Coming to see you soon, kindly asking for something special to see that’s not that common

Maybe an abandoned place or special/odd restaurant, all suggestions are welcome

We are there for Friday to Sunday late so not too far out of center of Berlin

Thank you in advance 🇩🇪

Hey everyone who missed their chance to see the northern lights yesterday,

Since aurora trackers are saying there is some probability of seeing some lights today in Berlin as well, is there groups people who are planning to go somewhere together , or some recommendations for places near Berlin where we can go to so were not scared to be out in the middle of nowhere alone.

We'd be 2 people, me and my wife, and would love for some other people to join us or to join with them :D

My wife is turning 30 and we are looking for a venue to (partially) rent/book.

There would be about 30 guests and motto is 1920s.

Are there any places that are affordable to rent or let you rent for free and you pay what you eat/drink?

Allowing for a caterer to bring in food would be a bonus.

We found „Das Caro“ but it is unfortunately closed right now.

Our Hausverwaltung has gone bust. The bank transfer for the May rent was reversed and they cannot be contacted. What do we do? I realize that we will stay have to the pay the rent at some point but do we just wait for someone to contact us? Do we have any obligations in this situation? How do we deal with things like urgent maintenance?

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https://preview.redd.it/pq6a3ioeczzc1.png?width=220&format=png&auto=webp&s=58839c5106961d0623d418c96902cd76a75fbcf7

https://preview.redd.it/qcjv1e4fczzc1.png?width=300&format=png&auto=webp&s=5f6a4cf8af43e460e8972a35db171a2bf784d347

I’ve got a date tomorrow and I’ll pick her up for lunch at her office at Moritzplatz tomorrow. Does anyone know some great, easy lunch spots within walking distance from Moritzplatz? Asian would be amazing but open to all kinds of cuisines !! Much love and thank you ❤️❤️

Hi guys I really wanna buy a bike - problem: I barely have any knowledge about bikes. What I'm looking for is a small store where I can get honest advice and in the end pay a fair price not feeling being ripped off and who I can consult if there's an issue. The bike I'm looking for should be a simple, robust city bike, probably a single speed one. Store can anywhere in Berlin, as long as it's not too far outside of the ring. Will be glad if anyone can help me. Cheers

Edit: forgot to mention. I'd prefer to bike a used bike, not a new one. Budget would be around 300

Liebe Leute, der Frühling is so langsam in der STadt angekommen und ich würde mich mal über eure Einschätzung freuen, welcher ist euer Lieblingsflohmarkt und was macht er für euch aus.... geht ihr gerne auf den Mauerparkflohmarkt um "Leute" zu schauen oder doch eher auf den Antikmarkt am Tiergarten.

Bin gespannt was da so zusammen kommt.

Schönen Sonntag euch!

Dear people, spring has slowly arrived in the city and I would be happy to hear your opinion, which is your favorite flea market and what does it mean to you... do you like to go to the Mauerpark flea market to look at "people" or Would you rather go to the antique market at the Tiergarten?!

I'm excited to see what comes together.

Happy Sunday to you!

Rewe, Lidl, Edeka, and Netto only had pork.

Hey guys, with Euro2024 coming up soon, what are some of the watch spots (bar, pubs, open air space) around Mitte/Moabit/Pberg that you would recommend?

Currently the solar activity is very high and I have seen people from South Germany and Switzerland posting images of the Northern lights from their home. Given the cloud coverage, are there any areas in Berlin / nearby where one can the see northern lights properly (atleast in camera)?

Hi Berliner,

I recently got my PR in April. It's a long journey and I would like to share this experience in case it's helpful to you.

My timeline

• 2023/09/06: first applications
• 2023/10/16: they rejected my application due to my document not fullfiling their requirements.
• 2023/10 (some days later): i issued my second applications
• 2023/11/23: the case works had a scratch view and thought i am unqualified as of the time. i immediately replied them on that day with proof.
• 2024/01/25: they re-check my application and provide me an appointment on 04/04 for PR.
• 2024/04/04: took interview and finally got PR (card will arrive two months later)

Requirements

This is pretty straightforward in the official website.

Appointment Booking

As you can see from timeline, it takes a long time for them to process requests. Thus, you'd better apply in advance (e.g., three months before you are qualified for PR) for appointment. For PR, the only way to apply for an appointment is by contact form in their website.

For contact form content, I would suggest you compile all documents in easily-ready style.

I attach my message in the below, which you can refer to prepare yours:D

Appointment Day

For me, I am supposed to have at least B1 German skill. Though it's not required to submit a certificate. I was a bit nervous about that. Yet it turns out I'm a bit lucky. My case worker only asked me a few questions,

• if eye color is still same? (not sure why this can be changed)
• my height

a few times I don't understand her, she immediately switched to English and then switched back to German. She is not super friendly but not bad either. It was super quick, (less than 10 mins, I guess). I confirmed with her twice. She told me we are done once you paid your fee outside.

If your German is not super good, you could practice for the appointment in advance. Basically, the case worker wants to know/collect your info (eye color, height, martial status, fingerprints, how to pay the fee...) to complete your application instead of being an German examiner.

Some questions I used to simulate the interview,

• Was ist dein Beruf?
• Wie lange leben Sie in Deutschland?
• Haben Sie kinder? Wie viel kinder haben Sie?
• Wie ist Ihr Familienstand?
• Wie alt sind Sie?
• Was ist dein Geburtsdatum?
• Wo wohnen Sie?
• Wie gross sind Sie? (This info to be written at the back of the residency card)
• Was ist die Farbe Ihrer Augen? (This info to be written at the back of the residency card)

Good luck:D

edits: update dates

I want to buy the utensils to make matcha at home. Preferably cheap and not on amazon

Ich meine mich zu erinnern das ich früher mal (um 2005 rum) ab und zu ein Zeppelin am Himmel über Berlin gesehen habe. Gab es das wirklich oder spielt meine Erinnerung mir hier einen streich? Ich meine nämlich auch schon ewig keins mehr gesehen zu haben. Weiß hier irgendjemand mehr darüber? danke :)

Hello! I would like to donate my books. But I’m not sure where to. Most of them are in Spanish (therefore my question), but there’re some in English and German too. Some are adult books as well as books for younger readers. Is there a place which will accept all of them?

UPDATE: Windows preview version is available (credit to @as4mo3)

It's extremly hard to book an LEA appointment and the only way that works is constant retries. If you do it purely manually, you'll go crazy. Although there're already some bots out there that can automate the process of retying, they need some sort of techincal skill (e.g install Python, Java, Docker, npm...etc). It's a blocker for people without techincal skills to use. There's a auto refresh chrome plugin but it can only help you automate the process for 10 minutes (after ten minutes, you need to fill out the form again).
There're some paid services that claim they can help you book an appointment if you're willing to pay 50 euro or more.

But I didn't want to pay, so I created a bot that anyone can use easily. And it's free.

1. Watch the demo video below.
2. Go to https://github.com/chialunwu/berlin-termin-bot to download the bot and stop wasting your time

https://reddit.com/link/1conq2m/video/r693ph778lzc1/player

Additional info:

This bot assists you in booking an appointment from either https://otv.verwalt-berlin.de/ams/TerminBuchen or https://service.berlin.de/dienstleistung/.

Booking an LEA appointment without the bot involves filling out the form every 10 minutes and continually clicking the 'Next' button. It's an exhausting process. Even if you reach the date selection page, someone else may secure the appointment before you, leaving you to repeat the process over and over. The bot automates these manual steps for you. You just need to complete the initial form once and then run the bot. When you hear the alert and notification, proceed with the remaining steps manually (choosing the time, solving the reCAPTCHA, and entering your name, date of birth, and email) to finalize your appointment.

For booking a Bürgeramt appointment, while you don't need to complete a form beforehand, you still must frequently refresh the page, which can lead to being blocked for an hour if done too often. The bot refreshes the page every 60 seconds for you, streamlining the process.

Hello! I have a friend whose birthday is coming up, and one of their favorite desserts is carrot cake. Any suggestions on places that sell tasty slices?

Somehow salads and poke bowls cost as much as a day’s rent. How can I eat some healthy vegetation for €8 or less? Assuming shops are closed and salad bar isn’t an option

Hey everyone, here is the digest of the digest again, focusing on Berlin. Last one from March.

Week of 2nd (issue #95)

1. 👩🏻‍🍳 Hallman & Klee was awarded a Michelin star. Regular readers will remember we recommended it three weeks ago! In total, with the new addition last week, we now have 22 restaurants with stars in Berlin, the highest number in Germany.
2. You can earn €25-€120 for helping as a volunteer in the European elections on the 9th of June. Unlike other elections, you can apply with any of the EU passports. (Look for Onlinebereitschaftserklärung, somehow my link got broken twice). They are looking for 30.000 volunteers, so take the chance.
3. An exceptionally important and well-written essay by Adam Tooze to understand German-Israeli relations (Israel’s security as a key part of Germany’s Staatsräson) around the Gaza crisis. It involves submarines.
4. Career: If your company recently went through layoffs, this might actually be a good time to ask for a raise. People are the company’s number one asset.
5. Reddit choice of the week is this great explanation from Tolstoy_mc about why during inflation, coffee and restaurants are getting so much more expensive for the regular Joe/Jane. The longer the supply chain, the worse it gets.
6. 💬 Briefly:
   1. Stats: In the last quarter of 2023, the bankruptcy proceedings in Berlin grew 12.4% YoY to 1,516. (St. BB)
   2. Numa will invest in 82-unit serviced apartments in Wedding. Opening planned for Q2 ‘26.
   3. A reader sent me evidence of how startups were disrupting the insurance industry: their policy was sold twice in the last 2 years, which means they are with their third insurance company now. 🤡

Week of 8th (issue #96)

1. Tagesspiegel (🇩🇪, €) made a list of the top 10 best-paying Berlin employers based on Kununu data with a minimum of 50 submitted salaries. I’ve often featured many here, but was recently sceptical about Cariad (VW’s software company).
2. Because I clicked on one ad, my Instagram stories are full of law firms offering deletion of bad Google reviews. It’s a big business because I get a lot of ads served on the “Löschhelfer” Google query. With this templated business model, businesses can harass reviewers for a couple of EUR. Here is a BZ report on a not-named popular Café in Mitte (🇩🇪). A part of me is, “fuck it, who cares,” but a part of me is like, “Let’s name the bars and restaurants doing it.” What do you think? Spoiler alert: I decided we can’t really do anything against it without getting bullied.
3. 💬 Briefly:
   1. Stats: On average, we eat 51.6kg of meat annually (-430g YoY) in Germany. Out of which 27.5kg is pork, 13.1kg poultry and 8.9kg red meat. (FAZ)
   2. Activist investor hedge fund Sachem Head started a 3.6% position in Delivery Hero. This usually means nervous C-level management and stock price appreciation. Last week, the stock settled at +18.47%.

Week of 15th (issue #97)

1. ♡ I loved this pitch for Berlin from 2018. The pitch doctor also mentioned EyeEm and N26, both featured in today’s Briefly section
2. If you ever want to start a company in Germany/Berlin, here is a guide to bookmark. Buying an existing off-the-shelf company is also available if you need it earlier.
3. Career: “Find people to talk to or collaborate with by searching across the /about, /ideas and /now pages of 6054 personal websites.” A lot of Berliners if you try the “Berlin” search.
4. 💬 Briefly:
   1. Now N26 also turned on stock and ETF trading. What a crowded market!
   2. Volocopter’s plans to start running regular flight services in Paris during the Olympics are in danger. One problem is the necessary approval, and the other is local opposition. If, they will fly “by invitation”. (Capital, 🇩🇪)

Week of 22nd (issue #98)

1. 🚨 If you haven’t yet, check out this cool dashboard for the comp data.
2. 🎥 Kino International, a former GDR “premiere” cinema, which celebrated 60. years last November, will close for two years of renovation on the 13th of May. If you want to catch it in its current glory, here is the programme. It’s worth it.
3. 🇪🇺 Everyone with an EU passport can also vote in Berlin in the coming EU elections on the 9th of June. Here are instructions on how.
4. 🤖 In Germany, we have constitutionally forbidden Sunday shopping. Now imagine a shop run completely by robots. Could this automated shop be open on Sundays? Apparently not. The legal battle (Verdi vs Tegut) over automated shops in Fulda started four years ago, and the judge said the small-service store still qualified as a shop. (FT, €) ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
5. Timeless: Tit for Tat always wins. A must-see video about the game theory, the beauty of cooperation and being nice to people. What Game Theory Reveals About Life, The Universe, and Everything by Veritasium (25+ min).
6. Reddit choice of the week is this gorgeous graffiti by 1UP crew. Also seen is Paradox Paradise left and right. If you want to see it live, go here.
7. 💬 Briefly:
   1. Grocery delivery news: Flink raised $100M from most of the existing investors, maybe also to fight off Knuspr (formerly known as Bringmeister), which is starting in Berlin on the 22nd of April. Crowded! WiWo (🇩🇪) reported that Getir might pull out of Germany. (It eventually did!)
   2. Thai retailer Central Group bought the remaining share of bankrupt KaDeWe. According to RBB, the company was struggling for years. (🇩🇪) Extremely high rents from their owner (Signa) surely didn’t help. Financial engineering until you hit the wall?
   3. After a stellar 2023 performance, Q1 sales of ASML (microchip equipment producer with a presence in Berlin) came in at 21.6% lower than expected. ArrakisTaiwan-based TMSC also lowered the outlook.
   4. RBB reports that Apple Maps started to record German streets for their “street view”. This time they’ll also do it on foot (in Berlin between 23.5 and 31.7). The whole thing should be documented by mid-August.

Week of 29th (issue #99)

1. ❤️ We have trash investigators like “Bronko” in Berlin (🇩🇪), so make sure you don’t do anything stupid (fines are going to significantly increase as well: 250€ for a fag, €3.000 for 2kg of trash and €8k for a sofa). BSR removed 40.000 m3 of illegal trash in 2022! I wish dogs would also leave a signature on their sh*t, because some of their owners clearly have no shame.
2. 💦 The Berliner published the results of their sex survey (n=2,075). Findings include high acceptance and practice of non-monogamy (40% defining their relationships as some form of non-monogamy) and the cultural influence on sexual identity (35% reported that living in Berlin has changed their preferred relationship type).
3. 🤔 Bayer, the former German pharma champion and aspirin inventor, is in big trouble. €34.5B of debt, €2.5B loss in 2023 and poor pharma pipeline. Bill Anderson, CEO since June 2023, learned “that the company’s rules and procedures handbook was longer than War and Peace,” so his plan now is to save €2B by cutting most of the middle managers and asking nearly 100,000 employees to ‘self-organize’. (Fortune) Wild!
4. Career: LinkedIn compiled a list of the 25 best companies in Germany based (🇩🇪) on eight factors: advancement opportunities, skill growth, company stability, external job prospects, company affinity, gender distribution, educational level of employees, and employer relevance in the specific country. Twelve of the companies have a presence in Berlin: Siemens, Sanofi, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Kering, Karl Storz, Bain & Company, Amazon, Fresenius Group, Deutsche Bahn, Thermo Fisher Scientific, McKinsey & Company, and Pfizer.
5. Reddit choice of the week is this rare burst of (spring-related?) positivity on and the quote from Anneliese Bödecker added by someone: “Die Berliner sind unfreundlich und rücksichtslos, ruppig und rechthaberisch, Berlin ist abstoßend, laut, dreckig und grau, Baustellen und verstopfte Straßen, wo man geht und steht – aber mir tun alle Menschen leid, die nicht hier leben können!” Goosebumped!
6. 💬 Briefly:
   1. Stats: In 2023, the average asking rent per sqm was €13.60, an 18.3% increase from the previous year. Kreuzberg and Neukölln saw nearly a 25% increase. (🇩🇪, RBB)
   2. Autodoc (Berlin, auto parts e-commerce) reached unicorn status (€2.3B) after taking on a private investment from Apollo Funds. In 2023 they generated €1.3B+ in net revenue and €130+ million of adjusted EBITDA.
   3. HelloFresh reported Q1: a 74.6% drop in adj. EBITDA to €16.8 million with record revenue of €2.07B. They target 2% to 8% revenue growth for the fiscal 2024.

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You can see the rest here.

https://www.berliner-kurier.de/berlin/ddr-architekt-klagt-an-die-obsiegende-gesellschaft-hat-ein-kulturgut-der-verlierer-vernichtet-li.2212565