Berlin is a city in which people love to paint on walls…but you don’t often get a chance to see how it is done. The video is by the artist BLU, as he adds his own unique style to the Berlin cityscape. You can see more work from BLU on the website, including wall projects in Belgrade, Barcelona, Milan and Modena as well as his visits to our city.
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(Circus designer Sandra explores the weird and wonderful world of art, design and whatever else catches her eye)
Can you guess who it is? For his project “Cartoon Particles” Rainbowmonkey, aka Marcus Hofko was searching for the basic elements of classic cartoon characters. If you follow this link to the website, you can click on the different images of the elements to find out who is who.
The Rainbowmonkey is described by its creator as a personal playground for art, design and music, and there are plenty of other interesting things on the website. So take a look.
(Our resident expert on the offbeat and hidden corners of the city, Jim takes a look at some of the weird and wonderful things to see and do in Berlin)
The battle of Berlin April and May 1945 cost the Soviet army approximately 80.000 men and some 13.000 of them are buried here the third largest Soviet memorial in Berlin after Treptower Park and the Tiergarten. On the exterior wall there are about 100 bronze tablets with names of the dead soldiers and in the middle a huge obelisk which according to the fountain of all knowledge (Wiki) is 33 metres and a statue of mother Russia.
Nobody ever goes there except for me – because these hidden places are cool – and my little daughter who rather be at home playing Lego….. but if you can’t speak then it is hard cheese…the only option of protest is passive resistance, which means to fall asleep. To get to this hidden place you will need to take the S-Bahn to Schönholz and then a bit of tricky navigation to Germanen Street. From the S-Bahn station it is may be 350 meters…. But like I say it is a tricky 350 meters… It would be hidden otherwise would it?
Or take a look at this handy google map.
One of the results of the Irish pub boom around the world is the fact that regardless of where you might be, the 17th March is a party day…here at The Circus we are marking St Patrick’s Day with some good grub and a glass of the black stuff. But that’s not all we have going on both here at The Circus or elsewhere in Berlin. As usual, entertainment director Andrew has the lowdown…
This Week at Fabisch
Head over to Fabisch for lunch on Wednesday, as we honor the age-old Irish tradition of celebrating Saint Patrick’s day. With a special offer of Irish tucker wafting from the kitchen and Guinness beer loaded behind the bar, why not give it a crack! Then as evening approaches, our Wednesday Aperitif will kick in with some afterwork nibbly’s , smooth sophisticated music from DJ Frau Brex, and naturally an Aperitif!
Friday night we have a music treat like no other, ” White Noise Supremacist” will be performing from 10pm. This New York born, West African, Berlin living Songstress combines the cultural influences of American, British, and African music from all parts of the continent to create her unique and rhythmic blend of funk/soul.
Sunday night starting 9pm see’s another musical performance ” Voice & Strings“ Angelically haunting music with a touch of soul.
Around Town:
Maerzmusik – Festival of Contempory Music 2010 kicks of this week (19th bis 28th March) and continues to bring the stars of the contemporary classical world to Berlin. This years festival showcases music as an instrument for exploration, imaginative idealism and social transgression, dwelling on a theme of utopias lost and found. The performances range from Thomas Kessler’s orchestral/computer work Utopia ( Philharmonie, March 24, 20:00) to Salvatore Sciarrino’s opera Luci mie traditci directed by Rebecca Horn ( Volksbuhne, March 20, 20:00, March 21, 18:00) to the collective improvisation of the John Butcher Group in the Sonic Arts Lounge ( Volksbuhne, March 20, 22:00)
With Wednesday being St Pat’s day, in the evening, head down to mitte’s raucous and authentic ” the Oscar Wild Irish pub” for some live Celtic music and Guinness aplenty.
Also On Wednesday @ Schockoladen (21:00) – LoFi Lounge hosts Berlin’s iconic Solaris Empire label record release party for berlin based indie/folk rock/ pop band “Past and Future“.
And lastly, for the second time round, @ Schaubuehne Berlin (15/16 March, 20:00) a free adaptation for the stage of ” Berlin Alexanderplatz” the novel by Alfred Doblin – directed by Volker Losch.
(Jared continues on his mission to drink his way around Berlin’s famous and infamous watering holes.)
A Bellini is an internationally famous long drink cocktail that originated in Italy, and is a mixture of sparkling wine – traditionally Prosecco – and peach puree. It is one of the most popular cocktails in Italy, and is often served at celebrations. So when I went to check out the Bellini Lounge on Oranienburger Strasse in Berlin-Mitte, I was kind of expecting something both fizzy and fruity.
Actually the decor once inside is quite minimal, as is the lighting, although one feature that the Bellini Lounge is famous for is the giant fish tank…which is not something you see on every night out in the city. But more than the fishtank, the Bellini Lounge is well-known, and has been often written about in the media, as one of Berlin’s very best cocktail bars.
On the night I was there the music was – similar to the decor – a minimal electro mix…which was a very pleasant accompaniment to reading through the menu, an elegant publication than runs to 60-odd pages. Its starts with pre-dinner drinks, then after-dinner drinks, then alcohol-free drinks, then specialty cocktails…for which the bartenders at the Bellini Lounge have won many awards. After that there were more cocktails divided into categories, plus wine, champagne and a specialty rum section…enough choice for the most demanding drinker, but difficult to make a selection.
I choose in the end on of the award-winning cocktails, the Green Temptation. This includes butterscotch schnapps, coconut liqueur, melon and kiwi liqueur, lemon juice and passion fruit juice. The bartender built it in the glass and added some shaky shaky action to get it just right. And it was.
The Bellini Lounge is right in the heart of the main touristy area of Berlin-Mitte, but it is popular with locals and visitors alike who come for the quality and the expertise of the bartenders and the excellent range of drinks on offer.
Bellini Lounge
Oranienburger Strasse 43
10117 Berlin-Mitte
Open daily from 6pm
Bellini Lounge Website
(Click on the map for a closer look of how to get there)
Created by London-based moving image, fine arts and animation student Sergej Hein. You can read about his inspiration for the video and how he made it on the Youtube Creator’s Corner page.
Wonderful news…the winner of the Newcomer award in the 2010 German Design Prize is an old friend of ours. Elisa Strozyk won the award for her work “Wooden Textiles”, which impressed the jury for originality, as well as emotional and symbolic quality. You can find out more on the design council website (in German) or here on the ICSID website, where we found this quote from Elisa about her work: “I question everyday normality, re-interpret it, put what is familiar into a new context.”
You can see more of Elisa’s work on her website, or come by the Circus Hotel where she was responsible for the creation and installation of the photo-wallpaper and the lightboxes in Fabisch. Congratulations Elisa!
Spiegel International
- Picture This: Seal Season
- Big Budget at the Berlinale: Director Zhang Presents Hollywood, Made in China
- Greece Reaches Austerity Agreement: German Finance Minister Doubts Deal Will Be Enough
- Drilling Beneath the Surface: Poland Hopes Shale Gas Will Free It from Gazprom
- Railing against the 'Fourth Reich': Anti-German Mood Heats Up in Greece
Youth Travel and Climate Change
16. März 2010 in Berlin, Circus Hostel, Circus Hotel, Circus News, Commentary, Travel by Paul
In their industry guide, they present some interesting facts about the carbon footprint of travellers, and the research shows that a young traveller has a CO2 footprint of only 9% of a mainstream traveller. The reason, the report argues, is because youth travellers are more likely to use public transport and local accommodation, as opposed to taxis and large hotel chains.
Nevertheless, the guide has lots of interesting suggestions and advice for both travellers and the industry in general about how we can all reduce the environmental impact of our travel choices, such as renewable energy, carbon offsetting, and the promotion of sustainable travel. You can have a virtual flick through the industry guide here: Climate Change & Youth Travel.
If you would like to see what we are doing here at The Circus to make sure we reduce the impact of our activities in the hostel and hotel, take a look at the Sustainability page on our company site.