#56

Welcome on board our Orania.Airlines tour! We are happy to have you with us today and wish you a pleasant two hours trip around the world.

That might sound funny at first, but there´s no other place in Germany you actually get that close to something like that. You probably didn´t know that Sambia is just one kilometre away from Columbia, did you? 

On our long walk on the southern and eastern side of Tiergarten we pass no less than 133 embassies, the diplomatic representations of countries and their cultures. We might also get to see some popular photo motifs – Mexico for example gives us a feeling of “Wings of Desire“.

Wow, this year spring has made us wait for some time indeed! But now the colours have finally returned to the city.

One of the places to best see this is Park at Gleisdreieck. Fancy a little work out? There is hardly any other place in Berlin offering as many possibilities for outdoor sports as this spacious park in our district of Kreuzberg.

If you are more up for some entertainment, the recommendation of the day is: Steglitz. First of all we visit famous German actor Dieter Hallervorden at his Schlosspark Theater. The light comedies starring him or his son Johannes are unfortunately just shown in German without surtitles. But we might enjoy the evening about Serge Gainsbourg with actor and singer Dominique Horwitz – it´s been a while since we last heard the French singer-songwriter´s chansons (© photo: DERDEHMEL/Urbschat).

There´s another cultural treasure to discover right next to the theatre: Adria Filmtheater. The cinema was rebuilt in 1952 after its destruction during World War II and still spreads authentic fifties´ vibes. The extra-wide leather seats and the modern technical equipment, though, speak the language of 2023. Apart from some carefully chosen movies of the regular programme, every first Saturday of the month you can watch “Berlin wie es war” (Eng.: Berlin as it once was) as a matinee. The documentary of 1950 shows pictures of the capital during the 1930s – that might be interesting for those of you with an interest in history, even though the comments are in German.

And now we need a break. At this very moment! And the reason for this need is: we are standing in front of the – a little bit hidden – entrance of Café Baier on Schlossstraße. The most wonderful cakes compete for our attention with the old-fashioned, but welcoming interior of the lovely café on the first floor. Without a reservation we will probably have to have a little patience – Café Baier as a charmingly unusual oasis of peace amongst all the shoppers of Steglitz is no longer an insider tip.

When was the last time you took the kids to Museum für Naturkunde? Museum Sunday, the first Sunday of every month, could be a good opportunity – the admission is free, the popularity is great, especially among children.

We were especially pleased to see Museum für Naturkunde stand up against the discrimination of the non-drawing part of humanity. For Open Museum Studio in the Microscopy Centre (for example on 17 May) all of us are invited, who love touching the exhibits, having a closer look at them and trying to put them on paper – even though it usually doesn´t work. 

“The offer is aimed at visitors of all ages, explicitly also at those who think they cannot draw.” 

Doesn´t that warm your pencil allergic heart, too? 

We have to tell this to the rest of the Orania.Team immediately! Even though among them there are some very talented (secret) artists. How is it with you regarding drawing and painting? We are looking forward to your stories when we meet again at Orania.Berlin!