Last week, I got to experience one of Berlin's best-loved summer past-times, the Freiluftkino or the open-air cinema. There are a number of these cinemas around Berlin, but the one I went to was in Kreuzberg. It's located on the grounds of of the Künstlerhauses Bethanien. Completed in 1847, this building was originally designed by three of Schinkel's students as a home for Deconesses and a hospital to be run by them. After being saved from demolition, it became a center of art, housing studios, multimedia labs, and offices for cultural organizations.
The Freiluftkino offers a bit of drink and snacks for sale - a bit of popcorn (sweet, I hear) and an extensive variety of beer. There is apparently no open-container law in Berlin, so if you don't finish your beer, you can take it to go!
The movie that night was Soul Kitchen, by Fatih Akin - in German with English subtitles, thank goodness. Super funny film, well worth seeing if only for the club scene where one of the characters dances supposedly 'sexily' but looks like a jerky robot. Ahhh, cultural differences! I came with Candice and Kathryn, both students at U-Mich!
And here I am!
i can't think of a better way to watch a movie - beach chairs, fresh air, and beer to go - amazing!
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