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Talking about cool bars and hangouts in Berlin, you definitely cannot miss this place! The Monkey bar is located on the top floor of the 25h hotel in Berlin (Budapester Str. 40) next to the Zoologischer Garten.

Just the main hall itself it’s nice to see, as depicted in the photos below. But then when you take the lift and go up, what you find in the bar it’s just amazing. You have a panoramic view of the whole zoo, with huge windows and the sitting places facing them. It’s bright and very nicely decorated, the atmosphere of the place is very cool.

You can go there any day of the week to have a coffee or a cocktail, and they also offer snacks and small dishes (I had falafel myself and it was a big plate and it tasted really good). But if you are in the mood for a big meal, you should also check out Neni restaurant, which is at the opposite end of the corridor where the lift is. I can’t talk about the restaurant from my experience because I haven’t been inside (yet), but it is always fully booked and I heard very nice opinions about it.

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If you have still some days left after your course finishes, or you are staying in the city longer, I think this is a must-do that should be crossed on your list as soon as possible.

Cheers,

Andrea

Trennbare Verben

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During the last days of the A1.1 course it got a little bit trickier (but also more interesting!). One of my favourite grammar topics so far are the trennbare Verben, verbs that always go with a preposition before the verb on the infinitive form, but that you have to split when conjugating them.

This can seem like a big headache, because the preposition goes at the end of the sentence, therefore you don’t know the exact meaning until you hear the very last word. But that challenge is what makes it interesting too. Also, these verbs that we have learnt are most of them about transportation and getting around, so it has been a very useful lesson to understand most of the warning signs and spoken messages when using the public transport in Berlin.

Did you know about the existence of these verbs? I can’t wait to learn more on the next level!

Cheers,

Andrea

Shopping time

13_Bikini_Berlin_01Until today I have been recommending you activities and places to visit related to culture or exercising, so maybe it is time to talk about more trivial stuff: shopping time!

When it comes to decide where to go shopping, although every neighbourhood has its own shopping malls and big stores, there are two main commercial centres: Alexanderplatz and Kurfürstendamm straße. DeutschAkademie has two locations, each of them right next to these areas.

Alexanderplatz is more about huge department stores and shopping malls, all of them gathered around the main square, that’s why it’s so convenient. You don’t have to walk far to find everything you need.

On the other hand, Kurfürstendamm straße has a wider variety of shops, but most of them are located in ground floors, facing the street. The disadvantage is that you have to walk more and when the weather is not nice probably is not comfortable to be carrying many bags.

But what I really like about this area next to Zoologischer Garten is the shopping Centre Bikini Berlin. It was refurbished recently, and the inner wall was replaced by a huge glass window that allows you to see the zoo (the monkey’s area) from the main hall. Moreover, the stores that you can find have been delicately chosen to meet the standards of good design, innovation and amazing visuals. The whole place runs under this desire of being innovative, magic and to offer an extraordinary shopping experience. They even have a garden on top, from where you can also see a panorama of the zoo and find more shops.

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On the whole, I think they accomplished their goal to offer a different and out of the ordinary experience. Even if it’s just to see the place and have a coffee, I would 100% recommend you to visit it before you leave Berlin!

Cheers,

Andrea