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. 

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.

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 Street Food Markets: Bite Club & Markthalle IX

Ian is in the habit of familiarity. If he's cooking dinner I can guess the meal is going to be Mexican and if we are going to eat out in Berlin he has his stable of favorites. I am different.

Berlin's Hafenfest Tegel

We arrived in the sleepy NW corner of Berlin to things looking just a bit different. Some people were dressed in viking-esque garb. Multiple stages with cover bands and other miscellaneous acts had been set-up. There was much German singing.

Hafenfest, had Arrived. 

 

People gathered around little tables as the music varied from oldies, to German polka to death metal.

Our friends live right around here so we had already been exposed to the wonders of Tegel - outside of the lake and the airport. When they told us about this traditional harbor festival which included a viking village and performances we were open to it. When they told us there were fireworks we were in. We're obviously a sucker for fireworks, but we should never handle them so this sounded perfect.

Berlin Pyronale = FIREWORKS!

If it is not already apparent from our blog or just life, Berliners love their fireworks (and Ian & I should never be allowed near them as our NYE almost disaster demonstrated). They love them so much, they have a whole event focused on a world championship,

Pyronale

We went for the first time* last fall and while I hardly captured the grandeur of the fireworks, I hopefully I captured a bit of the scene...a little bit of why we love Berlin.

NYE (Almost) Disaster

This year, we found out why they call it a bottle rocket.

Remember the first time you lit a firework? I don't. We've never really bought them and while there are a few notable holidays where we did light up the street (hi Yakma & Santa Barabara 4th of Julys), I have extremely limited experience. And it showed.

This year we bought fireworks. Even though this is our 4th New Years Eve in Berlin, this was our first time hosting a small party and I guess we wanted a piece of the madness. We were excited. In Ian's case, very excited.