Berlin Art Hotel

by Neil Woodburn on

Berlin has always been an outpost of crazy art, especially during the Cold War when it was cut off from the rest of the world and artists received government subsidies to live in the western part of the city.

Today, this tradition of art continues with a very cool hotel in which every room has been uniquely designed by renowned artists.

The Arte Luise Kunsthotel is located in the heart of Berlin near the Reichstag. Rooms vary from 48 € (for a shared bath) to 175 € for a suite. Each is unique and well worth exploring before deciding upon the one you want. Frankly, a couple of them freak me out based upon the photos on the website, such as the Beneath the Red Horse room which has, you guessed it, a red horse bursting out of the wall.

For the most part, however, the rooms are very cool as you can see by the “Comic” room above.

Thanks go out to our friends over at Joystiq for discovering this gem and sharing their hipness with us.

Berlin’s Tasty Fast Food

by Neil Woodburn on

It wasn’t until the most recent of my many trips to Berlin that I finally found decent street food to fill my stomach while touring around Germany’s capital. For many years, it was bad burgers and even worst wurst.

Today, however, Berlin has exploded with tasty street stands and fast food outlets that reflect the diverse cultures which coexist in the city.

I indulged mostly in the Turkish döner kebabs and occasionally in currywurst, the local specialty, but there are a host of other culinary opportunities as well. According to the New York Times, many of these street stalls and fast food joints have actually gone upscale, dishing out fast food as tasty as that which you might find in a regular sit down restaurant. And, most importantly, it’s cheap.

For example, one of the joints highlighted in the article, W Imbiss, serves a nan-bread pizza topped with pesto for only 4 euros. Sounds pretty good to me.

Take a moment and check out the New York Times article if you’re heading to Berlin any time soon. And if you forget any of the paper’s recommendations, just follow your nose; mine served me well the last time I was in Berlin.

New Kennedy Museum in Berlin

by Neil Woodburn on

Every once in a while a particular town or location is so overwhelmingly wooed by a visiting politician that residents forever embrace the visit and adopt this “foreigner” as one of their own.

This has become the case with John F. Kennedy. Although many American presidents have visited Berlin over its turbulent history, only Kennedy has earned a special place in the hearts of Berliners. So special, in fact, that this Saturday an entire museum, The Kennedys, will be opened in the German capital dedicated entirely to the late president and his wife Jackie.

Berlin still relishes in that 1963 appearance Kennedy made to the divided city when he cried out to the massive crowd who came to hear him speak at the Wall, ”Ich bin ein Berliner” — I am a Berliner!

In honor of this great man, the new museum, according to their website, is “one of the world’s most comprehensive compilations of photographic work, official documents, private documents, and memorabilia of the Kennedy family.”

Located in Pariser Platz near the old Berlin Wall, the museum also contains personal items such as JFK’s Hermès suitcase.

Take a moment to pop in and check out the adulation which still exists over this man and his presidency. Then, walk around the corner and pay a visit to the heavily guarded, military-like fortifications of the nearby US embassy.

We’ve come a long way, baby!

Word for the Travel Wise (10/31/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Cue spooky eerie music now and crank the dry ice someone, because it’s Halloween! If you’re out trick-or-treating save some candy for me and be sure to watch out for witches, demons, goblins and ghosts. Happy Halloween everyone!

Today’s word is a German word used in Germany:

geist – ghost

You can find audio and German slang at BBC Languages, who continue to impress on the online scene. They probably have one of the BEST FREE German language guides on the net. Make no mistake in passing this one up! When it boils down to it there are several good sites to learn the Deutsch lingo. Deutsch Lernen and German for Travellers are two other good picks. First Step World offers study abroad courses in Munich and Berlin.

Past German words: vorglühen(s), krieger, bolzen, durchgeknallt, ankommen

Teutonic Surfers

by Neil Woodburn on

When I say German, tell me the first thing that pops into your mind. Is it beer? Or perhaps BMW, World War II, Adolph Hitler, engineering, or even Oktoberfest. What about surfing?

Huh?

Surfing?!?!? Are you kidding me?

Well, it may be down at the bottom of a very long list, but the Germans have now embraced surfing. Well, sort of. There are no major breaks on the North Sea or Baltic Sea, but there is one on the Eisbach, a man-made tributary running through the landlocked city of Munich.

According to the LA Times, a singular, stationary wave is formed on the river by a combination of wooden boards and concrete. Riders don’t travel down stream as they would with a normal, rolling wave, but oddly remain in the same spot as the water rushes past them.

River surfing is still far from being mainstream in Germany, but it has generated enough interest that a Munich Surf Open has been held on the river for the last six years. The event even has a corporate sponsor: Quiksilver.

The obvious conclusion for this post involves some type of lame Surf Nazi joke. But we here at Gadling are above such sophomoric humor. I think.