3 THINGS : weird stuff people in berlin do

after a lovely december spent here in berlin, it’s time to go back to sweden tomorrow for the holidays. no worries though since we’ve already booked our trip back in the beginning of january !

we’ve been here about 2.5 weeks now, and we’ve of course gotten a first impression of the city and its people. i did a 1 week first impression post too, talking about 3 things i love about berlin that you can read here.

every city has this – the few quirks and weirdnesses that tourists and visitors will notice and wonder over. the unique phenomenon that will make the city rememberable. you might not agree if you’ve ever been to berlin, but here are the 3 quirks i find strange and funny about berliners !

they like to hide things
whether it’s a coffee shop in an hidden alleyway, an apartment you have to find through a labyrinth of doors and courtyards, or websites that unfolds like an art project – berliners seem to have a thing for mysteries and hidden treasures. it’s not very user friendly or accessible, but it does definitely have charm. something you as a visitor will raise an eyebrow in wonder and smile at in surprise for sure.

they like to tag
and i’m not talking hashtagging on instagram or whatever – i’m talking old school graffiti tagging. everything in berlin is covered with scribbles. not just walls and fences. i mean everything from playgrounds to letter boxes, doorways to entire restaurants. this is for me probably my least favourite thing about berlin, minimalist as i am. i don’t like it at all, it messes up an otherwise beautiful city.

they have strange drinking habits
every city has its staple drink. the one thing you’ll see people drink while walking down the street. in stockholm people drink water when out and about. in london it’s hot tea. new york of course with their oversized cups of frappulatte mocchapumpkincream watery coffees. never been to tokyo but seems like matcha soft serve ice cream is the way to go. wheat grass smoothies in LA. shaved ice in taipei ? you get what i mean.

so what about berlin ?
well, here’s a weird one. the number one most common thing we’ve seen people drinking as they walk down the street or chilling on the metro is … beer. so many people stroll about with a bottle of beer in their hand, no matter what time of day it is. i don’t think i’ve ever seen as many people beer drinking on the street as i’ve done on this trip. what’s the deal with that huh ? ^^

these are the 3 strangest little fun or weird habits of berlin that we’ve noticed. but besides for the strange and quirky, some other things we’ve noticed about berliners is that the most part of them are incredibly open, friendly, helpful, and creative. i hope that i one day will be berliner enough to walk down the street with a beer in my hand, some spray paint in my back pocket, popping into my favourite hidden away alleyway café. ok maybe not exactly that much of a berliner. more the friendly, open, creative kind ^^

have you ever been to berlin ? what are the quirks that you noticed and remembers about the city ?

these photos btw are taken the other day on a bridge in lichtenberg with the most gorgeous view. it was sunny and foggy at the same time, creating a magical light that we tried to capture.
wearing sweater from ADPT.*