There’s one thing my coach never tired of saying to me: “Hau den Ball ins Tor hinein!” – best translated with: “Just slam it into the back of the net!” What did yours used to say to you? What about this one: “I want to see you struggle!” Well, professionals in the Bundesliga are hearing this one a lot at this decisive point in the season: and it’s their own fans who are saying it.

The relationship between players and fans in the Bundesliga is simmering just below boiling point this season. After Hannover’s goalkeeper Robert Enke, suffering from a severe depression and trying to hide it from public view, ended up committed suicide in November of last year, Bundesliga officials, players and fans have been talking a lot about developing an atmosphere of respect, care and recognition – but these last six months have not seen these words become reality.

After having to endure five months of the coldest winter to date, everyone was elated to see that at last, the weatherman had remembered Berlin.

I love the spring, and I have a special way of welcoming it with ice cream. If I manage to eat an entire ice cream without my fingers freezing off, I know that the weather is not just an April Fools’ joke. Every year I try out a new ice cream parlor.

Last year, it was the well-known Dolce Freddo at Nollendorfplatz in Berlin–original ice cream produced by Italians.

The other day I was strolling through the streets of my neighbourhood, when I made an exceptional discovery. On the other side of the street I saw a colorful chaos that usually would be used as a store. It raised my eyebrows though because it did not seem to be selling anything. As I came closer, I could decipher the name of this place: “Art X-Berg – The Smallest Movie Theater in the Universe.“ Someone had transformed a store into a cinema/museum dedicated to film. The decorated window front was covered with newspaper articles, large colorful drawings by children, and pictures of famous movie stars.

Looking into the window I got dizzy: This was the imaginatorium of a serious collector; he had everything that would delight any movie fan, all jammed together in one place. Of course I wanted to go inside and see what else belonged in his collection. But I was put to a halt by a red-and-white barrier with a note hanging from it that read “I’m out at the moment, call me.“

For some years now there has been an ongoing tug of war between two of Berlin’s hippest districts: Kreuzberg and Penzlauer Berg.

Which one deserves the title for the most popular district? As a happy Kreuzberger I have already made my choice, but I must admit that there are occasions when I get curious to see how green the grass is on the other side. So, last night I ate out at the infamous White Trash, a deluxe fast food venue in Prenzlauer Berg.

When I first heard the name I had to chuckle. Oh my, what was I to expect?! On my way there, I made the fatal mistake of asking people for directions to “White Trash.“ They all either gave me a funny look or mumbled something like “Is she serious?“

Yesterday, I rediscovered Berlin’s hippest district: Kreuzberg. Initially, this post was solely dedicated to interesting bookstores in Kreuzberg, but on my expedition through the streets, I came across a lot more than just bestsellers and second-hand books.

Let me begin with a brief recapitulatation of Kreuzberg’s history. Kreuzberg, which means “cross-mountain“, is divided into two area codes. During the time of the Berlin Wall, three quarters of the southeastern part, also known as SO36, were closed off from the rest of Berlin. In this rather isolated area, the people living here cultivated their own culture. The majority of the people were foreigners, embracing the new symbiosis of Turkish, Persian, African and German culture. Today, more than 180 nationalities live in Kreuzberg, which makes this district a rare melting pot. On my search for interesting bookstores, I discovered a retro garage, a Persian candy factory and, of course, books en masse.

Sometimes, you could get the impression that Germany is just one big, sloppy mess. Well, that’s what you might think if don’t know much German. Even if you’re just past beginner stage, though, you could start to wonder if Germany is as modern and secular as it first appears: every city seems to have a huge “mass” that it’s very proud of. Yes, that’s right: no German city, even in the generally protestant North, is complete without its Messe.

Berlin is a growing metropolis known best for its originality. From world events like the annual film festival “Berlinale“ to the world’s best kept secret laundromat down the street, Berlin is home to everything your heart desires and everything your heart didn’t even know it desires.

In the past days, a couple of events and locations showed the internationality Berlin has in store, of which I find two worth mentioning. First, the Black History Month 2010 in Berlin, which exceeded all expectations, followed by my discovery of the laundromat slash event location named “Freddy Leck“.