Strandbar in Mitte and Friedrichshain

Strandbar

On Friday night, the Gerlitz gang and I hopped into their car and headed towards Mitte for a night of dancing.

The Strandbar regularly offers dance classes - Argentinian tango, chacha, swing, waltz, salsa, etc. - on their open-air dance floor for about 5€ a person. On this particular night we learned the Charleston swing. After about an hour, most of us had the gist of it and the DJ started playing some tracks. We all had fun switching partners and learning different variations on the swing steps until late in to the night. 

If you like dancing, learning new things, or just like watching people dance, I'd highly recommend checking this place out. There are some really impressive "regulars" who come here and their passion of dance is inspiring!

Pit Stop in Kreuzberg

On Saturday I headed towards Kreuzberg to meet up with Neema. He brought me to a postcard shop (keep an eye on your mailboxes, people - I've finally sent a batch of mail out!) in the Bermannstraße and then we also stumbled upon Trödelmarkt Marheinekeplatz, or flea market at Marheinekeplatz, with some pretty amazing things. We walked through before making our way to the S-Bahn.

Friedrichshain

On our real agenda that day was an Ausflug to Friedrichshain for a festival. After quick S-Bahn trip and walk, we arrived at Urban Spree - an artistic space with courtyard that hosts various artists and cultural events. This weekend's event was an Italo Festival featuring italian food and drink, as well as a contemporary artist in the gallery. 

Photo cred: tacifigueiredo

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Rylsee "Other Box" exhibition

After exploring the grounds and meeting some of Neema's friends from the Uni, we made our way to a Späti to buy some beers to enjoy next to the Spree river. At the Späti, they will open your beer for you - and you can consume alcohol in public, even walking down the street or in a park.

We chose a spot along the Spree that had a lush patch of grass on which to sit. On one side, we had a view of motorboats passing under the Oberbaumbrücke bridge, and on our other side, was a section of the Berlin Wall near the Wall Museum. Artists are invited here to create their art on the wall - much of which has an underlying political message. 

What a fun little weekend of adventures - now today, Sunday, is for relaxen!