November 2011

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Thanksgiving Dinner Like Your Mum (Mom) Would Make It…

28. November 2011 in Circus Hostel, Circus News, Events, Food, Goldman's Bar by Jim

the grubLast Thursday was Thanksgiving for our cousins across the great wide pond, so The Circus Café put on a special three-course turkey dinner. Now, coming from Stockport there is not much that I know about this festival, so I had to do some research to make it as much like Mum’s (sorry, Mom’s) for our guests as possible. Some things we managed, but some others we failed…

Thanksgiving Like What Your Mum (Mom) Would Do It…

I. Your Mum(Mom) needs to be there. FAILED. But Steffi our Café Manager was on hand to serve up the dinner and she’s a Mum (Mom) <Mutter> so that was okay.

II. Eat Turkey. SUCCESS.

III. Eat Too Much Turkey. SUCCESS

IV. Drink Too Much Booze. SUCCESS (After the meal it was down to the bar for a free keg of beer to wash down all that food).

V. Have Alcohol-Fueled Arguments With Loved Ones/Family* (*delete where applicable): FAILED. Even in this era of modern communications, skype and mobile phones, because of the time difference at least one of the parties was sober.

VI. Have Left-Overs For Sandwiches The Next Morning: SUCCESS, and the reservations office loved them very much.

So as you can see, it was not a bad effort considering this was Thanksgiving planned by people brought up in Manchester (England) rather than Manchester (New Hampshire), and a great time was had by all.

Except the Turkey. Roll on Christmas.

thanks giving 2011

Multitude at the RAW Fleamarket this Sunday

25. November 2011 in Berlin, Events, Multitude by Paul

rawThis Sunday, after a two-week break, the RAW fleamarket is taking place at the former Reichsbahnausbesserungswerk near Warschauer Straße S-Bahn station in Friedrichshain. It’s a great, relatively new fleamarket, filled with all kinds of goodies and a crowd made up of students, locals and bargain hunters. This Sunday there will be a very special stall at the fleamarket, organised by friends of ours at Multitude.

Multitude is a Berlin-based NGO that focuses on refugee rights and their life in Berlin. It was founded in March 2011 and relies on the work of around 100 active volunteers. Once they arrive in Germany, refugees and other asylum seekers live in temporary accommodations, mostly on the outskirts of Berlin, as they wait for news on the asylum process, which can take months or even years. During this time they are unable to work and study, face restrictions on their freedom of movement, and need to get by on an income of around €40 a month.

Multitude’s idea is to visit and plan activities with the refugees, to help take their minds away from what can be an incredibly negative process that they have to deal with, and build a multicultural exchange between the refugees and the wider German society. The activities include German lessons, cooking and watching movies together, playing with the children, organising picnics in the park or games of basketball. To raise money to finance these activities Multitude will have their stall at the fleamarket on Sunday, which will be piled with clothes and other assorted goodies and curiosities that all come from the Circus lost and found. So if you ever stayed with us, left behind a pullover or a pair of flipflops, and never got in contact to claim them, then you can be happy that your contribution will be helping to make a small difference in the lives of people who find themselves in an extremely difficult situation.

The Multitude stall will be open from 10am to 6pm, will be staffed by Multitude volunteers, and they will be on hand  not only to sell you a bargain or two, but answer any questions you might have about the organisation.

Multitude Website
RAW Fleamarket Website
Google Maps

Festive Excitement Part II – Christmas Markets!

22. November 2011 in Berlin, Christmas Market, Events, Food, Shopping, Stuff We Like by Paul

xmasmarket

This Sunday is the first Advent as we get ever closer to THE BEST TIME OF THE YEAR. Whoop! And here in Berlin that means that many of the Christmas Markets have, despite the fact that it is closer to the middle of November than the end, already fired up the chestnut-roaster, warmed their glühwein, laid out their handicrafted nick-nacks and opened their doors. And who cares if it is early? After all, Lidl laid out their Christmas chocolate selection when people were still swimming in the Wannsee, so the Christmas Marketiers appear restrained in comparison.

So here we go, with our very own Circus Christmas Market Guide (Cee Cee Em Gee for short) to seven spots around town where you can get into the festive spirit…

So classy there’s a cover charge… Gendarmenmarkt

Yeah, okay, you have to pay. But it is only €1 and they promise that the proceeds go to the performers. At the heart of this wonderfully atmospheric market there is a stage with a variety of shows going on throughout the day, including circus skillz, live music and other treats. Plus you can of course buy all your special Christmas markets, and the food and drink selection is particularly good. Worth a hundred cents of anyone’s money.

Open Daily, from the 21st November to the 31st December
Website
Google Maps

For all you Northern souls… Lucia Weinachtsmarkt at the Kulturbrauerei

Lucia is the Nordic goddess of light, and the Christmas market at the Kulturbrauerei is a festive celebration of all things Scandinavian. You will find it in the grounds of an old brewery that has been turned into a cultural centre, just up the hill from Rosenthaler Platz, and as well as all kinds of Nordic handicrafts and culinary delights, the market also features a daily cultural programme from 8pm as well as kid’s shows on the weekends.

Open Daily, from the 21st November to the 22nd December
Website
Google Maps

Something for the weekend… Sophienstraße

Just down the street from Rosenthaler Platz, the Sophienstraße is one of Berlin-Mitte’s most picturesque streets, and so it should be no surprise that this nice little market is a personal favourite of ours.  This is, to give it it’s full name, “The Berlin Environmental and Christmas Market”, and so you can buy your ecologically conscious members of the family plenty of right-on Chrimbo presents and the Santa, bucking the Coca-Cola-inspired trend, is wearing green and not red. There are some great shops on the street as well that are well worth checking out.

Open every Saturday and Sunday for the next four weeks
Google Maps

Cross-town traffic… Spandau Altstadt

In the west of the city you will find the proud district of Spandau and its lovely historic Old Town, and for the next month you will also find Berlin’s largest Christmas Market. At the weekend there are over 400 different stalls in operation (with over half that during the week), specials for kids and families, a historic crafts market and the intriguing-sounding “Christmas Rock Concert” (Slade, anyone?) every Friday evening. Well worth the cross-town journey.

Open daily, from 25th November to the 23rd December
Website
Google Maps

Painting the town red… Rotes Rathaus

There is a Christmas Market directly on the Alexanderplatz, but a better bet is on the other side of the train tracks and past the tv tower on the large open square in front of the Red Town Hall. There you will find a lovely big wheel with great views across the city, and ice rink around the Neptune Fountain, and the usual assortment of food, drink and craft stalls… including the chance to sip on a stone mug of hot mead in the local tavern, and party like its 1299…

Open daily from 21st November to the 26th December
Google Maps

Don’t look back in anger… Nostalgia Market at the Opernpalais

Double-dose of the nostalgia this year as not only is the market – as usual – attempting the hark back to some byegone age of ye olde xmas markets, but also to twenty years ago and the first Opernpalais market that took place not long after the fall of the wall and the reunification of Germany. This is the place to come for your small wooden handicrafts, roasted chestnuts and almonds, aromatic mulled wine and all manner of sweet treats.

Open daily from 23rd November to the 26th December
Website
Google Maps

Perfect for lazy festive Sundays… Kollwitzplatz

Kollwitzplatz is a short walk from The Circus in the neighbouring district of Prenzlauer Berg, and is already a justifiably famous market spot thanks to its organic markets on Thursdays and Sundays. On the four Advent Sundays in the run-up to Christmas it gets into the festive spirit as well, bringing Christmassy treats with an ecological twist. The neighbourhood around the square is also worth exploring, with plenty of nice cafes to warm cold toes…

Open on Sundays from the 27th November to the 18th December
Website
Google Maps

Friday 25th November – Future Shorts Festival

21. November 2011 in Berlin, Events, Festivals, Film, Media, Music, Stuff We Like by Paul

futureshorts1Coming up this Friday 25th November at the Agora Collective in Neukölln is the Berlin Premiere of the international pop-up film festival FUTURE SHORTS, featuring Oscar, Bafta, Sundance and Berlinale award-winning short films.  Starting at 8pm with a drinks reception, the films will be screened from 9pm and followed by a after-party featuring sought-after Berlin DJ Juli N.

The Future Shorts Festival is the first ever global pop-up festival, showcasing the most exciting short films from around the world. The festival currently takes place in over 50 cities and 22 countries and comprises a worldwide audience of a half-million people, on and offline. Since 2003, Future Shorts’ defining format showcases a single programme of the best short films from around the world often alongside live music, DJs and art. From London to Moscow, Melbourne to Jakarta, the screenings take place across a huge network of music halls, cinemas, theatres, galleries, clubs and warehouses, providing an alternative to the traditional film festival model.

If you want to join the fun then you should know that places are limited and you can book your tickets online here.

More Info:
Facebook Page
Agora Collective

Festive Excitement Part I – VIP Christmas Bookshopping at Dialogue

15. November 2011 in Berlin, Books, Events by Paul

dialogue Our friends at Dialogue books down in Kreuzberg are already getting in the Christmas spirit, which is something I can fully appreciate as it is, after all, the very best time of the year and although I certainly would not advocate a Wizzard approach to the festivities, the nice long advent period that we have here in Germany, with Christmas Markets and all that jazz is certainly one of the best aspects about living in the city…

Sorry, where was I? Ah, yes. Dialogue.  In the run-up to Christmas the boutique English-language bookshop is running a series of Thursday evening VIP Christmas Shopping events, complete with mulled wine and mince pies, a 10% discount on all purchases, and a complimentary gift-wrapping service. Which means you can get all your presents for your book-loving friends done and dusted. If you are stuck for inspiration, the lovely Dialogue team will be on hand to advise and inspire.

There are three evenings lined up – starting this Thursday on the 17th November, and then again on the 1st and the 15th December.  Beyond their Christmas shopping events, they always have an interesting programme of literary events in English, and you can find out more on the events page of their website.

Information about the delay of the Circus Apartments

9. November 2011 in Circus Apartments, Circus News by Andreas

In German here.

As you might know, there have been some quite serious delays in the opening of the new Circus Apartments. The reasons for this lie with problems on the construction site, which meant a continual delay in the handover of the building to the owner and subsequently to us. This has reached the point now where no guarantees can be made of a final handover date for the building, and thus we cannot make a concrete announcement as to the opening date of the apartments.

This is now the third major construction or reconstruction project we have been involved with following  the hostel and hotel, and it is clear in our experiences with all three houses that problems and delays are part of the process. It is not pleasant, but our experience with the other two houses also shows that over time these problems fade into memory, and that it is more important that structures are right and that we have a basis upon which to base the next twenty years of operations than to become overly stressed about delays of weeks or even months.

Thankfully, because of the hostel and the hotel, we are able to accommodate all those who have already booked to stay with us, and until we know more we will not be taking any more bookings for the apartments. We can only apologise to those who we have inconvenienced, and we recognise we have a responsibility not only to our guests but all our partners who are involved in the apartment project, and we are extremely thankful for their understanding.

After our experiences over the past couple of months we realise now that in a situation such as this one, it is premature to confirm and communicate a date until we are completely sure that we can meet all deadlines, so we ask for patience and understanding that we will not use this opportunity to make any further announcements as to the opening. That said, the Circus Apartments will be opening its doors, and we hope to be able to do so before the end of the year.

We will keep you posted about the progress of this project, that we remain completely excited about. We are still convinced that the new apartments are going to be spectacular, and as soon as we know for sure when we can share them with you, we will let you know.

Andreas, Tilman, Andreas, Jim and Christian
The Owners of The Circus GbR

If you have any questions or need any further information, please contact the Project Manager for the Circus Apartments Katrin Schönig: schoenig@circus-berlin.de

ALFILM – Arab Film Festival Berlin

4. November 2011 in Berlin, Events, Festivals, Film by Paul

ALFILM-Logo-komplettIf you have any interest in film, you should check out the film festival that is taking place right as you read this, in a number of venues in the city including the Babylon Kino just down the road from the Circus at Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz.

The Circus is a proud supporter of ALFILM – the Arab Film Festival Berlin, which was started to provide a platform for Arabic filmmakers in Germany:

“A platform where stereotypes are confronted with original stories and images. Along to films from well known film-producing countries, ALFILM aims to discover emerging filmmakers and to access new narratives as well as interrelations and challenges. Beyond that, ALFILM offers filmmakers, producers, experts, and distributors a forum for artistic exchange, alowing further cooperation and development of new projects.”

The festival is divided into different sections, in order to showcase the diversity of themes and cinematographic directions that Arabic cinema is involved in:

“As narratives are bracing new creativity levels, more and more filmmakers expose social and political changes, and explore inner worlds and taboos. ALFILM casts such developments to provide new talents a chance to present their work; some for the first time in Europe or Germany. Moreover, the FOCUS section designates its yearly theme to a further exploration of rising issues and track parallel developments.”

Many of the films included in the programme are being shown with English subtitles, and there is such a variety there that there is surely something to catch your interest. So take some time to explore the website and take a look at what is going on.

ALFILM – The Arab Film Festival Berlin

The Return of Open Mic at Goldman’s Bar

4. November 2011 in Bars, Berlin, Circus Hostel, Circus Talks, Events, Goldman's Bar, Music by Paul

open micThis Sunday we are extremely happy to both launch and welcome back an old favourite to Goldman’s Bar. Yes, that’s right, this Sunday is the return of OPEN MIC – your chance to experience that shiver of fame and recognitions, and perhaps even applause, as you take to the Goldman’s Bar stage armed only with your talent.

The All New Goldman’s Bar Open Mic Sunday Spectacular is hosted by Aussie expat Rob Longstaff, who is extremely entertaining, and he promises a fun evening including prizes to be won for those brave enough to step up to the mic and show us what they’ve got. So forget Popstar-X-Factors-Got-Talent and all the rest, come down to Goldman’s Bar on Sunday night at 9.30pm for some great music, cold drinks and top prizes.

Rock on.

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