Hops & Barley: Best Bier in Berlin

 My brewer friend hooked me up with Hops & Barley in Friedrichshain a couple of weeks ago and now I cant get enough. Their cider is off. The. Hook. They brew in small batches so you rarely get the same choices, even if you return within the week, but I lucked out and got my cider 3 weeks in a row. SCORE! I took my friends Julian and Natalie there a couple days ago. We got royally wasted, watched the F.C. Bayern game (they won!) and stumbled into a burger joint down the street that sells mozzarella patties whaaaaaaaaa??! Gosh I love BERLIN!!

Can you tell they are sitting under a giant fussball screen? 

Night Lights

I love this soft, glowing, hazy winter light. Inspiration nation. 

Natalie und Paul. Adorbs. 

 

Grellstraße 14

I couldn't sleep last night. I tossed and turned for hours waiting for dawn, watching shadows on my ceiling, thinking about my life, my past, my future. 

Once the sun rose and I felt the day begin, heard the birds sing and the giggles of the children downstairs on their way to kindergarten, the troubles slipped away as usual and I got up with a smile. I love my room and my apartment. Im so happy and blessed to be here in Berlin. What will today bring?  

Off to a good start, with a serious case of Bead-Head ;)

Hoorige Mass 2013

So, Hoorige Mass Volume 2 :) Last year we went as Frog Princesses (see Fasnacht) und this year we are...Palm Trees? Yes, I know. I was hoping for Miss Piggy, but hey, Tropicali Heat beat me out ;) I know there is a saying, "Oh she is so hot, she would look good in a potato sack." Let me tell you, styling an ACTUAL potato sack is no walk in the park. But I think my ladies did a pretty good job. 

Die Füher Palm 

 Flint Tropics!!

 

Daniela's parents Netti und Charlie clownin around...

Met some zebras in the bathroom!

LIDL Wain!! HAha LOVE it :)

Paul

My roommate (or flatmate, as Paul says. "We dont share a room, right?") is awesome and totally hilarious. The first night we went out he took me to his favorite indie rock club, Rosi's in Friedrichshain. Before we left, we sat at the table in the kitchen talking story and getting to know one another. Paul drank about 9 Schwipp-Schwapp martini's and like most cool people, got increasingly louder and more funny as each slurped down.

 

 

The trem ride to Rosi's was equally as entertaining with Paul whispering his rambling commentary on all the passengers who appeared to be as messed up as he was. I was laughing so hard I think I peed my pants. Twice.

Before we entered the club, Paul pulled two flask-sized bottles of vodka out of his bag, handed one to me and stuffed the other down his pants. "Hide this! We will buy cokes and add this to them! Here we are!", he said, slapping the bottle into my hand. I smiled and did as I was told. We got inside and I surveyed the place: dirty and poorly lit with cheap drinks, a young crowd, and system pumping out my favorite Strokes song, it was exactly where I wanted to be. Paul headed to the front and dropped his bag on the floor. I heard a dull CRACK and laughed when I realized he shattered his glass flask, mere seconds after we got inside. Unaware, he started stuffing his sweater and jacket into his back and hoisted it up over his shoulder, smiling, with vodka seeping out of the bag, wetting his pants. Awesome. I headed to the back to find the toilet, grab a coke and let Paul dance it out for a couple minutes before I took him outside. When I got back, Paul had created a little space all to him self and proudly waved me over. Then I noticed he had blood all over his hands and the left side of his body from the glass shards in his bag slicing him with every Michael Jackson hip shake, as cute as it was. Needless to say, I grabbed him and took him outside to clean him up. "NO, my mobile phone!" he shrieked when his 2003 model dinosaur Nokia landed in the leaves. When I explained what had happened, he looked at himself, smiled, held up his bloody hands said, "Oh hey, HIV FOR FREE!!" HAHHAa.