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I can't since I don't know all of Germany, but what I realized when I was there 5 years ago, that in the inner city I heard more English than German, so it wouldn't surprise me if there are actually some bars there where they don't speak German.

great video

Being born and raised in Cologne (23 years), also having lived in Freiburg (2 years) I can confirm that Berlin is BY FAR the most international city in Germany. Many Berliners say what they think, good or bad. What you see is what you get. That is certainly different to the rest of Germany...

As the headquarters of DW is located in Bonn I guess you know the term "Kölsche Klüngel" and what that means. In Berlin and especially in the former West Berlin, you have to multiply the "Kölsche Klüngel" to imagine how Politics did work over there. As long as West Berlin was an exclave of the BRD, it was highly subsidized. In the early 1980th, I signed a work contract with a company in West Berlin and even I got a bunch of subsidizes (e.g. a fully furnished apartment, tax reductions, cheaper flight tickets and so on and so on). If you think the Köln Messe or the Köln Sparkasse was a big fault, look the Berliner Bank case up. The whole political class in West Berlin was used to be subsidized since the end of WW2. With that in mind, imagine what it does to them and how revolutionary it is for them to change that mindset. Instead of making Berlin attractive to big companies, they ask for more support and behaved as everyone must come to Berlin and they are the ones who decided if a company is worth to come. After they did realize that this way to build up a successful city must fail, they change their targets but not their behavior. So they ended up, with an economy that produces mostly small paid jobs and labeled that one poor but sexy. In reality, it is not more than a big lie. With such a concept you will (and that is what did happen to Berlin) relay more and more on subsidies instead of being able to live on your own economy. To camouflage your own faults it is and always was a good idea to blame others and that is what Berlins politicians have cultivated to the max. Only one small example. In Frankfurt, they had found a WW2 bomb some month ago, after the experts did check the situation and said that there is no need to act at once, the city decided to disarm the bomb at a Sunday because that did harm the economy the least. Not so far later the same thing hapend in Berlin, but they decided to disarm the bomb on Friday. (Because that gives folks the opportunity of a longer weekend?) Yes, Berlin did have its disadvantages after WWII, but tomorrow is the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall. After WWII Bavaria was a state that had an economy mostly driven by agriculture and so Bavaria was a collector in the Länderfinanzausgleich. But 30 years later, Bavaria was at the edge of becoming a contributor to the Länderfinanzausgleich and than the Bavarian MP did invent the "Zonenrandgebiet" and that one keeps Bavaria on the receiving side. It was so important to him, that he even helps the GDR to get a credit worth a billion DM so that the GDR could exist a bit longer. To make that clear, both ways are the same kind. They cheat the whole system to claim an advantage for their own group. But the Berlin way is endless, while the Bavarian way did only by them a small amount of time. To answer your question. Berlin is different from the rest of Germany because they even did not have the feeling that they must live on their own economy. The mindset of Berlin seems to be that we other Germans did owe them the billions we transfer every year. Miss Steward try to imagine what will happen in Canterbury or Colchester if Greater London would act as Berlin did.

Abcflc, Not only NYC. Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Las Vegas and even Chicago seem very cosmopolitan as well. On the other hand, big cities such as Washington D.C., Philadelphia or Dallas appear more nationally inward-oriented.

Not really; NYC is an immigrant area, just like the rest of the USA except perhaps for various Indian reservations. If you live in NY, Newark, Philadelphia or even Boston it's pretty much the same. DC is a bit different from the USA but even that isn't all that very different. DC is much more like the rest of the USA than Berlin is to Germany.

A lot more of a Portland feel. NYC has Wall Street. Frankfurt is more like Manhattan.

Could NYC been a city in any other country than the US? I dont' think so. Berlin also couldn't be anywhere else than Germany and it is not a giant difference to Hamburg in size or cultural and nightlife aspects. Leipzig is also often described as the "better Berlin" or the "new Berlin". I like Berlin but it's not so unique and outstanding as the Berliners and the press sometimes pretend they are

@@r.mcdichnich1979 Berlins history makes the city so unique, you won't find a place like this. Berlin was built on a drained swamp in the middle of grasslands, fields and forests and was a political and economical unsignificant city among many other big-german speaking cities like Frankfurt, Vienna, Cologne, Hamburg, Munich. But the industrialisation has transformed Berlin into the most innovative economical powerhouse as well as the cultural and political capital of the German Empire. Berlin was the third largest city on earth in the Golden Twenties, before becoming the center of evil. After the almost complete destruction, Berlin was divided and partly isolated for over 30 years. This goddamn city has seen so much, from miraculous ascents to terrible downfalls. But the soul of Berlin never died. And that's definitely unique and outstanding.

not really, berlin is more like that strange punk kid who has friends rather outside of school and usually does it's own thing

Berlin really shouldn't be the capital. Bonn was a much better choice.

HAHAHA

Compare Berlin to any other German city with > 1 m inhabitants and you'll see that rents are cheap in Berlin. Compare Berlin to any other West European capital with > 2 m inhabitants and you'll even find rents very cheap in Berlin...

​@@notroll1279 All German cities (Munich included) are cheap compared to prices in London!

@@notroll1279 well I guess you are actually a troll as just state some unsubstantiated "facts"... Okay, since you not even bothered to look up some statistics I did this for you: Average rent in German cities >1M: Munich: 23,03€/m² Berlin: 15,11€/m² Hamburg: 13,47€/m² Cologne: 13,39€/m² So what are you talking about dude?! Get your facts straight next time...

@@AsselParty Would you be so kind to name your sources?

Maybe the topic needs a whole episode for it self.

"If you happen to be addicted to drugs such as cannabis, cocaine or LSD, you will always manage to locate a generally friendly drug dealer at Warschauer Straße or Görlitzer Park who will help you out. And once you make it into one of the more exclusive clubs, you better have a vast knowledge of controlled substances before you partake in what's offered to you."

Berlin seems perfect then I love doing drugs But in a smart way

@@kostam.1113 I am not a doctor but I believe in researchers and expert's opinions, and by them, there is no smart way to do drugs. Let's not glorify using drugs! If you like it and know the cost of your life, do it but don't act as you are cool to take drugs.

@@samkhpak I'll stop drinking my morning coffee then

I give you one year

@@hanszimmer9224 And then?

@Jannis Kiesewalter No strong feelings but Berlin is mainly a block of concrete with people completly disconnected from themselves and the nature which materializes in a destructive party culture. They basicly sold their heritage and culture to McDonalds & Co. to become the USA 2.0.

@Jannis Kiesewalter But the main issue is that Berlin lives in the past. Berlin is poorly developed comparing to other countries in Germany and the EU. Even less developed than most of the countryside in south Germany. "And all this talk of tradition is stupid. What traditions and culture are we supposed to keep up? this sentence is already so extremly typical (north) german.

It's Weimar Germany all over again. Europe's sin capital. And then for no reason at all...

Spaceman danke, es war sportlich 😅😅

Hey what does that mean)

@@krateproductions4872 I don't know lol

Those are the tourists :-)

Sounds Exactly like Amsterdam, a tourist place where all foreign languages resides except for the other cities in The Netherlands.

@@vanessas2454 and migrants

not the case, and those who don't are tourists.

Germany doesn’t even have that many migrants. Germany is like 80 something percent German, 90 percent German/European, and only like 9 to 10 percent actually come from outside of Europe. Diversity is almost non-existent in most parts of Germany. So I don’t even know what there is to complain about. You got like 100s of other cities and small towns where there mostly only Germans.

Yeah cheap rent compared to say Munich go compare

@@IainMcGirr I thought rent is the most expensive in Berlin. Especially that there is a shortage of housing in Berlin. Anyway, is rent cheaper than Hambourg or even cheaper than Hanover? Thanks!

@@Muhamedim Only expensive if you want to or HAVE to live in the trendy areas of the East such as kreuzberg everywhere else it massively cheaper than other major cities Cologne Munich anywhere in Baden Wuttenberg ...and yeah I have lived in these areas to compare .. Munich is the MOST expensive city in Germany fact check it out.

@@IainMcGirr thanks

Yeah it's almost dirt cheap in comparison to cities like Frankfurt.

Tesla is going to build a giga factory in Brandenburg, maybe that's the beginning of a new era.

Thanks for the effort, much appreciated

@@Gerico9008 Indeed a new era for German auto-industrie.

A very good explanation. I way too often see people complain about the länderfinanzausgleich and how berlin is a net negative in the overall german economy when its not berlins fault for having suffered the worst in the past century, in ww2 and under soviet occupation. It gets my blood boiling when some hinterwäldler whose home town never had to face such destruction/hardship complains that 0.01% of his taxes go to this great, unique city.

it's a little bit like Madrid in the Middle of nowhere :P

Geht nix über friesisch Klartext, sach ich ma'.

Meanwhile, I cant think of a more depressing city than Bremen. And I live in Bremen

@@michaeldemse3944 Really?? I found it beautiful and a place I would live in. Berlin it's depressing, full of graphitti.

Natalie Muñoz thank you for standing up for my hometown 😂 Bremen

@@stepa3442 Bremen rules!! 👍 Ich liebe Bremen 😍 Saludos desde Chile 🇨🇱

vishu sharma Hi Vishu, wow thank you for all these ideas! What have you noticed about studying in Germany? That could be a really good episode :)

@@RachelStewart04 Hi Rachel, everyone knocks on the desk after the lecture is over (to thank the Prof). All exchange students find that weird.

@@florenceching So they do it elsewhere as well ? Interesting....

@@user-et8vm9cc3t you meant where? :)

@@florenceching Not just in Baden-Württemberg.

Thank you!

Valerian Ardelean 😁

Cred că cineva vrea să emigreze;)))

DarkRuins Dankeschön 😁

facts, it has its charm

Thamindu kavinda thanks so much! 😃

Thank you!

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We upload a new episode every second Wednesday! :)

Thank you - we will! :D

@M Stop underestimating the issue.

@@multiversalman4270 70 percent of Berlin is german. 80 percent is white

@@multiversalman4270 berlin is far less diverse than for example London or Paris, so shush

@@PodcastCentral333 not gonna lie, I've been there myself and in some places it's like a city in the Middle East. Not what I expected tbh.

@@johniewalker4356 uhm?? where exactly in Berlin, the most white city of all major European capitals, made you that "it's like a city in the Middle East" ???

Nobody believes whatever East Frisians say. Turks do drink a lot of tea. And they grow their own. And they have their own system of constantly re-supplying tea & hot water over the whole day. I would guess in Turkey (including Berlin of course) more tea is drunk than in East Frisia.

Frisia is on my list to visit. It's supposed to be the area with an historic connection to England. The Dutch Frisian being the closest Germanic language cousin to English. Perhaps that could explain the tea drinking? :-)

You guys speak Frisian right? I think they might have trouble getting material.

@@tompatterson1548 In East Frisia, lots of us speak Low German, but most of us speak High German (the standard one) in daily life. There are only a few older people who might struggle with High German.

But what is typical Canadian?

Oh, isn't Toronto a US town? :)))

i'm from Montréal and i felt like i was in Canada for the first time in my life when i visited Toronto

Nah, Toronto is still extremely Canadian.

@@trevbarlow9719 I heard it's very multicultural. Maybe that's what he meant. But most people in Canada are immigrants, aren't they?

Berlin is, for a german city, very dirty. Trash and graffiti is everywhere

Uh, if Berlin is clean in comparison to Greece, you should seriously start tidying up your country.

@@TigruArdavi I visited Berlin from NYC. It's so much cleaner lol

Many people said that German Empire should have won WW I

Gecko Lia Das ist ja ne interessante Mischung aus deutsch und englisch die du da benutzt :D

There is only one stereotype one should know about Berlin, because it's the most fitting one: freeloader. Berlin is like a person who refuses to work for his living but still wants to have all the benefits of doing a good job. Without the money of Bavaria Berlin would be nothing but a slum.

i think many of these things intesified due to the Berliner Mauer, the knowledge that every day the russians could just annex west berlin lead to a "fuck all that serious shit, lets have some fun" mentallity.

@@christianhoffmann8252 berlin, like paris, should be pushed into the sea

Don't live in Berlin if you are unemployed for christ's sake! Go to a village and live way cheaper.

@@LuisaH2022 what about a job seeker visa holder. Who have degree in mechanical engineering but can't speak German properly.

@@safhadkhan2427 it depends on the company you work for

@@safhadkhan2427 Try it in the southwest of Germany, first of all, they are looking for guys like you and second they label themselves with the sentence: We master everything, except high-german, so you have something in common with them. God luck.

@@lotharschepers2240 thanks very helpful

What’s bremen like?

@@tompatterson1548 Bremen has a bit of a run down character, especially in the residential areas in the centre. This is not your rich, well-to-do city like you'll find in Munich or Hamburg, more working class than middle class. That's not to say that people there don't try to keep the place neat and tidy. They are quite laid back, very tolerant of others, very accepting and even generous to others not as fortunate as them. For instance I've seen whole still working stereos and TVs standing in the street with a sign, "for free". They didn't stand there for long. My daughter lives there and swears that it's the wettest place in Germany. I can't second that, every time I've been there it has only ever rained in the night, if at all.

Why don't you feel comfortable in German cities I'm curious?

@@enea_7280 Apart from Berlin and Bremen, over the years I've also lived in Braunschweig, Nuremberg, Erlangen, Cologne, Potsdam, Stuttgart and also in a few villages near these places. I suppose they're all okay in their own way if you have a more or less standard life style. But ask those people who don't, the ones tattooed head to foot, the ones with unusual dress codes, the squatters insisting on living in abandoned breweries in protest against rising rents, the ones with out of the ordinary careers, the drag queens, the living statues, in principle all those people who make a city interesting to live in. Berlin is one of the few places I know where the people show huge tolerance towards such people and in so doing make the city an interesting place to live. All the others are rather boring in comparison.

Hi, what gave you frustration?

You hear a lot of Arab especially...

@@julien.s2002 Definetly in Sonnenallee. But in the good places you don't.

Maybe in the central scene districts because many students live there. But outside of those, it's a very German city. Also, Berlin has only an average share (35%) of people with a migration background.

so many place where you even have to order in english because ppl don't speak german sometimes, which is a bit strange, but aight i guess

Where Angela Merkel lives. She has the equivalent of 10 Downing Street to live in but chooses not to.

It’s insulting to compare the rest of Germany to Texas 💀

@@snowwhite4133 Unfortunate you feel that way. I recommend learning more about why I made the comparison so that hopefully you feel less insulted by my comment. texasheritageforliving.com/texas-living/how-german-immigrants-shaped-texas/

@@snowwhite4133 no, it's true

@@Nopebrbra it’s not

@@snowwhite4133 yes, it's true. Most Germans are conservative. Yes

@Andrew Jones Brandenburg state for example does not have the infrastructure that North Rhine-Westphalia or other regions in Germany have. However, an increase of the population within the commuter belt (we call it "Bacon Belt" 🥓) around Berlin can already be observed.

US and Soviets wants to start a conversation with you

Rest assured for every club or bar that has a queue there are 50 that dont. ;)

@Tagedieb Not Berliners but tourist. I never waited for hours rather we would go to another club. We do have enough.

white people be like

@@user-kl1yj7ml6b what

What I heard about, the TU in Braunschweig Germany has a really good reputation.

Berlin is not german anymore

Go home

Welcome to Germany. Enjoy your stay and have fun. We germans might be a bit shy at first, but we will be great friends! :)

The thing is, the standards of "clean" is very poor in Middle East you can actually find anywhere else clean. I visited Cairo and I understand.

Thanks for being such a loyal fan! :-)

Hope we didn't keep you waiting too long! Do you have any topics you think we should cover?

Also funny while being informative 😍

"live" is always a word you can stretch. You can probably "live" in the deepest village in Germany, it is just much harder than in a big city, you can point with your fingers on things. What I would say is, if you plan on living there long time you want to learn the language or you will always feel isolated and not part of the country.

Nah, it's basically a myth. You can surely get around with English as a tourist but if you want to live there you should definitely have a basic knowledge of the German language. It's not a English speaking city.

@@theodorkorner1497 yeah i heard Germany dubs every foreign medias, it's why Germany & Austria have lower English skill than the NL or Scandinavia

explain

ang el stereotypes

You'll question this reputation until you meet some non-Germans ;)

@Ehan7 This is hard to answer, so check out the food scene of the different german cities on the internet and let yourself be inspired.👩‍🍳👨‍🍳

@@dweuromaxx i am professional chef which city is good for me?

Do you live here? 🙂

@@dweuromaxx No, I live in Stockholm, Sweden (so boring!) but I used to spend my vacations in Berlin for more than ten years in a row. The pandemic prevented me from visiting the city lately. 😢

We hope to welcome you back soon, then 🙂

@@dweuromaxx Oh yes, I already booked hotel and fight tickets for the CSD in Berlin. 🌈

I feel for ya. I'm third generation German American. I can't stand what's happened there. And here now.

Silanokaumirale ah interesting! I’m on my way to Berlin now, so I’ll pay more attention to the architecture :)

@@RachelStewart04 Okay cool :D enjoy your trip.

Unlike most German cities, Berlin doesn't have a medieval or early modern core. Practically everything you see today is 19th century or younger. It's nowhere near as dense as a Medieval city center. It always had space to grow into the surroundings.

I imagine being leveled in WWII created a necessity for the "very modern buildings."

​@@eljanrimsa5843and also because most of the city was bombed during WW2

As well as NY.

Berlin is more like Brighton though. It is much more decadent than London.

Decadent in what sense? 😀

Thanks for your thoughts, Andy :)

Sure you can find German culture and lifestyle in Berlin, but it's more diverse than the rest of Germany.

@@dweuromaxx " Diverse," I bet you don't want an honest opinion on this, do you?

@@dweuromaxx I dont want it to be too diverse tho I want it to be mostly German and that to be well preserved and respected

Im English I dont mind having a small amount of different people in my society but too many leads to too many problems If I go to Madrid , I want it to be overwhelmingly Spanish If I go to Lagos , I want it to be massively Nigerian Mass immigration brings just too too much difference, that gradually eradicates the indiginous peoples from their own towns and cities Excessive disersity is actually hateful on the natives of a country Its like saying : you *must* be less hindu, buddist or Christian, or you *must* be less German , Italian, or Korean etc etc So... *NO* Too much "diversity" in the longer term is actually ethnocidal of indiginous peoples and their cultures

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Yes, Berlin is not "poor but sexy" but poor and dirty despite they get an awful lot shoved up their's.

Well, berlin suffered the most out of all the german cities in ww2 and the cold war. So its only reasonable that it gets financial aid by parts of the country that were less afflicted by warfare/soviet occupation.

Not really, been to Mexico city and 4 other cities in Mexico. People act pretty similar.

@@JosueLopez-kk9us Too bad Hernan Cortez ruined it.

Melbourne is a village