A Very Berlin Dilemma: How to get an Anmeldung when Subletting

Do these people look like they know what they're doing?

I am always so pleased when someone stumbles onto this blog and actually enjoys it, rather than leaving comments like "Nice article. Visit Winerpark". It is even better when someone leaves a comment or e-mails me directly (swoon!). This has happened in the past and I have been happy to dump my knowledge all over them.

How we ended up living in Berlin and were actually able to find a place to stay and jobs to pay for it is equal parts dumb determination and Berlin magic. I am no expert, but always willing to share.

So the latest call for help got me thinking and I didn't have a great solution. So I am submitting the question here (with the writer's permission) in case someone else has a better answer.

Question: How do you get an Anmeldung when Subletting? And good thing getting a permanent apartment in Berlin is so easy. (Germans, that is #sarcasm.)

Tips for Applying for an Apartment in Berlin

Won't you please let us live here?

It's been a little quiet here lately.  That's because life has been busy, as discussed in my last post (along with boozing with a baby).

The other thing sucking up our free time is looking for an apartment. We knew it was going to be difficult. Despite the continual "Is Berlin hot or not?" playing out in the media (latest on our neighborhood, Wedding, from the New York Times), competition for Wohnungs is fierce with between 6-2.1 billion people applying for every place we've applied for.

Each apartment is a cattle call and we aren't quite adept as the Germans at throwing elbows. I went to one showing in Prenzlauer Berg that had a line down the stairs...for 3 floors! I just laughed and left and we met Ian for a drink. What else is there to do?

Baby UBlau: U55 & U4

"Good decisions" aren't my strong point. I'm in for adventure, making every day count and a bit of the crazy. Thus you might not have noticed my absence for the last few months. Maybe I finally lost my hold on reality or the Ausländerbehörde had enough of our shenanigans.

But no! We kinda, accidentally made a great decision. We had a baby. And she's awesome.

Unsurprisingly, it's taken a lot of time and I've got a new hobby of writing about her - a lot. If you wanna know about what's it like to have a babe in Berlin, I share an occasional helpful post amidst weekly videos and an astronomical ton of nonsense at In Berlin, Baby.

Another thing taking my time is work. I am writing/editing/content managing my Po (booty - learning new baby related words) off. I put up 10 Germany Travel articles a month at about.com, direct Insiders Abroad and their quarterly magazine, manage EasyExpat part-time and contribute to German-Way. This is hard work on top of watching a beautiful little lady!

And perhaps worst of all, this work stuff is eating up the things I used to write about here on the blog. Now I have to professionally present how to go to the movies in Germany or why I have come to appreciate the low water levels in toilets. In short, there is a lot less swearing.

But then we do something so ridiculous, so utterly useless to anyone but us I say, "Ah-ha! This is a post for Back to Berlin..and Beyond!". The recent such adventure, the first since the birth, is a Baby UBlau.

Should you visit the Fernsehturm?

As former Seattlites obsessed with our needle, it's a bit funny that we ended up in another city with a fondness for a futuristic tower.

The Fernsehturm (TV Tower) hardly towers at a mere 368 meters (1,207 feet), but in a city this flat you can see it from most points in Berlin. It is actually the highest point in Germany and much taller than our beloved Space Needle. Its like welcoming an old friend when you look up from a place you've never been and - there she is! - you see the tower. One of the major selling points of our apartment is that you can see the Fernsehturm from our loft bed, living room and front balcony. There are few things I like seeing more in the morning. 

Pregnancy Hiatus

I keep thinking about this blog.

I love tracking our adventures in Berlin and beyond here and have a stack of posts on our recent trip to Manchester and northern UK in my head, but have failed to get them to the page in any kind of timely fashion. Like many bloggers, life seems to be interfering.

Top 14 Tweets of the Brazil v. Germany World Cup Game

It is impossible to ignore that the World Cup is happening right now. And Germany is winning.

News of the tournament is all over social media, I've covered where to watch in Berlin on EasyExpat and Where to Watch in Germany on about.com and every night there are fireworks announcing each goal. While our stamina is sadly sub-par to watching all the games, we've rallied around the US team (before their loss to Belgium) and worn our Germany colors proudly around town.

Last night's game between Brazil and Germany was a slaughter. Total annihilation. A complete, unbelievable joy to watch for Germany fans like us. Enjoyment was elevated even more when I tuned in to what people were saying on Twitter.

Lost Pet in Germany

I've written about our cat, importing pets from abroad and adopting the bunnies - I never wanted to write a post about a lost cat in Berlin. But there we were on Monday, preparing for my 21-week pregnancy check with our power still out in the kitchen (a German apartment story for another time) realizing the cat wasn't in the house. Catastrophes never happen at a good time.

As we live on the 6th floor attic apartment (dachgeschoss) with nowhere for the Bellatrix to go but out the window, we could guess what had happened. Hot days and nights have us cracking the windows to coax in a nighttime breeze and a strong wind must have opened the windows enough for the cat to take a cool rooftop stroll. I was already close to tears, but Ian comforted me by telling me her only recourse was to go into one of our neighbor's apartment. We would put up signs all over the Hof (courtyard) and entrances and when a neighbor found a furry surprise visitor they would give us a call.

(The last few days have been traumatic and I go into detail here, but rest assured we have a happy ending. If are just looking for tips to find a lost pet in Germany scroll to the end.)

Berlin by Boat

Even with Berlin’s wonderful transportation options, the city can be a monster to traverse. Walking is inevitable no matter your mode of transport, a fact that becomes abundantly clear every time my parents are in town. They bravely put on their walking shoes, but a jaunt between major attractions can rack up quite the miles (or kilometers if you're being European about it).

Luckily, there is an easier way to check out Berlin's top sites and save your parent's feet/sanity. We joined one of the popular boat tours with a departure point around Berliner Dom to get a fresh perspective on Berlin's most impressive tourist sites.

Getting all Willy Wonka in Berlin: Ritter Sport Bunte Schokowelt

My parents were on their third visit to Berlin and though we'd had a great time checking out baby stuff and traipsing about Switzerland, I was determined to show them more to love in my adopted home. After all the war memorials and major tourist sites, I thought chocolate might be the easiest way to charm them.

But 5 minutes away from the Ritter Sport Chocolate Shop we were forced to turn back by thundering rain and hail. HAIL! Oh, April weather. Brave Northwesters that we are, we were ultimately undeterred and found our way back to the site of one of Germany's most famous chocolates.

Officially called Ritter Sport Bunte Schokowelt (Ritter Sport Colorful Chocolate World), I had heard that you can make your own chocolates there. I knew it could be gimmicky and touristy, but this was my chance to be Willy Wonka and there was no way I was passing that up.

Funkhaus Nalepastrasse Tour

This city is full of nondescript, even decrepit-looking buildings that hide a world of Berlin history. So we weren't put off when we arrived in the middle of nowhere (technically Oberschoeneweide) to what looked like a never ending waterfront of abandoned factories.

We had been invited by a friend to take a tour of Rundfunk der DDR and really had no idea of what to expect. But as we're usually ready for anything, a tour of an East Berlin radio we would do.

Day trip to Pfaueninsel

Our first year in Berlin we traveled all over Germany. We loved train travel and getting to know small-town Germany. This time around, we have discovered the wonders of budget air travel and have been able able to go a bit further afield (but still just in Europe).

But a little bit of cash poor means that we have shrunk our circle of travel to day trips around Berlin. This isn't a bad compromise considering there are hundreds of places within just a few hours of Berlin. We've been canoeing in the Spreewald, to a "tropical island" and a Berlin Garden House. Next on the list: the rural attractions of Pfaueninsel.

In my new gig as Germany Travel Guide for about.com, I was disappointed to see the site was already written about by the previous guide. I need to make these fun times count people! But really, there was little to be disappointed in. The weather was brilliant, we were enjoying one of our last days with an expat couple that have become our best fiends abroad and Pfaueninsel was the perfect place for an almost springtime wander.

Berlin's Allied Museum

We hadn't planned on visiting the Allied Museum. It is located by the American embassy all the way down in Dahlem and we had never even been that far south except on the U3 Ublau.

But then a friend visited at Christmas, was surprised by his wife at the airport, and promptly lost his passport. It was a bit of a roller coaster.

Impromptu visit of the American Embassy at Christmas time!

Berlin's Asian Market: Dong Xuan Center

Sometimes called Berlin’s ‘Vietnamese mall’, the Dong Xuan Center was originally run and frequented by East Berlin's expat Vietnamese community. It is now a recommended Berlin destination complete with guided tour groups.

The internet had promised us that this compound of warehouses would fulfill all of our Asian food needs on the cheap. As Seattleites, we are used to a high level of Thai and Vietnamese food and Germany's attempts (although infinitely better than when we arrived in 2007) are generally disappointing. We hoped the (fun-to-say) Dong Xuan Center would offer us the tools, ingredients and cheap eats we were looking for.

We stepped off the bus with really no idea what we were getting into. As we approached the gates, I realized we were in for something so much weirder than a shopping trip.

Berlin Photo Booths

Looking for something to do on Valentine's Day is always a challenge. Not one for fine dining or flowers, I am usually on the hunt for something more unique, or even a little weird.

This year, while I was contemplation my options and lack of funds, I came up with a semi-genius idea: a self-guided tour of the nearest Berlin Photoautomats. Cheap (€2 for a 4 shot pic strip), a chance to explore the neighborhood and some ridiculous keepsake photos. I love a random Berlin adventure.

And Berlin is littered with Photo Booths (or Photoautomats), which is hardly surprising given the high hipster density. I had no idea how many until I asked the all-knowing Berlin Twittersphere,

The U2 UBlau

Once again, we took to Berlin's UBahn to drink and rate our way through an entire line's stations, simultaneously horrifying and amusing our fellow passengers. It's fun for everyone.

10 Things Berlin has Taught Me

If I got you down with my last post - sorry about that! I've been feeling down while looking for work and seriously felt my love for this amazing city wane a bit. But - sorry parents - that doesn't mean we're going home.

We came to Berlin to chew bubblegum and kick ass, and I'm all out of bubblegum.

Our kiez: Wedding*

Falling out of Love with Berlin

Usually I look at the "Berlin Hates You" signs and smile grimly, happy to have made it this far in a tough city to call home. But lately the message has been feeling a lot more personal.

We originally moved to Berlin with something that can only loosely be called a plan. No jobs, no friends, no place to stay...we were young and dumb and thought it would work out and miraculously IT DID. We found jobs, Ian as a teacher and I wrote expat guides. We made friends. We traveled. We were happy and the city was our oyster.

Berlin Gift Guide

After such a long wait to Thanksgiving and a bit of a stressful last few months I CANNOT believe it is almost Christmas. Less than a week to the big day, I am daydreaming about some of my best Berlin-related gifts as well as new things to covet.

Here are my Top 6 Berlin gift ideas.

 Design Hype's Berlin Metro Cuff

Why You Should Stay in Berlin This Winter

Berliners get extra ungemütlichkeit in winter as the days grow short and ice freezes in your/Ian's beard. Many try to flee the city, but I am making the case for celebrating the darkest season in the capitol. This is partly because we are poorer than ever and condemned to have no escape from the brutal Berlin winter. And since we gotta stay, we are trying to make the most of it and you should too.

Berlin's Tropical Island & Getting Naked with Germans

We first heard about the Tropical Island south of Berlin driving down to the Spreewald. Like an enormous metallic pimple, it stood out against northern Germany's flat terrain.

What is that?!

Some kind of indoor water resort. I think it may have been where they made zeppelins or something.

Intrigued by this bizarre structure and explanation, I snooped it out online. It is indeed an indoor water park - one of the largest of its kind - and it didn't actually house zeppelins (though that is a persistent rumor).

And it is large at 360 metres long, 210 metres wide and a 107 metres high. That means that it is big enough to fit the Statue of Liberty standing up, the Eiffel Tower lying down, or all of Potsdamer Platz including skyscrapers. Damn Tropical Island - you big!