfast. Now that might sound a little strange so bare with me. Here in Germany, or at least in Berlin, breakfast foods tend to be quite small and common. Breakfast is just another meal of the day and is not any more special than say perhaps, a snack. One can often see people eating a pastry on the S-Bahn or even just a piece of fruit for breakfast. Breakfast is not eventful, just a necessity. Whereas in the U.S., breakfasts tend to huge meals (well every meal tends to be a huge meal actually) to get you through the day since lunch breaks are often quite late. For a busy working person a breakfast might consist of only a cup of coffee and an apple, but if one were to really sit down and eat breakfast at home, or even a restaurant (YES there are restaurants that solely serve breakfast foods), the meal would consist of at least three different dishes. Some common and popular breakfast dishes include, but are not limited to: eggs and toast, coffee, pancakes and waffles (yes both), french toast, juice, and a bowl of fruit. And this can all be served to one person. It’s both formidable and a bit incredible.

Another difference is the type of food! Traditional American breakfasts tend to be very heavy and filling, making you feel ten pounds heavier by the time you’re done eating. On the other hand, German breakfast consists of a bunch of light foods, filling you up slowly and healthily. A typical German breakfast might consist of Brot und Butter, Käse, Marmalade, Joghurt, Obst, und vielleicht Müsli. You can notice the common use of milk products in German breakfast as opposed to the heavy inclusion of starchy products in American ones.

The last difference is a small, but important one! Eggs! If you don’t know what I am talking about, ask a typical Deutsche person how they like their eggs and then ask an American. Trust me, you will notice a difference lol !

No matter what kind of breakfast it is, I love them all. Actually writing this entry has made me really want some breakfast food so I have to go! Until then, bis bald!

Mine and my friends‘ quite tasty (although unhealthy) pastry breakfast the other day!

-Milan :-)

Liebe Teilnehmer,

es war gestern ein schöner und entspannter Abend mit euch.
Zur Erinnerung haben wir ein paar schöne Bilder für euch.

Euer DeutschAkademie Team

#DeutschAkademie #Stammtisch #CaféBerio #DeutschLernen #MitSpaßzumErfolg

Hallo Leute!

Letzte Woche gab es einen Film im Marianenplatz Park. Unfortunately, it was a lot more expensive than I thought it would be and I had just bought dinner at this Ethiopian restaurant so I didn’t have enough! It was my dumb fault, but the night didn’t go to waste. My friends and I ended up taking the Ethiopian food, our blankets, and our bottles of water/beer, to the next park over. There we had a nice picnic until sundown (which as you know is quite late in the day here in Berlin).
Now I highly recommend this Ethiopian restaurant, especially if you love trying new and interesting foods! It’s called Langano and is greatly priced! The service is awesome and everyone is very friendly. A cute detail about the restaurant is that in the corner, there hang a German and Ethiopian glad together :-) !

Look how cool this piece of Lion artwork is!

Our Ethiopian food picnic. Curry lentils, spinach, carrots and potatoes, and a huge pot of meat stew! Of course with traditional sourdough Injera bread :-)

Until then, bis bald!
-Milan :-)

Hallo Leute!

Letzte Woche bin ich zum Tadschikische Teestube gegangen. Ich war dort mit meiner Freundin aus den USA. For those of you that don’t know what the Tadschikische Teestube is, I’ll give you a little backstory. So! First off, this little Café, or Tea Room, if you will, is of Tajikistani heritage. The Republic of Tajikistan is a small country in Central Asia with influences from Asian cultures such as Chinese, and Eastern cultures like Russian. Tea rooms were a very big part of Tajikistani culture, as they were social centres. This specific Teestube began in 1974 when Tajikistan, then a part of the Soviet Union, gave it to the GDR as a gift and it was placed in the Soviet Pavilion in Leipzig, opening for business a few years later. All of the furniture was imported straight from Tajikistan!

       
This sounded awesome to me so I decided to give it a visit! When you first walk in and see the carved dark wood columns and beautiful artwork its takes you a few moments to remember you’re in Berlin. A calm atmosphere engulfs you almost immediately and you feel relaxed as you take off your shoes and walk to a table on the floor, taking a seat on a deep red and rich green pillow.

After you take in the incredible place and look at the menu, you realise that the furniture wasn’t even the best part. On the menu are dozens of varieties of tea, everything form simple Green Tea to a whole Russian Tea Ceremony (yes the tea has alcohol in it lol). They even have food and desserts, like cherry stuffed dumplings. Yum! Once you’re done stuffing your face with Russian food, desserts, and tea, you can stay and chat on the comfy pillows. This place was honestly such a great, secret find and I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone!

Until then, bis bald!
-Milan :-)

Liebe Teilnehmer,

letzten Freitag war unsere StreetArt-Tour durch Friedrichshain.
Trotz einiger Regenschauer, hatten wir jede Menge Spaß. Unser Dank gilt auch unserem netten Guide, der uns mit viel Charme und Wissen durch die Straßen und Hinterhöfe Friedrichshain geführt und uns einen kleinen Einblick in die StreetArt -und UrbanArt- Kultur Berlins gegeben hat.
Anbei noch ein paar Bilder zur Erinnerung.

Euer DeutschAkademie Team

#DeutschAkademie #Kulturprogramm #DeutschLernen #MitSpaßzumErfolg #StreetArtTour #Friedrichshain

Hallo Leute!

So this week the title of the post is Seen, as in the word „lakes“ auf Deutsch, not „seen“ as in the past participle for the English word „see“. Boy, what a mess that sentence was! That is the title of today’s post because I’m going to be writing about none other than the lakes of Berlin. Of course not all of them, because we are a city ridden with lakes. But I will talk about the two (arguably depending on what part of Berlin you live in) most popular: Wannsee and Schlachtensee.

Starting with Wannsee, which I believe is the most well-known See in Berlin. Wannsee is split into two parts, Großer Wannsee und Kleiner Wannsee, both located on the Havel (a Fluss, not a See). Wannsee is widely popular and known for its Strandbad, which, did you know, is one of the largest beaches in landlocked Europe. There is actually a large nudist beach in the area as well! Now although it does cost about 5 Euros to get in, es lohnt sich! Wannsee is a beautiful lake that has options for the whole family. The shallow water near the Strand makes it perfect for kids, the water slide farther out appeals to teenagers and young adults, and the relaxing shores of north-east Wannsee are so useful for the adults that want a calm and relaxing day by the water. When you’re done taking a dip in this huge See, you can even take a trip to Pfaueninsel which is only a few minutes by ferry ride.

The second See I want to talk about is Schlachtensee. Now those of you who understand what the word „schlachten“ means, may not think that the lake offers a very appealing picture. But let me just tell you, do not judge a book by its, uh, title! This See has got to be my absolute favourite here in Berlin, although like everyone, I do love Wannsee as well. Schlachtensee is actually very close to Wannsee and one can actually travel the distance from one to the other by walking. This is of course assuming that you’re not too tired from having a swimming day to do so. Schlachtensee is definitely much smaller, and more weirdly shaped, than Wannsee, making it a bit difficult to find a sun-bathing spot on a sunny Sommer day. But it is also less popular, so the throngs of people you see heading to Wannsee on any given hot Wochenende won’t be found in Schlachtensee. This lake is quite popular amongst the younger generation, as it is near a student living area, but I’ve seen people of all ages taking a dip in the waters of the cleanest lake in Berlin!

Myself and a friend down in lovely Schlachtensee! Just watch out for the giant catfish :P

Both of these lakes are absolutely beautiful in both Sommer and Winter, and I really hope you get to visit them in day and enjoy them as much as I do! Until then, bis bald!

-Milan :-)

Hallo Leute!

So I thought I’d take the opportunity to just talk about my experience these last few months. I’ve had quite an adventure with Deutsch Akademie courses. The first month I started Deutsch Akademie, I was in Wittenbergplatz and then the next month I went all the way to Alexanderplatz, right under the Fernsehturm and now I’m back at Wittenbergplatz. Now this might seem a bit verrückt but I had good reason! You see I was trying to find out what time, method, and location worked for me (did you see what a did there? listed time method and location in the order of TeKaMoLo. ha ha ? get it? no? ok fine). You see for the first month, I did the intensive course at 15:00-18:00, or was it 15:30-18:30? hmm Ich kann mich nicht erinnern. I found that to be a good course but also quite in the middle of the day, making it imperative to plan my day around it rather than with it. The second course I did was from 18:15-21:15, because I wanted to try a night class, but I ended up disliking the time arrangement more than the first haha ! It was mainly because I hated traveling from Alexanderplatz to my home (around a forty minute journey per BVG) every night. Having to cook dinner at 22:00 on the weekdays was not very fun lol. So finally last month, I switched back to Wittenbergplatz, but now I am doing the early morning special at 8:30! At first it was annoying to get used to having to wake up at 7:00 to get to class on time, but I have to say I have since gotten used to it and even quite enjoy it. The public transport is a bit crowded due to everyone being on their way to work but I enjoy it a lot more than being on the S-Bahn when everyone was coming home from work. At least I’m one with the tired crowd begrudgingly making their way into the busier part of the city. Waking up early isn’t terrible, unless you had a late night out the day before lol but I am definitely not an early bird. And even though I find myself yawning at inappropriate times during the first half hour of my course, i have to say this option the best for me.

Now I’m not going to claim one class is better than the other for everyone, as it obviously has everything to do with personal preference. But for me, I am definitely more satisfied with my choice this month than I was with the previous months. If you’re an early bird, then go full swing for the earliest course! If you’re a night owl like me, then i definitely recommend the latest course. Or if you like something in the middle, D.A provides two other courses that can fit into your plan very well. Whatever your choice, I hope you enjoy D.A. and all that it has to offer. I know I do!

Look at all these darn alarms on my phone! Waking up early still isn’t easy lol

Until then, bis bald!

-Milan :-)