FU-BEST BLOG – Seite 4

Use „bike swapping“ to explore Berlin on two wheels

Lately, it feels as if Berlin is making a real effort to become a bit more bike friendly. More and more bike lanes are set up and one seems to find a sharable bike on every corner. So what better way is there to explore the city than by bike!? You defnitely get a better sense of how Berlin’s different districts are connected (in contrast to a you that is mostly living underground) and you even get a daily workout in. If you don’t have the stamina to look for your own cheap bike at a flea market (and also don’t want to go through the hassle of reselling your bike when you leave) you can use a bike swapping service that allows you to use a bike for an extended period of time, before you can get rid of it fairly easy. The big advantage of a bike swapping service in comparison to a bike sharing service is that you are actually owning the bike for the duration you are using the service. Also! Swap bikes are way more comfortable, since they are regular bikes and not funny looking space ships (which could be said about most of the sharable bikes. Of course, you can try and judge them yourself).

S w a p f i e t s

The swapping service that many people use in Berlin is Swapfiets. You can read more about their service, how it works exactly (FAQ), their bikes, and how you can sign up here. To give you a quick overview, this is how it works: you get a bike subsciription that you are able to cancel monthly. For example, you want to use your bike for three months. You sign up and then cancel your membership at the end of your second month. A monthly subscription costs 15€/month (student price, no deposit or start-up costs). Included are a fully equipped bike, a lock and a full swapping service. Swapping service means, if anything is broken or doesn’t work anymore, your bike is swapped for a new one within 24 hours. This way you always have a full functioning bike at hand.

Visit Europe’s biggest Jewish cemetery

The Jewish Cemetery in Berlin-Weißensee was set up in 1880 by Berlin’s Jewish community. It covers around 42 hectars and thereby is the biggest Jewish cemetery in Europe that is still in good condition. Since the 1970’s it is under preservation orders.

If you have a sunny afternoon to spare this is a nice place for taking a walk (it can also be very pretty during the winter months, provided that there is snow). Although you obvisouly will be wandering a graveyard, I wouldn’t classify this as a very sad place; you are rather hit by a mystical and even kind of joyful (if you can call a graveyard joyful) tranquility. Big trees portrude from the grounds and create an enchanted atmosphere for the cemetery’s visitors.

Where? Herbert-Baum-Straße 45, 13088 Berlin Weißensee
Opening Hours: Monday-Thursday 7:30am - 5pm, Friday 7:30am - 2:30pm, Sunday 8am-4pm, closed on Saturdays and Jewish public holidays.

Watch the trailer for the documentary about the cemetery here.

Living room feels at Frollein Langner

As is the case for so many of Berlin’s bar establishments – when you enter Frollein Langner for the first time, you don’t quite know if you have just stepped into your Grandma’s living room or have found a cool bar in Berlin Neukölln. Here, the latter is the case. Fun fact: next to the many cosy sofas and sofa chairs, a bath tub also belongs to the bar’s interior. However, due to the numerous comfortable seating options, we think it should be neglected. They have a good selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and even small food options (which are cooked at the place next door).

They sometimes do special events, like pub quizzes and music events. For this keep up to date on their Instagram.

Where? Weisestr. 34, 12049 Berlin, Neukölln
Opening Hours:  Monday-Friday 4pm-2am, Saturday-Sunday Noon-4am, Public Holidays 4pm-Midnight.
Facebook
Instagram

Explore Berlin’s version of the Southern Swamps

You feel like recharging your batteries and are longing for some peaceful scenery outside the city? The good thing about Berlin is that you can leave it any time and nature is just around the corner. For a day trip, we suggest the Briesetal, a landscape conservation area in the north of Berlin. The Briese is the left tributary of the Havel and, how we came to call it, Berlin’s answer to the Southern swamps.

How to get there: Take the S-Bahn (S1 or S8) to Birkenweder. From there follow the signs to the city district Briese. The hiking trail follows the river. You can walk to the end, then cross it and return on the other side. If you like to shorten your hiking tour, bridges allow you to return earlier.

Start early for the 13km long hiking trail between Birkenwerder and Zühlsdorf. For all late risers the trail to the Hubertusbrücke (or Schlagbrücke) is half the distance.

Suggestion for humus lovers: Yafo Berlin

There are, obviously, tons of places in Berlin where you can get yourself some real‘ good Humus (bad as well, I might add, but to find those places we leave up to you). This being said, at Yafo Berlin you can enjoy delicious Humus AND a very cozy environment. This certainly invites for a long and extensive humus feast. Prices lie above the usual Berlin humus price, but in return you get some top-notch quality for your money. One humus plate is probably enough for two people, if each has another main course to go with it (we learned this the hard way, struggeling to finish our own). As far as the humus dish is concerned, we highly (!) recommend their „Yafo über alles“: Humus garnished with slow roasted cauliflower, matbucha, zchug and tahini.

Where? Gormannstraße 17B,10119 Berlin.
Opening Hours: Monday-Sunday Noon - 3am.
Facebook
Instagram

How to handle reverse culture shock

Wether you are reading this as a future or current FU-BESTer – in your preparations for your stay abroad, you have probably thought about culture shock in one way or another. This being said, have you also heard of reverse culture shock? Similar to culture shock, it is the feeling of not belonging – only this time, once you return home. Whilst you have gained new knowledge and new experiences abroad, your home has remained the same, which can lead to you feeling bored, helpless, secluded, lonely, etc. We have searched the internet for some useful information and tips on how to prevent or combat reverse culture shock. We have also asked previous FU-BESTers on how they handle reverse culture shock, so that we can share some first hand experience with you.

When we asked former FU-BESTers for their experience with reverse culture shock, what we noticed is that many tips revolve around activities that encourage you to dive back into the culture you fell in love with. For instance, watching movies in German, seizing every opportunity to speak German, eating all the foods you enjoyed whilst staying abroad and so on and so forth. Based on these voices, we have put together the following compilation of online articles that we consider most useful:

The Abroad Guide: How to deal with reverse culture shock after studying abroad

College Tourist: 7 Ways to Cope with Re-Entry Shock

Intentional Expat: 5 Tips from an Expat Therapist for Coping with Reverse Culture Shock

GoOverseas: Dealing with Post Study Abroad Depression

We also recommend Episode 51 of “The Thoughtful Travelpodcast”. Listen to host Amanda Kendle talk about her own experience and share her thoughts with her three guests Cait Flanders, who was hit by reverse culture shock after taking a two months road trip, Mike Campell, who considers his reverse culture shock experience to be life changing and Matt Treglia, who, after life abroad, has found it difficult to readjust to his life back home. Also available on Spotify.

Tips on how you might be able to leave your international bubble

Get off social media once in a while

Of course, it is important to stay connected to your family and friends, because they are curious about your life abroad and also want to make sure that you are okay. The good thing about social media is that we are so connected, sometimes we don’t even notice that we are away from our loved ones. This being said, when it takes us away from our life abroad too much, it can also become a problem. So, instead of liking pictures of the family dog every 5 seconds or be on a constant chat with your best friend at home, try to live more in the moment of your abroad experience.

Join local sports classes

Sports is an excellent way to connect with all different sorts of people. The best way to get to know people fast are team sports, because you have to interact so much. The wide selection of sports classes that Freie Universität offers is a quick and comparatively cheap option to get active and meet fellow students from all different sorts of study fields. You do not have to rely on Freie Universität alone, but can also check out university sports classes at Humboldt Universität or Technische Universität Berlin. Another possibility is to take part in the numerous university sports events that are offered regularly by Freie Universität Berlin.

Go to a bar event

In a bar, it is obviously more likely to get to know people outside your „abroad cluster“, when you and your friends do not close yourselves off and reminisce about the great weekend you just had two weeks ago. To avoid the tendency of being exclusive, what about trying out a bar event, like a pub quiz or bingo night, which are generally more inclusive and you tend to get to know people more quickly. We recommend to check your favorite bar for events.

Or check out:

Bar Madame Claude (Kreuzberg), Lübbener Str. 19, 10997 Berlin – every Wednesday – no entry fee – Music Quiz “Guess the Song” (advantage: advanced German skills are not necessarily required). For updated program dates see their bar calendar.
Irish Pub Celtic Cottage (Steglitz), Markelstr. 13, 12163 Berlin – every Monday – 1€ entry fee – Irish Pub Quiz.
Bar Interface (Moabit), Perleberger Str. 17, 10559 Berlin – changing events.

Use meet up groups

Our modern world fortunately gives us the opportunity to connect with all different sorts of people with minimum effort and time constraints. In order to find likeminded people for all different sorts of activities and interests, you can take advantage of meet up groups that you can find online. What about joining a “Speak German while chilling in Berlin group” for instance?

Join a tandem

An easy way to improve your German and meet Germans at the same time is to join a tandem. The idea of a tandem is to meet with a German native speaker, preferably, at least once or twice a week. In casual conversations you both get the opportunity to practice the respective language. It is also a perfect way to leave the international bubble and maybe make a German lifelong friend.

Volunteer

Volunteering is a wonderful way to meet new people, practice your German, and provide help to those in need. Obviously it is also a commitment and people will be depending on you so you should make sure that you have at least two hours per week that you can dedicate to volunteer work.

Try couch surfing

Couch surfing has become way more than just a cheap way to travel. The couch surfing community understands itself as an open and vibrant travel community, where everyone is able to learn from each other and dive deep into the culture of their hosts. The idea of couch surfing is that instead of using hotels, hostels, etc. when travelling, coach surfers look for locals who offer their couch/spare bed room for one or two nights and at best, have time to spend some time with their guests to show them around the city or join them for dinner, etc.

Of course, leaving your bubble requires an active part on your side. For sure, this is not always easy or convinient, but certainly pays off at the end.

Share a meal at La Lucha

Let us start by saying that it is probably a good idea to reserve a table at La Lucha, as it seems to get extremely busy. The high demand is justified though, as La Lucha adds a very interesting and, more importantly, very delicious twist to Mexican staples.

Large corn tortilla with baby corn, baby zucchini, shimeji mushrooms and chilie poblano

What seems to become a trend right now – La Lucha orientates itself toward authentic flavors, but takes them up a notch. For example, what would you say about ‚blue corn tortilla with smoked ricotta, melted gouda, crispy parmesan and figs‘? We’d say „yes, please!!“ Modern cuisine might often have the problem that it wants to be too modern, too pretty and too visual and then forgets all about the flavour. As far as we are concerned, this certainly is not the problem here. The food tastes as good as it looks, if not better.

Guacamole; Tacos with miso glazed sweet potato, cucumber & celery salsa fresca, peanuts and habanero; Blue corn tortilla with smoked ricotta, melted gouda, crispy parmesan and figs

We also especially like the restaurant’s belief in sharing food. To encourage this, every order is served as soon as it is ready, without a schedule in mind. We thus recommend to order a bunch of smaller meals and then share everything once it is on the table (have we mentioned the blue tortillas!? Because they are amazing).

In Spanish, La Lucha means “the struggle.” Mexicans are passionate and hard working people, and they use the term La Lucha in a positive way, to refer to their drive to achieve what they believe in. We share the drive and passion of the Mexican people, and strive everyday to bring you an honest, delicious and authentic Mexican experience. La Lucha is our struggle to bring Berlin a taste of the real Mexico.

Where? Paul-Lincke-Ufer 39–41, 10999 Berlin.
Opening Hours: Sunday – Thursday, 6pm – 10pm, Friday & Saturday
6pm - 11pm

Feel like a royal at Schloss Glienicke

Berlin is not only great, because of its bustling city center, but there are also numerous scenic day trip options, many only a short S-Bahn journey away.

What about starting your exploration of Berlin’s surrounding area at the royal grounds of Schloss Glienicke, for example? Standing on the castle’s premises, you might feel a bit as if you were transported into an Italian movie set. And not without reason – in 1823, when Prince Carl von Preußen returned from his trip to Italy, he was fascinated by the Italian culture and architecture and therefore fulfilled his dream of an Italian replica of the buildings that he had seen in Italy. The castle with its mediterranean character became his summer home. What remains today is the castle, a „casino“, an orangerie, a big lion fountain and the royal garden.

Once you’re done strolling around the royal premises and you still feel like walking, you can take the path close by that leads you along the Havel up to the Pfaueninsel and the Wannsee. For some food and refreshments, you might like to take a little pit stop at the restaurant „Wirtshaus Moorlake“ which is situated along the way.

Illustrations by artist Christoph Niemann at the S-Bahn underpass ‚Wannsee‘

Where? Schloss Glienicke, Königstraße 36, 14109 Berlin  (you can take the S-Bahn to "Wannsee" and then continue with the bus 316 for a 12 minute ride to "Schloss Glienicke").
Opening Hours: The premises can be visited all year round. If you also like to see the inside of the castle, opening hours are as follows:
January - February: Closed
March: Open Saturday-Sunday, 10am-4pm
April - October: Open Tuesday - Sunday 10am-5:30pm
November - December: Open Saturday-Sunday, 10am-4pm
Admission:  6€ (5€ reduced) for the castle

Discover a new spin on Vietnamese food at Con Tho in Kreuzberg

Right opposite the Volkspark Hasenheide (*rabbit-heath*) in Kreuzberg, you find the restaurant Con Tho, which is Vietnamese for rabbit. Coincidence? We don’t think so. If you like Vietnamese food, but are a bit bored of the same old standard menu, Con Tho offers a different take on the typical Vietnamese cuisine. It’s a fusion of local ingredients and typical Vietnamese staples. Appetizers are sorted by small and medium dishes (recommendable are the black rolls or the in coconut water simmered tofu with garlic-mayonnaise sauce). For the main course you need to decide between Com Tam (different rice dishes served in a hot stone bowl), Banh Xeo (different variations of a riceflower crepe) and a Hue Bowl (different interpretations of lemongrass soup). Also recommendable are their own creations of lemonade and tea. As far as we are concerned, it’s almost impossible to make a choice that you’ll regret. Seating situation in the warmer months is perfect due to the nice outside terrace. As long as temperature is on the chilly side, you’ll find a cosy spot inside between bamboo sticks and big lampions. Consider making a reservation, if you come to prime time dinner times (8pm onwards), because it gets crowded quickly.

Where? Hasenheide 16, Berlin, Germany 10967
Opening Hours: Mon&Wed-Sun 12-22PM / Tuesday closed 
Instagram