Getting ready for Fall, 'Nein, Schatz' + songs you didn't know were German
A shorter Weekly Wrap
I don’t know what it’s like in your neck of the woods, but autumn has definitely arrived in Berlin. The leaves have already started to change and there’s a definite chill in the morning air.
The sun is already setting around 7 p.m. At the height of summer, it doesn’t go down until almost 10.
This weekend we got a nice last gasp of almost-summer with temps in the low 20s (that’s mid-70s Fahrenheit, by the way). But the mercury is headed back down below 10C next week,1 so it was time to bring in the outdoor plants and get my indoor plants (and me!) ready for the long winter.
That involves finding everyone a resting spot near a window and bringing out all my artificial light sources from storage (grow bulbs, fairy lights and candles).
I wrote more about preparing for a north German winter in this post from last year:
That coupled with all the paperwork and schedule adjustments accompanying the new school year took up most of my week last week. So there’s not much new to report this time.
But here’s a few more photos of my flowers so I can look back in January and remember.
Now for the ugly part …
Remember when I wrote about how seriously Germans take sorting the trash?
Well, scratch that.
They are serious about it when it’s the trash in their own building. Or, maybe this is just a Berlin thing.
This is what’s left after The Berlin Marathon.
Look at all those plastic bottles.
I hope some enterprising person (or persons) came by to snag them for the deposit. But, seriously, this is awful.
Berliners are terrible about littering.
After living here for three years, and helping clean up after multiple New Year’s Day celebrations, as well as visiting other German cities—I’m passing judgment.
Some neighbohoods are better than others, but, in lots of places, in Berlin people just throw their empty takeaway containers or bakery bags on the ground without a second thought.
Parents bring their kids to shoot off fireworks in the park by our building and then just leave all the packaging on the ground when they’re done.
Other cities don’t seem to have this problem. I don’t see trash everywhere when I’m in Hamburg or Bremen.
What I’m watching
The song “Nein Schatz” by Miss Bashful, Ski Aggu, and GDA is a new viral hit on Tiktok - particularly the hook.
“Nein, Schatz, ich will noch nicht gehen. Ich will noch ein bisschen tanzen.”
(“No, hon, I don’t want to go, yet. I still want to dance a little.”)
It even has its own dance.
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Bands you didn’t realize were German
Talking about German songs last week reminded me of this video from Feli from Germany about popular songs you didn’t know were by German artists.
I knew about Milli Vanilli and the Scorpions, but there were still some that were a surprise.
What about you? Are there any songs that you didn’t realize were by German groups?
I mean the low temperatures at night, for my fellow planty-minded individuals. For everyone else, the highs are still in the teens. No need to break out the parkas, yet.
That is surprising that Berliners don't take their littering more seriously, considering everything else seems to have such strict limits.....
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