What Do You Know About Berliners? Tell us and win a free book!
by James Glazebrook
If you’re a fan of this blog, you’ll know that we recently launched our first book, What I Know About Germans: 101 Observations. Well, if you haven’t bought a copy yet, here’s your chance to win one – by telling us what you know about Berliners.
We’ve already written about how Germans stare, love their dogs and are refreshingly comfortable about nudity, but what makes Berliners special? According to our article You know you’re a Berliner when…, daily acts of crazy, lost weekends and regular Berlinergasms are signs that you belong here, but what about the people who were born and raised in the Hauptstadt? How are Berliners different to people from the rest of Germany?
We’d love to hear from you, and in return we’re giving away a copy of the beautiful print version of What I Know About Germans – plus one of these awesome überlin tote bags! Scroll down to find out how to win.
HOW TO WIN A “WHAT I KNOW ABOUT GERMANS” BOOK PLUS AN ÜBERLIN TOTE BAG:
Just answer this question in the comments below:
What Do YOU Know About Berliners?
You have until 6pm on Sunday 8th December. Good luck!
The Boring Bit (yawn, RULES):
1. You must be at least 18 years old to enter.
2. ONE ENTRY PER PERSON!
3. Our favourite comment wins. It’s that simple.
4. We will announced the winners via our Facebook page on Monday 9th December.
You know you’re a Berliner when you just take pride in the words “ICH BIN EIN BERLINER”, when you cry listening “The Wing Of Change”, when your daily dream is a dream of FREIHEIT and you know that your life’s slogan is:
BERLINER!
„Alle freien Menschen, wo immer sie leben mögen, sind Bürger Berlins, und deshalb bin ich als freier Mensch stolz darauf, sagen zu können ‚Ich bin ein Berliner‘!“ ( Zitat aus der Rede von John F. Kennedy am 26. Juni 1963 vor dem Rathaus Schöneberg in Berlin)
Wünsche Euch Guten Tag
Berliners never walk the steps of an escalator, no matter how slow it’s ascending/ descending. Even if it means they will be too late for the next U-bahn.
Berliners are extremely tasty german doughnuts. Filled with delicious jelly and covered in powder sugar. They are typically best fresh and still warm but a few hours old and room temperature is fine. I would also say they are messy and not something to eat right before an important work meeting or a big presentation, however they are perfect to eat while riding your bike through Potsdamerplatz or while taking the U-Bahn to Alexanderplatz.
berliners are friendly, curious, youthful, and kind: every time i am there, i notice kindness, the absolute hilarity of strangers, the willingness to be open, and the togetherness of its inhabitants with the world and people around them.
Berliners stare out the train every day on their daily commute looking like they want to kill themselves.
I think Berliners look in their closets and find a black hole of black clothing. Look down the street, and if someone’s wearing colours, they’re a tourist.
Berliners. Let’s start with a cigarette, because that’s usually how it goes. Combined with a beer of non-German origin, because at least then, we’ve got bases covered. Despite having lived there, I’d never mention being from America, because they already know and are not in the least interested. I won’t talk about music, because they already know more than I do. Same goes with film… and theater… and opera. I’ve seen more nude men on stages in Berlin than I have in my bed. And that’s saying something. Come to think of it (and I have many a time), the same applies to women in Berlin. I can think of no city on earth where even in the social media era, one can entirely remake oneself and experience a reality concomitantly fully real and fully existing within a world of complete fantasy. Perhaps Tokyo. But Berlin is always and only itself, one of the few places on earth describable only by “you’d have to be there.”
Berliners know how to fix the potholes on the roads, Munichers transform the potholes into a lake and then nearby they build a castle
I love Berliners, because of their cheap clothes. They’ve got such a cool casual look but unfortunately their English is not that good. I would stay if Berlin would be more like New York. I miss pastrami sandwiches!!!!!
You should try this place – amazing pastrami sandwiches! http://www.maedchenschule.org/en/gastronomy/deli.html
Berliners are very district oriented, they stay mostly in one district all their life long, which is reflected in their personality, certain attitude and behaviour. There are some of them that never leave their outside-the-ring-Bahn districts and have not even seen Brandenburger Tor. There are still some Berliners which would not leave the East side, having the old West side picture in their minds., and vice versa.
berliners: the vegan germans
Berliners: lovely people, but seriously, could they just lay off the cigarettes? They still seem to be labouring under the illusion that smoking is somehow cool…
Berliners talk A LOT with themselves .
Everywhere I go there are people busy in a long monologue. I started thinking that maybe one day I will do it too. Can’t wait!
Dit is ma schnuppe!
Berliners have at least one asian friend (usually an “artist”)
Berliners ≠ Germans (!!!)
Berliners are always late !
That they like their coffee shops in cemeteries.
I don’ t know nothing about Berliners, because they don´t speak to strangers.
Berliner = Best electronic music lovers
What I’ve learned about Berliners during my two years in Berlin (except of the fact that Berlin is more “Ost” than “West”) ?
A real Berliner eats Schrippe and speaks berlinerisch. “Dit darf doch allet nich wahr sein !” “Det is mir schnuppe” “Dit kannste gleichma wieda knicken”. This is so poetic; don’t you think ?
That’s what I miss since I only speak ‘Hochdeutsch” in my Institut Goethe in France ;(
I was just thinking about East and West too. I don’t know many native berliners, i must admit, but east berliners look so very different from the west ones!
They *look* different? Explain!
Not really a matter of appearance, I used the wrong verb. The few native east berliners I know look like they don’t give a fuck about Berlin being the coolest city in Europe. Not only they don’t care, actually, but I have the impression some of them have been left behind. They’re too young to feel “Ostalgia” but at the same time the city – and the idea of it – has become something so much bigger than them and so far from every principle they were probably educated with. But again, my experience is limited, maybe I might be saying bullshit!
Ah, this makes total sense. I wonder if young Wessies feel just as alienated?