Berlin Weather in July: a bit like April in Autumn

Berlin Summer Sunset July 2016

Some sunset in July - Photo: T.Bortels/nuBerlin.com

So far Berlin Summer has been a bit like the stock market: up and down. Yes, we had a couple of nice, sunny, warm days – but we definitely also had some cold, windy and quite rainy days. Even if it’s warm and sunny during the day, that doesn’t mean too much for the evening to come. Chances are that the next thunder storm is just around the corner.

But one nice side effect of this moody weather should be mentioned right in the second paragraph of this weather update: every now and then we have some stunning sunsets, all with dark orange clouds and everything. And sometimes there are also some nice rainbows to spot. Nice!

So I don’t want to complain too much about this up and down, since that’s what weather is all about, isn’t it? And at least we did not have any severe floods like they sometimes can happen during the summer months. And this year there were actually already some serious flooding in the south / south west of Germany – but nothing the like in Berlin.

And – let’s face it – the rain, that keeps returning every couple of days, is actually good for the environment. So all the parks and and also the trees along the streets and alleys are all nicely green. So – I would say so far this summer has been a bit like April, concerning the rapid change of weather conditions – and Autumn, concerning the wind and the rain.

Update: the second half of July seems to be much more agreeable. Almost every day the temperatures are between 25°C (77°F) and 32°C (90°F) and the thunderstorms are only hitting Berlin maybe once a week – if any. People are enjoying themselves in Biergardens and on terraces, having dinner outside – summer has finally arrived. Yay!

Additional Free WiFi Hotspots at Berlin U-Bahn Stations

For almost a year Berlin’s public transport provider BVG has been testing a single Free WiFi Hotspot at U-bahn station Osloer Strasse. Finally the company has come to the conclusion, that it seems to be a good idea to provide free wireless internet access at more subway stations across Berlin.

The public transport provider has just announced, that a couple of rather busy subway stations have been equipped with the necessary gear – and we can expect to find the hotspot “BVG Wi-Fi” in the next couple of days. The first batch of subway stations that will be equipped with Free WiFi Hotspos are Mehringdamm, Möckernbrücke, Gleisdreieck (at U2), Alt-Tempelhof, Hausvogteiplatz, Bülowstraße, Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz and Nollendorfplatz (also at U2).

And this is basically just the beginning. In the next couple of weeks and months more subway stations will be connected. As a second batch of stations that will be connected to the internet wirelessly BVG lists the following stations:Zoologischer Garten, Rathaus Spandau, Hermannplatz, Leopoldplatz, Wittenbergplatz, Kurfürstendamm and Stadtmitte. So first the most frequented stations will be connected – other ‘smaller’ stations following later.

Getting connected should be rather easy. Users will not need to login – neither username nor password are needed to use any of the free wifi hotspots. Choosing the hotspot “BVG WIFi” you would then just have to open a browser and accept the terms of use. After this “registration process” your device should be online.

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More rental Bikes on Berlin Streets soon

Berlin rental Bikes

Berlin rental Bikes - typical bike pool by Deutsche Bahn – Photo: T.Bortels/nuBerlin.com

A new player has just entered the Berlin Rental Bike game, promising about 5000 rental bikes to hit Berlin streets in the near future.

Most of the bikes by the Leipzig company Nextbike will probably be placed inside the S-Bahn-Ring – but over time more and more bike stations should also be available outside the ring – at least along larger streets and near busy places.

Renting a bike will be relatively sheep, making it attractive for both locals and tourists. A half hour ride will most likely cost one Euro, a day pass will be available for only nine Euros – cheaper then most of the ‘regular’ bike rental services.

So far Deutsche Bahn had been the only big player in Berlin’s Rental Bike business. You might already have seen one of Deutsche Bahn’s bike pools, recognisable mostly by their almost iconic concrete blocks here and their on the sidewalks near larger street crossings.

In contrast to Deutsche Bahn’s bike pools, the new bike pools should work without any concrete blocks, making them slightly more ‘invisible’ than the current clusters of concrete blocks.

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Full story in German at morgenpost.de:

First design for David Bowie Memorial Plaque revealed

Berlin’s Minister for Culture Tim Renner just presented the first design of the David Bowie Memorial Plaque which is about to be mounted on the building in Hauptstraße 155 later this year. Renner basically posted a first photo on his facebook page, asking for feedback. And – yes – feedback there was.

Most people seem to be rather disappointed by the design and the inscription, to say the least. Some say it was looking cheap, others even call it awfully ugly. And then there is also a spelling mistake: “Triologie” instead of “Trilogy”. And also Tim Renner himself seems to have his doubts about the design, beginning his posting with a “Hmmm”.

At the moment, next to Bowie’s name and date of birth and date of death the current design of the memorial plaque would also feature somthing like an introduction – in case the reader might not know who Bowie was: “The Singer, Composer, Actor, Painter kept reinventing himself…” – why not also list that he was also a great piano player, clown, philosopher and …

Well – have a look for yourself. Luckily enough there is still some time for a revision – currently the inauguration of the David Bowie Memorial Plaque is scheduled for August 17th or 22nd.

Does Berlin actually even need a David Bowie Memorial Plaque? I don’t know…

Full story in German at morgenpost.de:

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Berlin by Numbers: Births, Marriages, Deaths

Here we go for another edition of Berlin by Numbers. I really do like statistics – they tell so much about Life and Death. Looking at the bare numbers of Birth, Marriage and Death can be – refreshing…? I don’t know. And Berlin statistics are then again special in their own way, since the city has changed quite a bit over the past decades. Continue reading

New Berlin Airport might be Forever Delayed, expert says

New Berlin Airport BER Terminal

Photo: The new Berlin airport - view on the main terminal / CC BY-SA 3.0 by Fridolin freudenfett (Peter Kuley) - own work

Today the Berliner Zeitung has some bad news for everybody who thought, that it would be soon possible to arrive at and/or take off the new Berlin Airport BER – or actually the newspaper is quoting an expert who has some bad news: according to Dieter Faulenbach da Costa, who was part of the BER planning team until 1999, too many mistakes were made – and it might have become impossible to open the the airport at all.

Dieter Faulenbach da Costa is quoted saying that things have happened, that should never happen to any large scale project. While now some parts and details of the airport are changed to meet legal regulations, other details will then have to be changed, to work together with the changes. This will then again evoke other changes – and so on…

The airport opening was first scheduled for 2011. Currently, other experts, and also the city’s major Mueller are of the opinion, that an opening of the airport is still possible at end of the year 2017. However, many major project milestones are currently delayed. So we will probably soon find out, if there will be another delay for the grand opening…

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