And 10 things that didn't make their own post

As I've been running round Berlin over the last five months, I've seen lots of things that say something about the way of life here. Some are significant and/or special to this city, like the wall or massive breakfasts on Sundays. And some are less so, but still give some idea about what it is like to live here. Most I've been able to catch on camera in some way and post about. But there are some that I haven't - and so here are 10 final things that I think makes Berlin brilliant and different.

1. Spielplätze. Every afternoon playgrounds across Berlin are filled to the brim with children and parents (mums and lots of dads). This is not only is this because the playgrounds are amazing - pirate ship climbing frames, trampolines and zip wires - but because since everyone lives in flats, these are people's gardens. And their communal nature is no bad thing for creating a proper neighbourhood atmosphere (well, in Friedrichshain at least) that many people elsewhere romanticise about where kids play together and neighbourhoods stop and chat.

2. Those weird pink tubes. According to the Pollems website, these tubes that wind across move groundwater around and away from buildings.

3. Spätis. Not only do these off-licenses have a pretty huge selection of beer and soft drinks (including about 7 types of coke, no monopoly here Coca Cola), they can double up as a cheap bar in the summer if you don't mind sitting outside on their benches and tables. Where else can you get a round for 70 cents per person? Perfect place to unwind when you get your Feierabend at 3am.

4. Ice cream. I remember spending all my pocket money on ice creams during a German school trip 15 years ago, and the love of ice cream has not diminished here. All summer long (and even now into autumn) there are huge queues outside ice cream parlours. Everyone says the one in Falkensteinstraße is the best, but my fave is Eispiraten on Grünberger Straße. Two scoops for a euro!

5. Broken and empty bottles. You have to watch you put your feet/ride your bike on Saturday and Sunday mornings to avoid the broken beer bottles that pretty much litter the streets. The homeless bottle collectors do a good job at weekends, and council street cleaners in the week (as my four year old brother put it 'they've cleaned up the party'), but they never get it all.

6. Pong. They love a bit of table tennis here, and have a couple of tables in every decent neighbourhood park or square. Good thing about it is you can play even if you're complete crap - but just watch out for the regulars who might challenge you to a game only to scare you off. Man in white cap in Travelplatz did this to us.

7. Rain. This summer has been a bit of a washout at times. But while there has been some drizzle, mostly when the rain comes, it pours. Which means you are often cycling along at 100 miles an hour, looking over your shoulder, and trying to make it home before the big, black thundercloud unleashes its shower over you. If you do, you can enjoy thunder, lightning and then double rainbows from the dry. If not, drowned rat sums you up.

8. Swimming in the lake. There are tons of great lakes around Berlin that you can have a dip in. The bottom is a bit sludgy and squelchy in some, but once you get over it, they are great. You can choose tiny patches of bankside that are more secluded like Schlachtensee or the pine forested north bank of Müggelsee (you might have to walk round a bit to find a spot), nudist sections (FKK) of the main beaches if that's your thing, or the Badeschiff if you prefer a trendy-infused swimming pool over lake water. But for a lovely, open, sandy bottomed beach - its got to be Strandbad Wannsee.

9. Leisure time more generally. Maybe its because I'm not working full-time here, but I do get the impression that Berliners take their free time more seriously than Brits. Everyone wishes you a 'Schönen Feierabend' (literally celebration evening, or happy end of work) and there is tons of organised (e.g. climbing and parcour clubs), semi-organised (e.g. 32 urban beach bars, grill-boats to rent, flea-market kareoke and u-v crazy golf) and non-organised (picnics in the park) to do.

10. Helping out during house moves. I've already blogged about how flats come with literally just the kitchen sink and you have to deck them out with washing machine, wire the electricity and paint the floors/ceilings/walls. Well the nice thing is that whenever people move here, they invite their friends to help them out and take them out for some lunch/drinks afterwards. Pretty essential if you're moving from the second to the fifth floor across town - and Joe and I are slowly banking up some points for when we need some help to move out of our flat next year.

Renting a flat

Having finally found and signed a contract for a roof over my head, I can finally post this route without the fear of jinxing my flat search. Which has been hard. I described some of the trickiness in an earlier post; stressful block viewings, going through an application process without all the information that the landlord normally wants, and waiting to hear back from estate agents... and usually not.

 

As a tenant you have far more rights in Germany than in England. This might explain why German home ownership is only around 45% compared to the UK's 70%. In Berlin, its as low at 15%. You only have to give three months notice before leaving a property (even if you've just moved in) and you can decorate it in the way that you want. Indeed, you are expected to. Flats are almost all unfurnished and the majority have only a sink in the kitchen (is this where the expression 'everything but the kitchen sink' comes from?). Our contract states that we have to do it up every 3-5 years (depending on which room it is!) or we will get charged at the end of the tenancy. When we leave, we can either pay this or leave it in a decorated state that we have negotiated with the 'Nachmieter' (next tenant). But it means that a rented property can feel like a home in the way I haven't experienced in London. You can paint the walls, put up shelves, put in a new kitchen even. No wonder tenancy periods are so much longer here.

Another big difference is the relative absence of estate agents. Much of the letting work is done by the current or potential tenants themselves. There are online property sights which contain lists of available properties (e.g. Immobilienscout 24 or Wg-Gesucht). But it is often the Nachmieter who posts these adverts online - or as the photos from my run show - just on the street posts in the surrounding area. In Berlin, people often offer their flat in exchange for another - and so you also see lots of posters up advertising that someone is looking to swap their flat for a bigger/smaller one in the same/different area. The estate agent's role seems to be primarily collecting in the information and passing it back to the estate agent and sometimes putting a property advert online and organising block viewings. They are far smaller and less assertive (not always a good thing) outfits than in London and no sign of mini coopers anywhere!

Getting a flat share is far easier and a bit cheaper. The same sites provide listings, as do numerous street corners in the area that you fancy.

Top five tips if you want to rent your own flat:
1) I know it sounds obvious, but make sure you have at least basic German: you need to be able to good enough to pick up the phone and speak as people are not always hot on answering emails.
2) Give yourself at least a month and be prepared to be let down. Its not enough to turn up, like the flat and pay the deposit; here you have an application process.
3) Have as much information on your credit/income history to hand as possible. You need to have proof of monthly income and that you don't owe any rent to your previous landlord or have a bad credit rating (a Schufa report). If you don't have these because you've just moved out, try to bring the equivalents with you from home and get an Experian credit check. A expat forum called Toytowngermany is pretty good on navigating bureaucracy.
4) Make sure you find out the 'Warmmiete' price. This is the rent plus building, heating and water costs. 'Kaltmiete' is just the price of the rent alone.
5) If all else fails, there are some helpful English speaking agencies such as Fine and Mine and Rooms in Berlin but they are more expensive and will charge you a fee.