One of the reasons why I am attracted so much to that city is what is called „Bewegungsfreiheit“ (freedom of movement). Which reminds me that „Bewengungsfreiheit“ is the moto of the newly established Tempelhofer park. With an area of almost four square kilometers it holds the tittle of the biggest park in continental Europe. Basically, it’s not much more than a wide-open space with some designated grill areas and these amazing airport buildings on its northern west corner. These extremely interesting buildings, however, still remain closed for the public.

Tempelhof airport used to be one the city’s three airport until its closure in 2008. It was originally built on 1923 but was reconstructed in 1930 and a had a prominent role for German and allies during and after world war II. Its closure, on October 30 2008, was decided after several disputes, legal actions and a failed referendum to keep it open…Berlin lost an inner city airport (historically  Tempelhof has been the world’s first airport with an underground train station) but gained a soon-to-be fantastic park where its citizens can enjoy a wide variety of activities such as biking, running, open air festivals, exhibitions etc.

According to the airport relocation project, by 2012 the new Berlin airport in Schönefeld will be ready and by 2017 the Tempelhofer park will be totally redeveloped.

Until then, enjoy the atmosphere from a Richie Hawtin live in Tempelhof:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ-0psL-cnM&feature=related

Today, was one of these days that you want to go out and wandering around instead of
having to write a test in your German course…It was a sunny, bright day that
resembled much more to early spring than mid winter. Berlin looked as if it was
a different city: the buildings, the parks, even the streets look different
when lighted generously by the sun.

Suddenly, everybody’s mood is changing and one can observe that people around look
happier and more optimistic. Those sunny-breaks in the middle of winter are
charging our mental batteries, helping us to cope with the rest of the hard
winter. It is so strange but also so obvious the effect that weather has on
most human’s behavior. If it could only stay that way for more!

For today, I picked a video from a recent live in Berlin. A “must see”:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQqBVTwT0Jw

Some of the most fascinating live gigs take place in Berlin. Groups and artists from all over the world representing a huge variety of musical styles come at least once in Berlin in order to perform in front of the Berliner audience. The city has a long tradition in hosting some of the most famous groups / singers in the world…

In Berlin, one can find at least one gig -some times much more- per day ranging from experimental electro-punk to philharmonic sessions. So, instead of just sit on your couch and watch sitcoms I would suggest to go out and find your favorite live performance! And who knows, you might find an interesting opportunity to practice your German language skills…

Zu guter letzt, for those who are interested in more experimental stuff, the 2011 Transmediale starts on 1 February. More information at http://www.clubtransmediale.de/.

And finally, a small taste of Berlin’s underground scene:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tee1bQbHu1o&feature=related

German learning is not only about grammar, syntax and vocabulary. It’s something more, especially here in Berlin.

It’s more about understanding a way of thinking, where structure is important but not in a restrictive way. It’s rather about engineering ideas out of words. It is about respecting uniqueness and realising that national identity is important but in a synthetic rather than a separatist way.

Living in Berlin is a privilege on its own. It is a capital city with almost 3,5 million people population, limitless cultural and entertainment possibilities and an international flair. Galleries and museums are widely dispersed in almost all of Berlin’s areas also known as “Bezirke”. It is like experiencing a perpetual cultural overdose.

But far most important from all the aforementioned data is the feeling one gets when living in Berlin…it feels like home…

Deutsch Akademie is in a way Berlin’s miniature, with people from so many countries and with so diverse backgrounds. Finally, all one have to do in order to learn German, is just being open-minded, ready to learn through daily interaction with people and absorb as many experiences as possible…

At the end of my daily entries I decided to link a video that reminds me of Berlin. So, for today let’s just “enjoy the silence”…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_Dg5sMui0Y

Write to you soon…