#287: A better U8, Karneval der Kulturen ending?, Racing on Ku'Damm
A bike protest in the form of a star
Hey 20 Percent!
Sometimes when I complain about the state of Berlin, I wonder if the complaining isn’t just part of living in the Hauptstadt. But in the past two weeks I had two experiences that made me realize, no, this city-state is doing some things wrong.
I was visiting my son in Munich and needed to buy a subway ticket. I’m a sucker for an app so I downloaded the Munich transport app and quickly, easily and (first point for Munich) without having to create a login, bought a single-use public transport ticket. AND (second point for Munich), it was valid immediately. Not that embarrassing minutes wait to become valid in case I just bought it when I saw BVG’s ticket-checking thugs.
No sign up. No wait. Just a transit ticket. Imagine. So foreign to the capital of Europe’s biggest economy. Weird.
But buying single-use tickets seemed dumb to me considering the amount of travel I’ve been doing — there’s the Deutschlandticket, after all. I figured I’d buy one — again because of my fascination with apps — on BVG’s ticketing app. There’s a button but then it suddenly becomes very … Berlin. Once ordered, it’ll take days before it shows up in the app and, oh yeah, it’s only valid from the first day of the next month — as long as you order it by the 20th of the current month.
Really? In 2024? You can’t do it immediately? And you can’t pro-rate, BVG?
“The Hamburg app is supposedly the best,” Nicolas from allaboutberlin told me over beers one night. I tried it the next day. The HVV Switch app. You have to have a login, but that makes sense since the Deutschlandticket can’t be shared but after that it’s easy. The ticket is valid immediately. It’s pro-rated for the remainder of the current month and renews on the first of the following month.
Seriously BVG. You’re embarrassing yourself. And us.
Have a good, public transport-heavy weekend y’all!
Andrew
PS: As always, please visit this issue’s sponsor, KRAFTFUTTER below. I tried their grub and it’s good! And you can support us by upping your subsctiption to paid, by contributing on our Patreon or by picking up one of our new “German, Schmerman” coffee mugs where we poke fun as much at ourselves as well as the pesky German language.
Cleanliness, security campaign to be extended to entire U8
Although it looks like the BVG is getting at least this right it’s actually Berlin politicians who Thursday said they’d expand a three-month pilot to clean up a handful of U8 stations to the entire line — but only for another six months, according to taz. Cleaning as well as security teams have regularly patrolled stations between Hermanstrasse and Jannowitzbrücke since February. Commuters have lauded the improvement: 80% of 10,000 surveyed noticed positive changes while 96% of BVG employees liked the cleaner, safer stations.
Kreuzberg not so keen on Karneval
Cleanliness you say? That’s exactly the reason some Kreuzberg politicians are cooling on the annual Karneval der Kulturen. The event has become more of a boozy mass get-together than a celebration of cultures, according to Tagesspiegel (paywall). Some now want to banish it from the once-alternative borough, much as the Biermeile was verboten in 2020 after 23 years because it offered little other than … beer. The article hints that both sides are going to try to find a solution — less food and alcohol, perhaps, and more culture. The wildpinkeln (urinating everywhere) was apparently especially an issue with residents.
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Two dead in single-car crash on Tauentzienstr.
While Berlin politicians may be willing to clean up the U8 it bewilders me that they are unwilling to do anything about the non-stop, high-speed automotive shenanigans around the Ku’Damm that have now claimed a third life. A BMW travelling at a high rate of speed late Wednesday crashed into cement barriers in the median and then burst into flames, according to Tagesspiegel. An 18-year-old woman in the car died on the scene and a 27-year-old man died Friday from his injuries — prosecutors have filed charges for negligent homicide as well as illegal racing. The crash was near the site of another fatal collision where two men were racing and smashed into a Jeep, killing its driver, in 2016. Politicians then did nothing about the problem and told Tagesspiegel they won’t now. If you’ve ever lived in the area (as I once did), you know it’s a never-ending problem.
Factoid
Once a year the Berlin branch of the German cycling assocation (Allgemeiner Deutscher Fahrrad-Club) puts on a “Star Tour”— cyclists can set off on one of 20 routes from remote corners of Berlin Sunday morning and pedal down major thoroughfares and even Autobahns. This year the event is this Sunday — June 2. The routes all converge at the Siegessäule (Victory Column) in Tiergarten for a protest calling for better cycling infrastructure. For some reason the event always seemed a bit cringe to me, which has always made it that much more fun — riding on an Autobahn! And for a good purpose. PDF map with starting times/locations is here.
Germany-wide news
🛂 Syrians most common new Germans as citizenship jumps
🌲 Last Generation charged in Brandenburg with criminal conspiracy
🪛 Germans don’t work less, just have more diverse workforce
🎶 Italian pop song banned at Oktoberfest after Sylt
👮 Immigrant sentenced to life for double murder in train
👃 👃 Event recommend 👃 👃
Ever wanted to meet a perfume maker? Now’s your chance! Nick from GALLIVANT perfume will be at 20 Percent partner HEIPL BERLIN in Prenzlauer Berg Saturday, June 1, from 3pm to 6pm to present his latest creation during a prosecco reception. HEIPL BERLIN loves his Fragrances for Urban Explorers — unique olfactory interpretations of Berlin, London, Tokyo, Istanbul, Danzig and many other cities. 0% off all his scents from 3pm to 6pm, only in-shop and from current inventory. An event for an underused sense.
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I tried KRAFTFUTTER: It’s that good
Andrew from 20 Percent here. Whenever I cook for friends, I ignore their compliments and watch if they take seconds or thirds to judge how I did. And after trying all three KRAFTFUTTER meals from itsfoodism, I’ll be ordering some to keep in my freezer – regardless of whether they advertise with us again. It’s that good. Kraftfutter’s meals are high-protein, vegan meals that are organic too – for the weightlifter with a conscious. They sent me a six-pack with two each of Chili Billy (chili, duh), Prollo Bollo (Fusili with vegan Bolognese sauce) and Chicky Ricky (a Thai peanut chicken sate situation). I started with the chili, because it’s what I know. And it’s easily one of the two-best prepared vegan chilis I’ve had (and, as a kid of the Southwest, I’ve tried a lot). The spice mix is nice with more fire than you’d expect a German to add and though I was skeptical of the kidney beans (I prefer a mix of beans that has to include black), they were suitably soggy rather than sketchily crunchy and tastier than I expected. Carrots provided a surprising crunch to the chili – startling at first but then why does every chili have to be the same? The Prollo Bollo was up next and it’s as solid as a Bolognese can get while avoiding the too-tomatoey of most prepared SpagBols (ok it’s fusilli here but you know what I mean). The sunflower/pea protein fake meat played a starring role, as it should. The only disappointment came with the Chicky Ricky – I felt the peanut sauce needed more fire to offset the peanut sauce, which has a tendency to overwhelm. I split the meal with my wife because I’m trying to lose my corona pounds and there was more than enough – and my wife said I was wrong. Chicky Ricky is the best of the three, she said. Want vegan, high-protein meals? Kraftfutter is the answer. You’ll be going for seconds.
I loved the section Germany-wide news. All articles were really interesting. Please keep it on!
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