• Germany Berlin
  • REPORTERMara Groner

Although I was born and raised in south Germany, I’ve been living for about 10 years in Berlin where I also work as a tour guide. In this dynamic city there is always something to discover.

  • Germany Berlin
  • Mara Groner
  • 2017.09.22
  • Berlin’s Vietnamese Market
  • There are about 20,000 Vietnamese people living in Berlin. The former East Germany and Vietnam were both socialist countries, so there was a link between the two.Migrant workers from Vietnam started coming to work in West Germany (Gastarbeiter or guest workers) and East Germany (Vertragsarbeiter or contract workers) in the 1960s.
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  • Germany Berlin
  • Mara Groner
  • 2017.09.08
  • A cat from the animal shelter (tierheim)
  • I have a friend who wanted to get a cat, so I went with her to the tierheim. Tierheim literally translates as “animal home,” and it’s what we would call an animal protection center (dobutsu aigo senta) in Japan. In Germany, though, you can’t buy dogs and cats in a pet store like you can in Japan. You either get them from someone whose pet has had babies, or buy them directly from a breeder.
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  • Germany Berlin
  • Mara Groner
  • 2017.08.16
  • Spreewald
  • Just outside Berlin, in Brandenburg, lies Spreewald, a forest with a canal running through it. It’s a good place to enjoy some distinctively German natural landscape. The Spreewald region was named a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1991. The biosphere is 475 square kilometers and the canal is 1,575 km long.
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  • Germany Berlin
  • Mara Groner
  • 2017.07.21
  • Lost Places – Heilstätten
  • One of my favourite hobbies is photography. I especially like macro photography, but also taking photos of so called lost places.Lost Places are buildings that are not used anymore. Some of them are easily accessible, others are guarded by a security firm. 
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  • Germany Berlin
  • Mara Groner
  • 2017.04.24
  • Stolperstein
  • A Stolperstein (“stumbling stone”) was going to be laid in the pavement in front of the building
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  • Germany Berlin
  • Mara Groner
  • 2017.02.14
  • Christmas Markets
  • The tranquil holiday season has ended, and in no time at all the first month of this year has come to an end. Everyone has returned to their regular work life,
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  • Germany Berlin
  • Mara Groner
  • Germany Berlin
  • Mara Groner
  • Germany Berlin
  • Mara Groner
  • 2016.10.25
  • Pumpkin Festival
  • Like in other countries, pumpkins are a highly-popular fall vegetable in Germany. A variety of colors and shapes are available, ranging in size, from small to large, with some sorts for eating and some just for decorations.
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  • Germany Berlin
  • Mara Groner
  • 2016.10.11
  • Elections in Berlin
  • Germany is in the middle of election season with polls being held in various states. Berlin, however, has a somewhat special status as it is both a state and a city, so a senate election and district elections are held at the same time.
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  • Germany Berlin
  • Mara Groner
  • 2016.09.13
  • Christopher Street Day Parade
  • I would like to tell you about Christopher Street Day (CSD), which is usually held in June, however this year, due to the Euro 2016 soccer tournament, was postponed to the end of July.
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  • Germany Berlin
  • Mara Groner
  • Germany Berlin
  • Mara Groner
  • 2016.05.02
  • Berlin Palace
  • In Berlin, where construction works including large scale urban planning are of frequency, a particularly special project is currently underway. It is the
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  • Germany Berlin
  • Mara Groner
  • Germany Berlin
  • Mara Groner
  • 2016.03.01
  • Homeless in Berlin
  • It had not been such a heavy winter in Berlin but what struck me was the sleeping bags I kept seeing everywhere -in underpasses, under bridges and in the entrances of stores- while I was heading for work.
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  • Germany Berlin
  • Mara Groner
  • 2016.02.12
  • Basements in Berlin
  • When talking about buildings in Germany, it is common to categorize them as either Altbau or Neubau. A very rough explanation would be that Altbau refers to buildings of traditional shape and Neubau refers to newer buildings, built after the war. In general pre-1949 buildings are called Altbau, but it is also possible to categorize buildings according to their architectural specifications- such as high ceilings- than just by their exact year of construction.
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  • Germany Berlin
  • Mara Groner
  • 2016.01.29
  • Victoria Park
  • Although Berlin is the capital city, it is also rich in greenery. It has a public green space ratio of 12,5% which is higher compared to other cities. In Berlin there is a park that is not particularly large but what I consider on of my favorites, the Victoria Park, located in the district of Kreuzberg.
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  • Germany Berlin
  • Mara Groner
  • 2016.01.18
  • City West
  • The city west is a district in Berlin that keeps evolving in its appearance in comparison to all other districts.
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