We had the privilege of meeting with the best bloggers in Berlin and dining with them at Max und Moritz Old Berlin Tavern. I’d like to share with you what I learned about the blogosphere and lifesytle culture in the German Capital.

Thank you to our blogger friends from Berlin for an awesome meet-up. 🙂

We met at a co-working space called Beta Haus.

The ground floor is a cafe that serves coffee, tea, breads, and sandwiches.

Cappucino sells for €2.10 and a Bio Tee (organic tea) sells for €2.00. 

You go through a hallway to the upper floors.

The 2nd floor was more private and a bit quiet. Germans are very conscious about private space and noise pollution. 

We had a Round Table Discussion on “Blogging: an International Comparison”, moderated by the Goethe Institut at the dialog 1.2 room.

Geraldine de Bastion moderated the ASEAN & Berlin Bloggers meet-up, with a mix of plenary discussions and breakout sessions.

I learned that she is one of the founders of Re:publica in Berlin, the biggest digital lifestyle conference in Europe. I was inspired to make Blogapalooza the hub for digital lifestyle in ASEAN.

(Note: We’re planning to go to the 9th Re:publica on May 5-7, 2015 in Berlin. Email me at anton@diaz.ph if you want to join the Manila delegation.)

I loved these hipster techie energy drinks meant to perk everyone up during the discussion:

Mischmasch – kola-orange lemonade with 4.5% orange juice, lemon juice 3% and 0.5% of tangerine juice. kola vs. orange. brutal delicious!

Fritz-Limo Orangeade – fruity orangeade: 10.5% orange juice, enriched with 1.5% mandarin juice and 5% lemon juice.

Fritz-Limo (black) – feistiest kolas in the world (25mg caffeine/100ml).

Club-Mate – Berlin’s most famous soft drink. it contains very low level of sugar, has positive influence on the neural system, improves metabolism and concentration and is extremely effective against body fatigue. Each bottle contains one full spoon of Yerba mate tea which brings a refreshing and stimulating effect.

I like the cola-lemonade-caffeine combination of Fritz-Limo; the Yerba mate tea of Club-mate has an interesting taste. How I wish we had these feisty drinks in Manila! 

Johannes Eber of http://solokarpfen.de/ and Max Büch of http://www.neukoellner.net/.

We had an interesting discussion on bloggers vs. journalists. The latter enjoys protection from the law. There’s a tendency for people who publish online to think of themselves as journalists. If you’re a full-time blogger, you can be considered as a journalist.

Monetization is a key issue among bloggers. Earning adverstising from your blog could sometimes be perceived as selling-out. Only the Fashion Blogging business model works in Berlin.

I was pleasantly surprised to know that Berliners are actually very friendly.  

After the meeting, we went to an old Berlin tavern to get a taste of authentic German food–finally!

Check out the menu at Max und Moritz: Main Menu | Drinks Menu 

Max und Moritz is an authentic, Grade II listed Old Berlin tavern founded in 1902, located in the heart of Kreuzberg.

Kreuzberger Molle (0.3l – €2.50, 0.5l – €3.60). Our house beer, it’s natural and unfiltered.

We ordered fresh house beer and I learned firsthand how to properly toast in Berlin. You have to look the other person in the eye, clink your glasses, and say “Prost!”.

Meet Zsuzsanna and Antonia who are the two lovely ladies behind the popular blog, Freunde von Freunden. The site specializes in portrait features of interesting people around Berlin, Europe, and all over the world.

The complimentary bread was a bit filling.

Mixed Salad leaves (€8.50) with Orange-Vinaigrette dressing, roasted Pine-nuts, and fried mushrooms.

The salad was OK. We ordered it to have a healthy, balanced meal.

Königsberger Klopse (€11). Braised highly seasoned meatballs served with a light cream caper sauce, boiled potatoes, and side-salad.

I asked the bloggers what the typical German food is, and the answer was Meatballs and Potatoes with white sauce. 

Elsässer Flammkuchen (€9.00) with spinach, sheep’s cheese, garlic, and onion.

The German Pizza was good, with a thin, chewy crust and lots of toppings.

Hahnchen Max and Moritz (€12.00). Marinated and baked chicken breast, served with herb-roasted potatoes and salad.

The chicken meat was a bit bland, and we Asians aren’t really used to eating potatoes…can we have rice please? 

It was quite interesting to see the ladies assemble their cigarettes after the meal.

It’s cheaper and you can control the amount of nicotine you consume.

Filipina Fashion Blogger Camille Co of http://itscamilleco.com/ meets Berlin Fashion Blogger Masha Sedgwick of http://www.masha-sedgwick.com/.

Check out their blogs to see the interesting contrast of different fashion blogging styles and looks.  

I actually fell in love with the bloggers, digital advocates, and the vibrant community in Berlin. 

I can’t wait to go back and attend the 9th Re:publica on May 5-7, 2015 in Berlin. You can email me at anton@diaz.ph if you want to be part of the Manila delegation.

As for the authentic German food, it was carbo rich, so it makes me wonder how these ladies keep themselves fit.

Max und Moritz – Old German Tavern
Oranienstrasse 162, 10 969 Berlin 36 (Kreuzberg)
Website: http://www.maxundmoritzberlin.de
Email: mikuhlmann@gmx.net
Telephone: +49 030 695 15 911
Operating Hours: Daily, from 5:00pm – open ended

AWESOME BERLIN – The Best Kept Secret City of Europe Series:

• BERLIN: 10 Most Awesome Experiences for First Timers in Berlin!
• BERLIN: The Fall of the Berlin Wall–25th Year Anniversary! @VisitBerlin
• SUNDAYS IN BERLIN: Alexanderplatz, Bayernallee Filipino Mass, Mauerpark Flea Market & Lost in U-Bahn! (First Impressions of Germany)
• BERLIN BUNDESTAG: Käfer Breakfast at the Rooftop of the Reichstag Building!
• BERLIN: An Awesome Underground Supper Clubbing Experience in Berlin! @SupperClubbing
• BERLIN: Meeting SupperClub Founder at Hüttenpalast Caravan-Hotel in Hipster-District of Neukölln
• BERLIN: Hasir + Doner Kebab – The Best Turkish Food Outside of Turkey! @BarbaraWoolsey
• BERLIN: Meeting The Filipina Diplomatic Wife in Berlin over Berlin Chocolates @DiplomaticWife
• BERLIN: What I Learned from Berlin’s Best Bloggers at Max und Moritz Old Berlin Tavern?
• BERLIN: TEUFELSBERG – Abandoned Cold War-era Spy Station on top of the Devil’s Mountain!
• BERLIN: Markthalle Neun Street Food Market Thursdays @BerlinFood
• BERLIN: White Trash Fast Food – “Exotic food just like Mama used to make!”
• BERLIN: The TIM RAUE Experience – Best Chef in Berlin? (A Review)
• BERLIN: Motel One Berlin-Alexanderplatz (A Review)
• GERMAN VISA MANILA: How to Apply for Schengen Visa in the German Embassy in Manila?

Live an Awesome Life,

Founder, www.OurAwesomePlanet.com 

Disclosure: Our Berlin Trip was courtesy of the Foreign Ministry as part of the Blogger Visitors Program of the Federal Republic of Germany. I wrote this article with my own biases, opinions, and insights. Read Our Awesome Planet Complete Disclosure Policy here.  

P.S. It rained so we were not able to go to this beautiful gentrified garden cafe in Kreuzberg.