a substitude for garage sales

another thing I loved about Melbourne were the garage sales in hidden backlanes, on sunny sundays with a hot coffee in a cardbord cup...
How happy was I to notice a poster announcing a Flohmarkt in Nippes! A Flohmarkt is a like a big garage sale, a flea market, where people have stands and sell pretty much every thing. Of course they are the best places for vintage hunters and of course, there are always more professional stalls that sell well sorted rarities...well, what can I say, I got some more animal jewelry: Beautiful art deco clip earrings

Berlin, Baby!

besides the internship at the Kulturkirche, I started working for the interfilm shortfilm festival, I head over to the capital whenever I have a few days without off. Thank god, that my good friend Claudi is doing an internship there and gives me shelter every once in a while.
Berlin was said to be a cheap city, one of the cheapest European capitals, but when I trying to find a place to live I was suprised that this is not the case.
Especially compared to Melbourne, rents are similar if not higher, eating out can be cheap, but is not as good as in Melbs and the lattes are larger but cost their dollar prices in euro.
The worst thing about Berlin is the dialect of the locals, though. Claudi, who lives in Vienna and me mock that the most. Charme is realy not a characteristic of Berlinians...

coffee cologne

By now I know most of the cafes aound Cologne Nippes. My favourite on is a tiny coffee roaster Kaffeebaum at Baudri Platz. It is the only cafe that has regularly the Süddeutsche Zeigung and you get a choclate coffee bean with your latte macchiato - yum! Plus, it smells sooooo good and homely for freshly roasted coffee.
The other day I went for coffee with my sister, at a tiny coffe bar down Neusser str., which I later found out is a cafe chain! Hmpf, but it is cheap, the staff friendly and the interior is painted in a beautifully soothing dark green.

The other day we went for a real German breakfast at Bastians in the city. Allegedly the best bread in town, huge breakfasts but rather pricy... and you get a cooky with the emblem of the bakery - very aristocratic

Kultur in der Kirche

Keeping track of the European gigs of my two very favorite bands Bat for Lashes and Beirut, I noticed that both of them were playing in the same venue in Cologne: The Kulturkirche.
Since my sister lives close by neede a house sitter because she went off to India with her husband, the conditions were perfect for yet another internship.
Said - done, after an interview with the pastor, I started as assistant to the event technician. The very day before I started they hosted the Eins Live Radio Concert with the Arctic Monkeys!
It is an actual church that is still used as such. Only that there are massive speakers hanging from the walls, spotlights rigged high above the church benches and a bar in the back. And, of course, the stage. Sometimes, when there are too many concerts in a row and we do not have time to bump it out, they are having weddings and baptisms on stage.
A great lotta concerts and shows ahead, check out their programme and pay them a visit if you are around!