So i'm going through a bit of a dating rut at the moment, the last dates i've been on (when i can actually get one) haven't been ideal. I'm either getting ghosted after hooking up or i get told they're not over their ex yet. These girls were more "alternative" with tattoos, into techno and quite open minded sexually...like myself for the most part. In the past i've had girls say they would date me but not with my party lifestyle (going out to a nightclub or bars about every one-two weeks). These particular girls were more "normal" or fancy. I'm starting to wonder if i'm not cool enough for the alt girls and too party-ish for the normal girls. Anyone else had experience with this in Berlin? I get compliments about my appearance, i'm told i'm a good conversationalist, have hobbies and something that i can be creative with so i'm pretty accepting of myself and yet this complete failure to start is really getting me down. Is it really the case i have to be covered in tattoos and ripped to get any attention or i have to completely drop social/dancing activities to find someone suitable?

There have been several very loud explosion sounds in Reinickendorf tonight. Way louder then the normal random "bang" sound or any firework.

Anything going on?

If anyone knows or is a part of the Car culture here in Berlin we can connect!!

Hi Lovely Berliners

Hope you are all enjoying the Fall colors across Berlin.

We will be on vacation for 5 weeks and would like to know a safe place to park our car.

I see options with a simple google search, but they are all super expensive. Can you please recommend a safe place if possible underground which is not more than 50€ for 5 weeks ? I am open to drive and park outskirts too if we can consider it safe.

Thank you in advance and waiting for your help.

My current job's contract is going to finish by the end of January (2025). I'm sure my boss would want to renew it, but the atmosphere at the workplace is quite toxic and I cannot tolerate it any longer than that.

This being said:

1. If the contract is going to finish and I choose to not renew it, do I still need to write a resignation letter?

1.1. If so, does that make me lose my unemployment benefits?

2. I've made an appointment at Bundesagentur fur Arbeit through the website. Which documents should I bring with me? Any questions I should be prepared to answer?

2.2. Should I ask my boss for the Reference Letter for that appointment or can that be handed at another time?

Please, do not troll or take this topic to non-related topics; it's serious for me and certainly serious for many other people who may come across with it. Thank you advance.

I used to have a very very very good Lasagna place in Berlin (Terrazza Portofino) which unfortunately recently changed its chef and it is no more the best (just an average one like others). Do you know any noticeably great lasagna place in Berlin?

Hello Berliners, I recently submitted the blue card extension application via form E3 as it was valid for my nationality and because only they had a specific extension option in the drop-down. However, when I requested for a fiktionsbescheinigung, they emailed me that B1-B4 is the right department for me and I should raise a request there instead which I have now done. Question: Because an application is the prerequite to request fiktionsbescheinigung, would B1-B4 know I have an existing application with E3 already?

My current visa expires in January and I need to email the Ausländerbehörde for my next appointment. The last time I applied, it was through the old system, which had you fill in information online. This time, I have to upload my documents as a PDF. That's fine, but I can't find a list of what exact documents I need (I'm assuming passport, my current visa, and health insurance). I've read that I also need to include an application, I can't find it anywhere. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Hi all, on Monday, I forgot my black backpack with laptop, wallet etc in the FEX train vom Berlin airport to Hauptbahnhof. Realised super quickly, and already registered that I lost it with the lost&found of the Deutsche Bahn and the Fundbüro Berlin. Does anyone else have an idea on where else I could check? Thanks so much.

Hey there, I received a working 50 years old rangefinder that needs cleaning and calibration. Would love to receive some recommendations for a place that offers this kind of service 🙏🏽

Hi guys, I got today from my doctor the artzliche stellungnahme compiled, I have only one doubt: can I send it to the Agentur fur Arbeit now or is it mandatory that the doctor does this?

Thanks

Greetings R/askberliners community.

Like plenty of you I'd like to attend a Helloween-Party tomorrow, but sadly neither me nor my GF currently have costumes. Is there Somebody here willing to lend us costumes for this saturday? I can pay some money and would return them on sunday... I'm 1,87m and she is 1,58 tall. I'd be quite happy if someone could help out

My daughter wants to get her ear pierced. I am looking for a place who’d do needle piercing, is clean and is not like Claire’s. Let me know of any good piercing place in Berlin.

I’m often at the Unter den Linden library and would like to find a better coffee place that its own cafe!

I just got back from a trip and my nose is running and blocked and I have a terrible throat. Where should I go to find a doctor/prescription as quickly as possible? Ideally today?

A really really sick fellow Berliner expat in distress.

Danke.

Edit1: thanks everyone for the advice. I was not monitoring my fever that I definitely had since Wednesday but then went to a 16 hours drive/airtrip and transit so I didn’t had thought of getting a thermometer in advance. I will go tomorrow to a general doctor. Or to ER if that fails. I have been to judenkrakenhaus ER when I got covid, and there was nothing they could do or prescribe(not even the test!), so I am thinking that as a waste of time.

Hey folks, I bought a dehumidifier, and it wasn't very effective for me, so I'm going to buy a new one. This time, I'm calculating to find the best fit for my needs, and I'm sharing my approach in case it helps some of you. If you have any tips or insights, please let me know!

Based on Engineering Toolbox, I calculated:

Volume Calculation:

For a 35 m² apartment with a height of 2.5m, the total volume is:

35m*^(2)* × 2.5m = 87.5m*^(3)*

Maximum Moisture Capacity:

At a temperature of 20°C, the maximum moisture carrying capacity is 17.3 g/m³. This means that at 100% humidity, the air contains 17.3 g of water per cubic meter.

Humidity Levels:

For a humidity level of 100% in a 35 m² apartment with a height of 2.5m, the total water in the air is:

17.3g/m*^(3)* ×87.5m*^(3)* ≈1.513kg

Which means for humidity level of 50% is 0.756kg and for 75% is 1.135kg,

Dehumidification Requirement:

To decrease the humidity level to approximately 50%, your dehumidifier should be able to collect at least:

1.135kg−0.756kg≈0.379kg(or379g)

Additionally, since an adult typically produces around 0.4 liters (400 grams) of water vapor per day, the dehumidifier should ideally manage at least twice this amount to offset continuous humidity generation. Therefore, a capacity of at least 750 grams/day is a practical choice.

ref:

in the first comment

Question:
One thing I don’t quite understand is how some dehumidifiers are rated at 10L/day yet claim to be suitable for 15-20 m² rooms , while others with a rating of just 0.35L/day say they cover up to 30 m². The second example seems more realistic, but the first is a bit confusing to me.

Hey everyone,

I’m urgently looking for a lab in Berlin where I can get my iron blood levels tested. I currently don’t have active health insurance; I’ve applied for "freiwillige" insurance, but I’m still waiting for approval, and in the past, I was declined for tests due to the lack of German insurance coverage.

I’m totally fine with paying out of pocket if that’s possible. Does anyone know of a lab that would accept someone in my situation? Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated! 

Hi, I have recently subscribed for Berlin Abo (29 euro per month for AB zones) and today I received my physical card by post. I am trying to add it to mobile apps but so far failed. Is there a way to do this? On BVG app under Profile Data there is a section called Kundenkarten-Nummer which accepts a 7-digit number but my kundennummer or vertragsnummer actually have more digits.

We are in a tight budget. We like history, sightseeing, going to one museum, Christmas market and restaurants. What would you recommend?

I’m really struggling learning German, my friends are international, my job is international and everything I do is in English.

I go to German classes three times a week and have a speaking tutor but it’s still not enough.

I have a wild idea that maybe a new job in German might help, any thoughts?

Also open to volunteering.

Has anyone tried this tactic, am I crazy, or being entitled?

Hi folks,

I’m pretty tall (2,03m) and of course struggle find fitting pants. So I let them be made in another country sometimes, but the shipping from there is quite expensive.

Does somebody know a tailor that will make casual, non suit pants after a model I’d give them?

I've tried to register as unemployed as tomorrow is my first day of unemployment and I'd like to start getting unemployment benefits as soon as possible. But the link on arbeits agentur site (via bund id) where we register with identification is not available/broken --- is there another way to do this?

Dear Berliners,

I got a termination notice from my employer because of operational reasons with a settlement proposal. It's a big multi national company but does not have a works council in Germany. My questions are:

1. I understand that I can approach a lawyer within 3 weeks and they can either help me get my job back or negotiate a better package. What happens while the legal proceedings are on? Do you continue to be employed and receive salary?

2. I am on a blue card and eligible for ALG1. It seems LEA is now giving 3 months to field a new job before switching you to a 1 year opportunity card. Can you receive ALG1 while on opportunity card?

Thanks in advance 🙏

I usually sublet my studio in Friedrichshain for 3-6 months each year as I have seasonal jobs. This year I started the sublet process a bit early for December-March. But compared to the previous years, I got a lot less people reaching out and all the 3 people I offered the sublet to went for another flat at the end. The price, duration, WG-gesucht ad, and the apartment itself remained 100% the same. In the past I’d get 30+ people messaging me in 24 hours, but now it’s not even 10 in a couple days. I also never had people saying no to the sublet offer. My friend who was subletting had the same issue.

Any idea what might have changed in the market? Are there fewer people looking for temporary rentals or are there more options and prices have gone down? I just find it very surprising and interesting to see this happen in Berlin.

Thanks!

Hi there, I have a job offer in Berlin starting 1 Feb 2025 (flexible on start date) for 45.000€. I am Luxembourgish and my husband is British. (I am sorry to be moving to your lovely city and taking yet another apartment. But if we stay in the USA it will kill us.)

Obviously it will be very difficult for us to find a long-term flat until we both are employed and have a few months of pay. I’ve been told the best plan is to book a furnished apartment with Wohnungsgeberbestätigung for a few months. We are open to any neighbourhood for this (as long as I can get to Mitte for work).

I have a few questions regarding our situation:

• What does my British partner say at the border? Can he say he’s entering with the intent of immigrating?

• If we are arriving in late January, how many months should we be booking accommodation for?

• How long will it take for my husband to obtain his residence permit? (How long to get an appointment? How long to process after appointment? Are things quicker during post-holidays wintertime?)

• At his residency appointment, will need to demonstrate sufficient financial support? (Does the flat need to be a certain size? How many months lease will suffice? Will they ask for evidence of savings?)

• What is the bare minimum you would recommend we arrive with in savings? (I understand this is difficult to guess without knowing the full situation.)

• Any recommended resources for finding a short-term furnished flat?

I apologise if these questions have been asked before. It is difficult to know what advice is correct when applying under EU law.

TIA for your advice!

Recently visited Berlin, safe to say I fell in love with it. What are you guys experiences living there ? Ps: currently living in Heidelberg, undergoing the recognition process to work as a dentist

I've recently been laid off from work and I've been serving notice until today. As of tomorrow I will officially be without a contract. So far in any applications I have mentioned that I was employed (which is technically true since my contract was active until yesterday) I am nervous about how it will come across once I update my status on my resume/LinkedIn saying I'm currently without a job. Would that create bias (conscious/unconscious) among recruiters and hiring managers in Berlin? The job market is not the best and the competition for jobs is very tight right now ---- want other thoughts/experiences around this.

I am about to sign contract with howoge. The apartment looked good. When I saw the reviews on trust pilot the reviews were bad. How was your experience with HOWOGE. Should we go ahead with the apartment?

Hi guys,

I moved to Berlin 3 weeks ago. I found a place on Housing Anywhere. I found out that I not only have the smallest room in the apartment, but also am paying more rent than others? 100 euros more in some cases… (seriously, my room is a shoe box compared to the other rooms, and they’re paying less???) I have seen some great places around and some look like they’re empty as well, so my questions are:

1. If we see a nice building, how can we ask if they have anything for rent there? Why don’t Berliners do the for rent signs?

2. Why are studio apartments so expensive? I can pay €700 max. If any of yall know any studios for this price; let me know.

3. How can I find a decent place where I have big enough room at least? Website suggestions and others tips would be appreciated.

TIA