Quench
Berlin: A city of culture
By Bec Storey and Amy Harrison
Architecture
The architecture of Berlin is extremely varied. Many of the great buildings were built by Schinkel, one of Germany’s finest architects. Much of the recent architecture has been designed through competitions open to the public such as The Memorial for The Murdered Jews in Europe and the Reichstag dome. Such initiatives are intended to place the future of Berlin in the hands of its people.
Berliner Dome
There is normally a charge to enter the Berliner Dome, this is worth it to enjoy the building’s interior. Check the service times and sneak in as a member of the congregation.
Coffee Culture
Like many other European cities the coffee culture of Berlin is growing fast. What may seem an unimpressive shop front with darkened windows often unfolds into a room filled with tables with amazing frescos and wall paintings.
The drink to drink is the Latte Macchiatto served in all tall glass with a biscuit. With your drink in hand you can sit back and enjoy the ambience. A good place to start would be near the Kupfergraben Market in Cafe C.
Deutsche Staatsoper
The German State Opera House, built in 1742 by Von Knobelsdorff, hosts a variety of operas throughout the year. Students can get tickets for just 8 Euros.
Graffiti
Every corner you turn in Berlin you are faced with walls of graffiti. It really is hard to escape from the street art, especially in the East. Some of the designs are scruffy and raw, whilst others are beautiful and incredibly detailed.
Kupfergraben
This is a great little flea market round the corner from the Pergamon Museum. Here you can pick up records, bric-a-brac and cheap amber and silver jewellery.
Pergamon Museum
Home to many artefacts from the civilisation of Pergamon, including a giant altar from the temple in Pergamon and the Gates of Babylon. The Museum is open Tuesday-Sunday 10am til 6pm.
The Reichstag
After the unstable history of German politics, the Reichstag has become the iconic symbol for democracy in Germany. The new glass dome is transparent as a symbol of the open democracy. The idea being that nothing can be hidden through glass. Members of the public can walk around the gallery of the dome and look down on the politicians inside, this places the public over parliament.
Restaurants
Berlin has some fantastic restaurants. The slow service encourages you to sit back and relax and enjoy your Wein or Bier. A good traditional restaurant is Jules Verne with amazing chefs and fine wine.
Tiergarten
Berlin is covered with parks. The Tiergarten was where the Hohernzollern Princes would hunt for deer and boars. It is a beautiful place to escape from the city’s hustle and bustle.
The Zoo
With African and Indian elephants, giant pandas and rhinoceroses, Berlin’s famous zoo may be worth checking out. The zoo is spread over 86 acres of parkland and is the oldest zoo in Germany.
This Week
Latest Edition
Sunshine
Dir: Danny Boyle, Starring: Cillian Murphy, Rose Bryne, Chris Evans
Mr Hudson Vs Sway - Ask the DJ re-mix
This collaboration works. Sway’s tight-fitting rapping about charity, football and his rise to success all work with the intermittent Mr Hudson lyrics. The two musical styles merge well together, as the remix is underpinned by the backing of the original song, which is invigorated by Sway’s lyrics.
K-Day
Fashion Desk takes on the crowds in Queen Street to battle it out for a piece of the most over-hyped collection of the year
Food & drink in the city
Now that the sun has come out and end of term is fast approaching, Rachel Clare and Kayleigh Excell have selected some great places for you to enjoy this summer. From restaurants to clubs, here's your essential guide...
Tunnel Vision
Right, first off, I really hate it when people, namely students, bang on about programmes they used to watch when they were young. The top three offending programmes are as follows: Super Ted. Danger Mouse and the Magic Roundabout.
Noisettes - Scratch Your Name
Scratch Your Name is a thrilling wall of sound which is laced with the soulful, sexual yet gentle tones of front woman Shingai Shoniwa. A satisfying chunk of pop-rock.
Drawings
This exhibition offers an exclusive overview of da Vinci’s career and the variety of his subjects and techniques.
Mixtape 1
Why are you so shit?’ Another Gindrinker concert, another moron not quite getting it. To be fair, it’s not hard to see why, screeched vocals about Bullseye and guitar rape in abundance does not a happy emo crowd make.
In Review: Urban dictionary
In between spay-painting small horses with swastikas and sniffing glue the youth of today still like to chew the fat from time to time. Unfortunately the cretins have adopted a bizarre type of new-speak which can leave “me-mans” (myself and some of my close friends) “well vexed” (Perplexed, Peeved). That’s where the Urban dictionary comes in. With this peer monitored compendium of British and American slang you can find out what the little twazocks actually said to you before you walked off full of impotent rage and self loathing. Yay. To elaborate. After hearing a rap-tune recently I heard the word “skeet” a term with which I was unfamiliar. Consulting the Urban dictionary I discovered that skeet is a verb that describes, “Bustin’ a nut in a skizzles grill” or, the act of ejaculating onto a woman’s face. Other notable explanations submitted included the rather quaint: “To drop a banana item in Mario Kart 64, thereby causing a trailing opponent to slip on it and skid out” and the colorful “Something I would love to do on the Olsen twins. “The real fun lies in contrasting the Neanderthal with the surely mock-serious entries. Of course some helpful souls point out the real meaning of the word (something to do with clay pigeon shooting) but it is all done very tongue in cheek. A running dialogue on the site led one poster to claim it was a word which White people only heard about from the comedian Dave Chapelle. This in turn led one of his fellows to inform us that it is a completely fictional word invented by black people because they needed something to do in between collecting welfare cheques. As if via osmosis the stupidity seeps into you brain and you can impress the Gs in your hood with your newfound knowledge and/or prejudices lest ye be merced by your in the know peers.