© Goethe-Institut Australien Brianna Summers and other Berlin-based Australians blog about life and culture in the German capital, exclusively for the Goethe-Institut. #BiculturalUrbanite © Brianna Summers Bicultural Urbanite Brianna An ode to Berlin's lockdown Christmas No markets, no parties, no nothing. This year Germans will celebrate a socially distanced Christmas during the country’s second lockdown. Inspired by recent events, our blogger Brianna penned a Berliner version of a famous Christmas poem. Enjoy. © Jane Arnison Guest blogger Jane Lockdown in Berlin: A music maker’s perspective Germany’s capital is in the middle of lockdown version 2.0. Berlin-based musician Jane Arnison gives her reflections on the year where everything stopped, and realises just how hard it is to neatly package it all up. Photo credit: Thomas Trutschel/Photothek Bicultural Urbanite Brianna We apologise for the delay After 14 long years, the Berlin-Brandenburg Airport is finally open. Endless technical debacles, six postponed launch dates and a budget blow-out of around four billion euros turned the infrastructure project into a running joke. So what went wrong? © Brianna Summers Bicultural Urbanite Brianna Squats, evictions and Berlin's housing squeeze Evictions are nothing new in Berlin, yet very few capture the public’s attention quite like the recent demise of Liebig34. © Madeleine Watts Guest blogger Madeleine A tour through Berlin’s English-language bookshops Australian writer and bookseller Madeleine Watts finds comfort and community in Berlin’s collection of English-language bookshops, after recently arriving in the German capital. © Brianna Summers Bicultural Urbanite Brianna Art on the dancefloor Berlin’s nightlife and arts scene have taken a battering this year. Clubs remain closed and all major art events have been scrapped or postponed. In response to the ongoing crisis, the city’s most famous nightclub has joined forces with the Boros Foundation to create a new and unusual stage for local artists. Photo credit: Ethan Lee/Unsplash Guest blogger Susann Same same but different Berlin has a lot to offer start-ups: (relatively) cheap office space, a big student population full of ideas and a cultural willingness to try new things. For Sydney-based German Susann Noé, returning back there was a chance to compare two very different business worlds. © Brianna Summers Bicultural Urbanite Brianna Pandemic holidays: Making the most of summer This summer many Germans are holidaying in Germany. The Baltic Sea coastline is rammed and short-stay rentals are booking out around the country. I too opted for a local getaway to avoid the virus-related risks of international travel. © Brianna Summers Bicultural Urbanite Brianna The evolution of Mauerpark To the untrained eye, Mauerpark looks like an abandoned lot. This grungy yet hugely popular green space is renowned for its sprawling flea market, open-air karaoke and historic significance. Now, thanks to the completion of a major redevelopment, there’s twice as much room to party. © Brianna Summers Bicultural Urbanite Brianna Bike city: Reimagining the urban landscape The coronavirus pandemic has prompted a rethink about how we should live, work and travel. Berlin is making the best of a bad situation by expediting further improvements to its bike infrastructure. © Cam Hassard Guest blogger Cam The best books to read when you’re in Berlin Of all the enjoyable things about being abroad, there’s something deeply satisfying about tucking into a good book that’s set in the place you happen to be travelling through. © ROH Tristram Kenton Guest blogger Siobhan The essence of us all Celebrated Australian soprano Siobhan Stagg was in Sydney for concerts when the global shutdowns began. She flew home to Berlin and watched her calendar of performances crumble like dominoes before her eyes. The silver lining? She’s learned to unplug and discovered the theatrical talents of Mother Nature. © Brianna Summers Bicultural Urbanite Brianna Escape to Brandenburg Desperate to escape my confined Corona-existence in Berlin, I have begun exploring beyond the city limits. Brandenburg cops a fair bit of flak for being boring and lifeless, but it’s actually full of attractive destinations for those in need of a green getaway. © Luke Troynar Bicultural Urbanite Luke Tschüss Berlin, Hello Strangeness After almost a decade of living in Berlin as an expat, a juicy PhD offer Down Under enticed me back to the homeland indefinitely. Shortly after arriving back in Australia the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc across the world, removing all reference to normality. © Ulrike Keil Bicultural Urbanite Brianna How I got home: Berliners stuck abroad during the crisis After the coronavirus went global, governments around the world launched repatriation efforts to bring back thousands of citizens stranded abroad. Two friends of mine were among those caught out. Credit: Julius Niehus, Wellenwerk Guest blogger Katelin My to-do list once Berlin life returns to normal Sydneysider Katelin Meredith has been living in Berlin for nearly a year. When the coronavirus closed off most of the city, she listed all the things she wants to do when life gets going again. © Brianna Summers Bicultural Urbanite Brianna A taste of home When you live 16,000 km from home, what foods do you miss the most? Supplying expats with edible memories is big business—and another form of German-Australian cultural exchange. © Brianna Summers Bicultural Urbanite Brianna A March to remember: COVID-19 hits Berlin Berlin’s first reported COVID-19 case was diagnosed on 1 March, 2020. Since then, it’s certainly been a month to remember in the German capital. Infections have grown and Berliners have come to realise the extent of the crisis. © Wesley Nel Bicultural Urbanite Is Berlin all it’s cracked up to be for artists? Even before the recent closure of Berlin’s theatres and galleries due to coronavirus, life in the German capital was getting tougher for artists. © Luke Troynar Bicultural Urbanite Luke The harbour life Over the years, Berlin has increasingly become a hyped international hub for globalised living, a cool factor which can often overshadow the charms of the rest of Germany. I took a short trip north to get acquainted with the country’s second most populated city. © Mathea Millman Bicultural Urbanite Brianna Urban farming goes mainstream in Berlin Germany is a world leader when it comes to up-scaling sustainably grown produce. Foodtech entrepreneur Anne-Kathrin Kuhlemann is now taking "bio" to the next level, with her organic fish farm in the heart of Berlin. © Vijay Khurana Guest blogger Vijay Rediscovering a favourite Berlin haunt Time away from Berlin helped Australian writer Vijay Khurana realise what he truly loved about it. One landmark in particular sums up his attraction to the city’s unique opportunities. © Brianna Summers Bicultural Urbanite Brianna From hackers to hipsters: co-working in Berlin While many early co-working spaces were set up in the United States, Berlin also had a hand in the development of this global trend. Today the German capital hosts countless mixed offices, from creative community clubhouses to slick franchises. 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