A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon a giant open space on Moritzplatz that I always remembered as an abandoned lot. This time the gates where open and the place was sprawling with sacks, crates, and bags of soil, most of which had plants popping out. They were labeled with their name and many had a little description. It looked almost like a gardening store, but there were no prices on anything. In the back, people were lounging on benches, eating and drinking at a café of some sort. Welcome to Prinzessinnengärten.
British magazine Monocle made a short video report about the project, which calls itself a "mobile urban farm." Some guys thought the previously wasted space was a great opportunity to grow heirloom organic food. So they grabbed their friends and started to work last year. The place is already thriving, and I can't wait to go to one of their work days on Thursdays.
18 August 2010
13 August 2010
Lovefilm.de: The weird European version of Netflix
What have I missed most since moving to Germany? Not the difficulty to get free tap water, not the English language, and not even real milkshakes. No, what I pine for the most is Netflix.
So since I moved to a new apartment, I thought I'd try a test run of Lovefilm, the Europeans' Netflix knock-off. Perhaps most oddly--aside from the third season of "ALF" beginning its first recommendation for me--is the identity verification you have to go through to rent movies rated "FSK 18" (the German equivalent of NC-17). Whereas Netflix lets you click a button to determine what movies you can rent, Lovefilm requires members to print out a form to take to the post office to have them verify that 1) the member is at least 18 and 2) no one under 18 has access to the mailbox. Most movies are rated no higher than "FSK 16" (R), but many are also available in the U.S. in "unrated" versions--this usually means racier jokes and more violence--which in Germany makes the DVD FSK 18.
I suppose I might as well do this...who knows what cool indie flicks have been tagged FSK 18?
So since I moved to a new apartment, I thought I'd try a test run of Lovefilm, the Europeans' Netflix knock-off. Perhaps most oddly--aside from the third season of "ALF" beginning its first recommendation for me--is the identity verification you have to go through to rent movies rated "FSK 18" (the German equivalent of NC-17). Whereas Netflix lets you click a button to determine what movies you can rent, Lovefilm requires members to print out a form to take to the post office to have them verify that 1) the member is at least 18 and 2) no one under 18 has access to the mailbox. Most movies are rated no higher than "FSK 16" (R), but many are also available in the U.S. in "unrated" versions--this usually means racier jokes and more violence--which in Germany makes the DVD FSK 18.
I suppose I might as well do this...who knows what cool indie flicks have been tagged FSK 18?
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