Commentary

You are currently browsing the archive for the Commentary category.

Art in Berlin: The Next Generation at The Circus

8. Juli 2011 in Art, Circus Hotel, Commentary, Stuff We Like by Jim

madelaineAs many of you know there is an extreme vibrant art scene in Berlin with lots of little galleries around the Circus Hotel and spreading up the Brunnen Strasse at break neck speed. It feels like there is a new one opening every week. This artistic energy was not lost on Madeline from California who quite nonchalantly knocked out this masterpiece for the reception while waiting for Mum and Dad to get their act together before they set of for a schnitzel at Berlins longest running beer garden Prater.

As you can see in the piece there are several figures all noticeably without arms representing the past where East and West Berliners due to political reason were unable to reach out and embrace each other. Also striking is the choice of green representing the militaristic build-up which was a feature of the cold war or perhaps an indication that East and West Berlin were never actually officially part of the GDR (East Germany) or BRD (West Germany), but were under the command of the four victorious allied armies. What is however quite unmistakable is Madeline’s signature, bright colourful, strong….the next generation…. Madeline had a wonderful time in Berlin and in Europe and hopes to come back soon.

jims artwork

A Word of Solidarity and Support

21. Februar 2011 in Circus News, Commentary by Andreas

Andreas_Egypt_1For weeks a wave of people from all parts of society, of all ages, genders and religions, have been taking to the streets of Cairo, Tunis, Bengasi, Manama and elsewhere to fight – mainly peacefully, and despite partly violent provocations and crackdowns – for their basic human rights. The struggle is against corruption, misuse of state power, religious and gender discrimination, poverty, and against a lack of transparency and shared power in their societies.

These are the existential rights which we, the people at the Circus and our guests from all over the world, enjoy, and – coming from the city which both erected and brought down the wall – we are extremely impressed and moved by your courage and determination.

Even if our European governments are careful and at times skeptical, partly because of being in bed with your dictators and authoritarian rulers for far too long, and partly because of a fear of “instability” or “waves of refugees”, we – although understanding the origins of these thoughts – would like to make something clear: We do not share these fears, and trust in the power of democracy that has changed this country too.

We hope – and some of us might even pray :-) – that you are successful in your battle, and would like to say wholeheartedly that we are at your side.

Andreas Becker

One Year of the Circus Blog

15. Dezember 2010 in Art, Bars, Beer, Berlin, Circus Hostel, Circus Hotel, Circus News, Commentary, Design, Fabisch, Football, Goldman's Bar, Hidden Places, Nepal Project by Paul

happy_birthday

On the 15th December 2009 we launched the Circus Blog, and the last twelve months have certainly been exciting at the Circus. In the finest traditions of those end of year “best of” lists that are currently filling magazines and television programmes, here are some of our favourite moments at the Circus over the past year and on the Circus blog.

In January we closed down the Circus Hostel for the best part of three months as we made a complete renovation of the building in time for the re-opening at Easter. Alongside the new design features, infrastructure improvements, and the funky new facade, we also put together some new services for  Circus guests to help them explore Berlin, such as Jimbo’s Cheap Man’s Bus Tour, the Cwiki guide to Berlin complied by the Circus team, and the Urban Wanderer DIY Walking Tours.

It was also a busy year over at the Circus Hotel. We built a new library for Fabisch, launched the Circus Hotel Magazine, hosted a press conference for the Sparkasse Tourism Barometer, and installed some funky works of light art in the hallways, and in the courtyard. Talking of art, the Temporäre Kunstbox hosted its first exhibitions and happenings, whilst Sandra kept the blog supplied with “Stuff we like” around Berlin and beyond.

What else? Andreas left us for three months to travel through Southern Africa, sending back his impressions and reports from the 2010 World Cup before travelling on from South Africa to Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia. Jared kept us refreshed with his guide to best places to sip a cocktail in Berlin and beers on the road, whilst Jim headed to the hidden corners of Berlin, giving us all inspiration for exploration off the beaten track.

Along the way we went to a football game in Pankow, the boot record was broken in Goldman’s Bar, we held a fundraiser for children’s homes in Nepal, Konny got married, Tommy was born, we learned to juggle in the finest Circus traditions, an old friend won an important prize, and the Circus football team did us proud.

What a year, with a lot of fun and hard work along the way. Thanks to everyone in the Circus team for a fantastic 2010, and to everyone who has been following the Circus blog either here or on our facebook page.

Here’s to another great twelve months!

Paul

Youth Travel and Climate Change

16. März 2010 in Berlin, Circus Hostel, Circus Hotel, Circus News, Commentary, Travel by Paul

dubaiLast week our Hotel Manager Katrin Schönig went to the ITB here in Berlin, which is one  of the largest and most important tourism fairs in the world. As well as meeting some old friends from the European hostel scene, and checking out some different seminars about the future of budget travel and tourism and general, she brought back some interesting information about the impact of youth travel on the environment, which was collected together by the guys at WYSE – the World Youth Student and Educational Travel Confederation.

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.

Neue Mehrwertsteuer auf Übernachtungen

23. Dezember 2009 in Berlin, Circus Hostel, Circus Hotel, Circus News, Commentary by Andreas | 3 comments

New VAT Rates for Overnight Accommodation – English version of this article

Am 18. Dezember hat der deutsche Bundesrat dem „Wachstumsbeschleunigungsgesetz“ der Regierung zugestimmt. Der Hotelmarkt ist davon direkt betroffen dergestalt, dass ab dem 01.01.2010 nur noch 7% statt der bisher geltenden 19 % auf Übernachtungsleistungen erhoben werden. Diese Reduktion ist in ihrer Höhe signifikant und bleibt natürlich auch auf den Circus nicht ohne Auswirkung. Eine Frage, die ab jetzt wahrscheinlich häufig gestellt wird: geht Ihr mit Euren Preisen runter? Die Antwort ist: nein, das tun wir nicht – allerdings möchten wir an dieser Stelle erklären, warum nicht. Read the rest of this entry »