Exploring Berlin!

  Starting around 08:30 local time I heard an initial explosion and took the first picture of this building.  The initial explosion was followed by 3 to 4 additional explosions of different size, with the shockwave of the largest being felt at my location.  For reference, the picture was taken with 5x zoom.  I can't find any details yet on what has happened, but sirens have been heading toward the area all morning.  I believe I heard some sirens before the blast, possibly indicating a fire had started before the first explosion, but I didn't realize the event was taking place until I was startled by the first loud explosion. Update: 09:18 - The smoke is decreasing rapidly, and there have been no further explosions.  It does appear the fire fighting teams are struggling to get water higher into the building with the equipment that has currently arrived at the scene. I have not witnessed any air support for the fire.  Currently the seem to be limited to ...

Echoes of an Artist, Flavors of Today: A Journey Through Berlin's Kollwitzplatz There are places in Berlin where history isn’t just confined to museums; it’s etched into the cobblestones, whispered by the rustling leaves of plane trees, and reflected in the faces of the people who call it home. Kollwitzplatz, the beating heart of the charming Prenzlauer Berg district, is one such place. It’s more than just a square; it’s a living monument, a bustling marketplace, and a culinary destination, all rolled into one irresistible corner of the German capital. As you step off the M2 tram at Knaackstraße and walk the few meters to the square, the first thing you’ll notice is the sound. It’s a gentle hum of life: the laughter of children tumbling on the sprawling playground, the clinking of coffee cups from sidewalk cafés, the cheerful chatter of shoppers at the weekly market. It feels peaceful, almost idyllic. But like Berlin itself, this tranquility is layered upon a profound and often tur...

  Berlin's most refined culinary square where Kaisers once lived Step off the U4 at Viktoria-Luise-Platz and you'll find yourself in what feels like Berlin's best-kept secret—a hexagonal oasis of Gründerzeit elegance where the fountain serves as an outdoor bathtub for both children and dogs, where Billy Wilder lived in the 1920s, and where some of the city's most authentic Austrian schnitzel is served steps from a legendary design school that's been empowering creative minds for over 150 years. Unlike the tourist-packed squares of Mitte, Viktoria-Luise-Platz operates on Berlin neighborhood time. Here, young teens from the neighbouring Lette-Verein, the design-school, have their coffee-break at sidewalk cafes, while elderly Berliners claim the same fountain-side benches they've occupied for decades. The square feels like a film set for "how cultured Europeans live"—except it's completely real, and the coffee is excellent. Where Austrian emperors ...

  Berlin's most authentic food market experience The first time you smell grilled mackerel mingling with fresh-baked strudel at 10am on a Saturday, you'll understand why Berliners have been gravitating to Winterfeldtplatz market for over a century. While tourists crowd into Markthalle Neun for Instagram-worthy shots, locals fill their wicker baskets here with wild mushrooms, artisanal marmalades, and produce that tastes like it was plucked from Brandenburg soil that morning—because it probably was. This isn't just another European farmers market. Winterfeldtplatz represents something increasingly rare: a genuine neighborhood institution where elegant Schöneberg matrons haggle over organic asparagus alongside Turkish families buying herbs for weekend feasts , where the fish griller knows his regulars by name, and where you can still pay €2 for a currywurst that rivals any trendy food hall version at triple the price. The red-brick church signals you've arrived at Berl...