The Top 10 Things Berliners Are Irrationally Passionate About

While Berlin has evolve rapidly over the last few years – thanks to an influx of millennials , expats , young families , etc . – there are some thing that will never change , thanks to the fervid spirit of our impassioned locals . Being such a bounteous and alternate hotspot , Berlin is a bit eldritch in ecumenical , but when it come to the following 10 things , " irrationally passionate " only begins to describe how we find .

Club-Mate

Its appreciation has been compared to a strong mixture of soggy cigarettes butts and horse cavalry pee , but Berliners still do it their Club - Mate . And you wo n’t find this intermixture so readily stocked at cafés , public lavatory shop , and nightclubs anywhere elsebutin Berlin . In our defense lawyers , it does make the gross 3AM techno dancing party perk - up ( more caffeine than Coke , but half the sugar and calorie ! ) .

Berghain

Some will say you Berghain is a religious experience – the black industrial nightclub is constantly called the “ church , ” and it definitely has a devout following who worship there on Sundays . And although visit a clubhouse a " church building " that ’s famous for sexuality , drug , and techno might go a act blasphemous , all you have to do is ask the politics for uncloudedness . Berlin ’s court recently ruled the Berghain as a mellow culture and artistic landmark , giving it the same self-respecting rank and file as theater and museums .

Discarded free stuff

hoi polloi here love to recycle , especially giving unwanted items a fresh life by leave them on the street . But the feel of gift can also go overboard , for exercise the Facebook groupFree Your Stuff Berlin . With over 86,000 members , competition is fierce and people drop hour clicking “ refresh ” , trolling situation , and battling wrist spasm all for an IKEA house plant life . Sometimes there is really proficient stuff , like newish furniture – but you ’re also likely to come across old house shoe and used underwear .

Other people’s old stuff

Berliner do n’t want to sit in gorgeously decorated , slickly plan drinking dens . They want a barroom thrown together from uneven flea market piece of furniture , peeling wallpaper , and rickety tables overlay in candle wax . For another case , look atHumana . You ’d call back this popular range of second - mitt shop is the variety of position you ’d only store for an ' eighty base party . However , bulge into one and you ’ll be genuinely surprised at many tracksuits , unfashionable pumps , and tassled workforce ’s shirts there are for rather high price .

Getting upset when someone takes a photo in a bar

Germans are crazy about concealment to commence with ( the NSA also did n’t help oneself ) , but the Capital goes to cracking lengths to keep its Earth - famous nightlife on the down - low ( read : off of Facebook ) . Most political party establishments have a rigid “ no photos ” policy . In even the most laid back of watering trap , you might get a unappeasable talking to from a barkeep or expression of disgust from the business . In some clubs , you ’ll even get stickers placed on your phone camera . Do n’t eventhinkabout documenting that “ unforgettable night ” .

Bikes

Berliner are known for riding their bicycle in highly unsavory condition : rain , snow , the morning after clubbing . But most of the time , it ’s fantastically commodious and crummy , so why would n’t we love it ? We also have over 620 kilometre ( 390 miles ) of bike paths throughout the city and around 500,000 daily passenger . Suffice to say , biking is life .

The weather

When summertime ends , you ’d think it was the German apocalypse . Then , sometime around December , local anesthetic grow into seasonally depressed , fury - filled fruitcake , bark about the temperature and conducting themselves in an gawky fashion that can only be described as the antithesis of Christmas sunshine . Winter sucks in Berlin ( and summers are the best ) , but there are silver linings : Christmas markets , candlelit bars , and tender , sweaty techno baseball club to make you forget how unforgiving and cold it is outside .

Eating really, really healthy

The city is bursting at the seams with organic shop class andhealthy restaurantsthat are vegetarian , vegan , sportsmanlike - feeding , gluten - detached , well , you get it . the great unwashed are exceedingly conscious about where their solid food fall from … but then they ’ll roll 10 coffin nail a day and remain up ' til 7 am on weekends .

Hating on gentrification

Some of our people jazz to plain about tourist , migrant flower child , luxury condos , and mouse - up grocery Price . But they ’re the same the great unwashed who reap gentrification rewards , like coolheaded cafés , marque - unexampled restaurants , and erstwhile neighborhoods transform from barren to buzzing .

Football (aka soccer)

football game is a local phenomenon , and there ’s a monumental bandwagon that citizenry – sports fan or not – will jump on come competition metre . It ’s ostensibly an excuse to sit around around all twenty-four hours in the sun ( saving table ) , booze beer , and bellowing about how the German squad is eclipse . And chanting . So much tone .

Berliners are irrationally passionate about