Only in Berlin

Admittedly, there is everything here that is found elsewhere and of course vice versa. Nothing really unusual. Except maybe...

According to the Senate Administration, there are three rats per inhabitant. The sparrow ratio has not been calculated. In our perception, it must be at least 10:1. In the west, as they say here, there are fewer and fewer in many areas, e.g. in Cologne. They all must be here and behave like parts of the human immigrants, like animals. They even follow us into our favorite pizzeria, steal our bread and cannot be caught.

The Prenzlauer Berg is said to have a particularly high density of strollers and birth rate. But apparently, the Prenzlauer Berg is everywhere. The legendary Kreuzberg is no exception.

We visit a real Italian ice cream parlor there, recommended by the B.Z., which only uses natural ingredients. The ice cream tastes very good, by the way, and accordingly the business is doing well.

We find a seat on a bench outside and sit there for half an hour. In the minute intervals, stroller-pushing, predominantly German-born people pass by who are either pregnant again or taming balance bike children. The average age is around 30 with a university degree.

Hardly out of their rebellious age, they are already totally normal. We imagine that some of them spent nights in dive bars and smeared walls on their way home just five years ago, now they complain about noise and cyclists. Why should they have it better than us?

What else is abundant? Apparently, a lot of space, even though the population is approaching four million.

For example, the ruins of the former listening station on the Teufelsberg are known from commercials and TV crime dramas. We don't have to go that far. Right across the street is the former BLUB fun bath. In the 80s, it was a real hot spot for families with children. Today, it is a real hot spot for homeless people, skaters, and vandals who disappear into the bushes when darkness falls, with plenty of cheap beer.

The operation was shut down around the turn of the millennium. Sometime last year, a fence was finally put up around it. Too late and not enough. The buildings were already largely destroyed and are now being finished off. The fence has long been knocked down again. A housing project has been on hold for five years.

Then there is the Spreepark in Treptow. Here too, a fence was the only construction measure in the last 10 years. A complete amusement park from the GDR and post-reunification era is slowly merging and is only used for filming at best.

This is getting a bit long. We will continue to report. Finally, a look at the city's unique range of goods.