Berlin is full of surprises. It has the talent to attract the most naughty, creative, free people. And that – of course – gives rise to a very peculiar life style. For some just arriving in town things might seem a little odd sometimes. And this is one of Berlin’s best sides. To warm you up the Amstel House made a list of things that often provoke “WHAT!?!; “REALLY?” kind of reactions. 10 reasons why Berlin is so weird – and fun!
1- People wake up at 3 o’ clock on a Sunday morning to go out dancing
It is with the sunrise that most clubs in most places play their last song. Not here. Berlin’s favorite clubbing venues keep the best of the lineup to sunday’s early hours. And the real fans of the local night – besides spending less time in line – arrive fresh and in time for the best of the it.
2- Dogs are highly educated
Berlin loves animals. And this is not only perceptible in the immense vegetarian & vegan scene that populates the city. Dogs are welcome pretty much everywhere. And they behave like nowhere else. Whether accompanying the owner at a bar table, waiting impatiently for him at the supermarket door or taking a ride on the subway, man’s best friends here impress for the education and coolness.
3- Half of the population comes from somewhere else
Berlin is a center of “expatriates”. It can take hours of an insisting walking search until you find the first Ur-Berliner (the so called original ones). Only 48% of the population were actully born and reased here; 17% comes from foreign nationalities (190 different countries) and the rest comes from other German cities.
4- Most places don’t except credit car
The world has changed and with it the way we market. In most big cities around the world people pin even to buy cigarettes. In Berlin, however, most restaurants, bars and clubs accept cash only.
5- Berliners add curry to their catchup
And use it as sauce for sausage. Berlin’s most traditional dish (the curry wurst) is, for real fans of catchup, something difficult to understand.
6- Costumes are also clothes
As you can see in the picture above, there is no censorship in the local fashion. Whether dressed as bear, BDSM or just completely naked (as one can see during summer around parks): the choice is all yours.
7- People have time
Berlin locals are not really into full time jobs. And as the cost of living is low people can actually manage to pay their bills with a 30 hours / week job. The result? Much time to meet friends, have long walks, drink coffee, enjoy life.
8- Some places look alien
As we wrote about on a recent post on lost places in Berlin, there are some location in the city that are just surreal. Swimming complexes, amusement parks, espionage stations: abandoned places that seem to belong to another world.
9- The clubs door policy are like no other
Berlin’s club have a worldwide fame not only for their amazing venues and lineups, but for their door policies as well. To make sure you get into clubs around here there is a very peculiar guideline to follow. Some people can’t even believe the amount and strange tips they get on it. Check it out here.
10- Berlin is a place where one can actually find a punk dancing on a tango ball
No stereotypes, no easy definitions, no barriers of identity. Here people do what they want without having to fit into a box.
