Berlin is the capital of good beer and art movements of all kinds. It is also the capital of urban subcultures, including the Gothic. The city has a huge amount of bars, shops and clubs devoted to the dark world, which makes it the Mecca of dark tourism. Here is a brief guide of the most recommended places you must visit if your destination is the German capital.

Besides visiting the Holocaust Mahnmal, some museums and a cemetery (I recommend the Friedhof Hallesches Tor, which is small but very beautiful), you must go shopping, an activity more superficial, but of great importance for Gothic tourism. The first shop you should visit is Haunah boutique, located in UhlandStrabe 170, 10719, it is a “super store” with three floors where you can find everything you might need, footwear, clothing for men and women. On the ground floor it has fetish clothes, a sex shop and a spectacular wine warehouse. The other stores I recommend are on the east side of town, Darkstore and Noctem Wear, both of them very pretty, although they are a bit far from everything. The third store is called Mystica, it has three locations in Berlin, all downtown, there you will find home decorative items from curtains to blood fountains, going through all kinds of statues, gargoyles, fairies, etc.

The night comes with dark parties. One of the best nightclubs is Darkside Club, which is a fetish place where you can indulge your darkest desires. Be aware, you must follow the dress code, otherwise you wont be able to enter. Another very nice is Factory, which is a sinister nightclub, located in Slaughterhouse lehrter Str 35, 10557, the best parties are on Saturdays. You can find complete information in the shops, the most glamorous like Boheme Noir, which is burlesque and cabaret style, where there are great parties. Good luck on your trip, may the dark be with you!

Luz Obscura

Shops, bars, nightclubs and underground rooms, a whole dark world awaits in the German capital. Rent apartments in Berlin You’ll get a pleasant surprise in any of these venues.

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Translated by: Hans
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It is perhaps difficult today to  imagine, living as we are in the digital world, where  the art of waiting has been lost,  when everything including photographic images tend to be direct and instantaneous, the incomparable thrill of feeling that an image is formed in a matter seconds, a little creature pulsating  for the first time with  life in the heat of our hands. The emulsions formed an unpredictable color dance  on which we could intervene scribbling, drawing and painting  in a short space of time, where the current perception chose colors and shapes after a long period of chemical bathing.  These snapshots were covered with a certain oracular nature which made them and gave them a real indisputable feeling of arcane magic without losing simultaneously for a moment its properties  a pulsating  and a fiercely contemporary rythm. It was the polaroid, because that aesthetic, fleeting, whimsical, improvised, playful, light and spontaneous mercurial image offering unsettling, pulsating gateways to other times that resembled (especially when photographed on TV movies and other images), the dream world or different and parallel quantum planes formed due to the magic of that unique and sensational camera.

Few sensations were so eerily exciting, no matter how many times we did it , that short waiting period,  the vision of our own realization, and that our world always expected miraculous and unexplainable changes in the unmistakable texture of the paper plastic polaroid shot

Polaroid offered a photographic experience incomparably sophisticated and subversive in way of manipulating images which caught the attention of the great Helmut Newton (1920-2004), probably one of the most important photographers of all time.

However, Newton was one of those photographers who liked to take polaroids at the fashion sets  to use as a draft or an idea  of a subsequent perfect shot. Precisely because of the perfection of his usually vigorous and studied images, when Newton decided in 1992 to publish a selection of those polaroids, many critics seemed  unwilling to forgive this daring move far away from its strictly aesthetic attention. Newton of course was far from disturbed. Art is art seen from different views, no matter what current or trend you try to follow or go against

Now, the Helmut Newton Foundation in Berlin (http://www.helmut-newton.de/) exposes  until next November 300 of these polaroids in a exhibit that in some cases contrasts with taking snapshots in a larger format.  Reading the comments that Newton himself wrote on the white frames is also a great experience to comprehend what he was trying o achieved

Paul Oilzum

It is a captivating exhibition that retrieves the unique aesthetic of polaroids and is accompanied by an excellent catalog published by Taschen, publishers of the extraordinary Polaroid Book, highly recommended. Do not miss it when you rent apartments in Berlin

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Translated by: Marc
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What happens when, along with thousands of different genres, colours and styles, you put on techno music at high volume, sharing out drugs left right and centre? The revolution? …Almost! Love Parade. Who could forget those heady days of excess and dance in the streets of Berlin? So you probably know a bit of the history. It all started back in 1989, just before the fall of the wall, and Love Parade was like a pacifist demonstration of dance, good vibes, lots of electronica and experimental sounds, which was all about “love” and making people dance. Without meaning to, Love Parade became a huge, international event, which year after year attracted people from all over Germany and Europe. It wasn’t just about dancing in the street, but all the different clubs and spaces in the city, which opened their doors for the three days of “ecstasy.”

But things don’t always go as planned, and The Beatles got it a bit wrong when they said “All you need is love” because there was more to it than that. After many years of working independently, Love Parade got bigger and bigger, and with this, came more and more sponsors. The original organisers jumped ship, and what was originally a manifesto of peaceful protest, became a kind of monster which was impossible to control. So even though there weren’t a major number of arrests or violence, during the 2010 edition of Love Parade, 21 people were killed, bringing a final stop to the historical party.

Enter B-Parade, which arrives this year to bring you dance, electro and people from all over. The date is 9th of July. Ok, so the organisers are different, and the Love Parade name isn’t being used (since it is copyrighted), but the features are more or less the same. The question is, how the city is going to deal with the event this time around. Lessons have got to be learned. But don’t be afraid – July in Berlin is not to be missed, so give in to the irresistible rhythms of the best electronica, with an event which is sure to be spoken about for the rest of the year. All, of course, in the name of “peace and love.” For more information, visit the official B-Parade website here: http://www.b-parade.de/

SISTER RAY

Just to be clear – this is the best techno and electronica in the city, so don’t be afraid, and rent apartments in Berlin A date to remember, and one of the hottest cities to spend the summer.

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Translated by: Poppy
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A while ago I talked about the boom of the academies and belly dance dancers in the West, today I want to tell you more about one of the most beautiful belly dance waves, which was born from cultural mixture and different artistic styles, the Gothic Belly dance.

Without being an expert on the subject, I would say that this exquisite mixture between oriental dance and dark gothic performance music formed bands with a more ethnic style; post-punk movement in the late 70′s, Dead can Dance. Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry formed a musical and artistic project different from other bands of the early Darkwave of the 80s. With a more anthropological approach to music, they created one of the most successful and exquisite musical groups linked to the dark movement, Dead Can Dance.

During the late 80′s, many dancers began to be interested in the fusion of music and gothic aesthetic with dance, which is called “Tribal Belly Dance”, one of the largest styles is gothic belly dance. It is in the 90′s when the first featured dancer in the style began talking about a new way to experience the oriental dance.

One of the bands that has popularized the Gothic Belly Dance is Faith and the muse, which today includes in its performance two dancers called “Serpentines”, it is a band that also plays gothic music with ethnic sounds, especially from East and Asia. In addition to the mentioned bands, there is a movement within the gothic based on this mixture, in which the dance feeds the darker feelings, emotions and sensual instincts. One of the most famous exponents of Gothic Belly Dance is Rachel Brice, whose body technique is famous worldwide.

Luz Obscura

The artistic fusions are an important part of the globalized world in which we live; one of these wonders is the Gothic Belly Dance. If you rent apartments in Berlin during the spring you will be able to attend one the best Gothic Belly Dance performances.

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Translated by: Hans
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It was a real achievement when women finally were taken into account by FIFA! This year the opening match of the Women’s World Cup will take place on the 26^th of June 2011, in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium. Germany is for the first time the host country of the Women’s World Cup and is currently getting ready to welcome fans of the sport that has colonized more territory than weapons. In total there are a million tickets and it is possible to buy them already.

There is no doubt, of the excellent performance that football has had in the business world. This outstanding performance has led it to conquest tastes and interests around the globe, reaching even the women and teenagers markets that are two of the biggest consumers strips in the market. That’s why the competition for a country to be the host of a women’s world cup is crucial, due to the big profits that are at stake; Germany has not lost its path to them.

The tournament consists of four groups: A with Germany, Nigeria, Canada and France, B, with Japan, New Zealand, Mexico and England, C with United States, DPR Korea, Colombia and Sweden, and D with Brazil, Australia, Norway and Equatorial Guinea.

There is a lot of speculation about who will be the stars in this championship. Among the favorites are the talented Brazilians, who apparently have natural abilities for football as evidenced in China 2007 and the Beijing 2008 Olympic games, where they were champions. Furthermore, the team is led by Marta, who has been twice elected as the best FIFA World Player.

Right after the Brazilians are the Norwegians, who have demonstrated to be strong on the ground, as well as having a very dynamic game. They have won almost every trophy they have been put forward, but this time they will have to face unknown teams, making them enter the ground with less certainty.

The Germans are obviously the preferred ones, not only because they are the host and have the unbeatable psychological support of being at home, but also because their almost scientific game and triumphs are a crucial aspect to believe that in this championship they can get winner numbers.

Like men’s teams, women’s football also has stars, one of the best known is the U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo, who was attributed feline skills for following the ball and catch it before scoring. She is recognized as the best goalkeeper in the world, which makes her a very important asset for her team.

Although women’s football recently joined the professional leagues, it has been gaining such popularity that even politicians had to raise non-discrimination flag when they saw the huge progress in this activity, which was so exclusive to men, to the point that only male reporters could cover football activities.

For more information http://es.fifa.com/womensworldcup/index.html

Nancy Guzman

If you like football, no matter who kicks the ball, this championship is a must. Enjoy apartments in Berlin and never stop supporting your favorite team.

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Translated by: Hans
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It’s nothing to do with masturbation or the pursuit of individual pleasure – no, genital massage is something practiced in pairs, in order to strengthen the physical and sexual bonds between the two. Tantrism is an effective method of doing this – it reignites the couple’s sex life, and adds depth to the sexual experiences. According to tantrism, pleasure is one of the routes to spiritual development.

The exercise is also recommended for anybody who wants to prevent premature ejaculation – its a great way of learning to control our excitement.

The form this tantrism takes is as follows – both sitting down, him with eyes closed, legs crossed, with palms touching the floor by his side, and her sat comfortably, with hands covered in lubricant to make the massage smoother. The rough length of this exercise is around seven seconds, and basically consists in the couple’s genital stimulation of one another.

The man has to focus all of his concentration on his genitals – as though imagining that is where his soul is located, and forgetting about the rest of his body. And when he feels he is on the point of ejaculation, he has to hold his breath, and contract his anal muscles in order to try and prevent it.

The massage can be repeated up to two times, and of course, it also involves a switch of roles – so that he also massages her, and learns which kind of touch she responds to best.

Genital massage in a great exercise for the lead up to sex – especially when the couple is particularly close, and bonds are further strengthened.

Though this may sound very like masturbation, genital massage is different, because it doesn’t seek the ejaculation of the individual. On the contrary, ejaculation would be an interruption. What it does is encourage the couple to recognise the source of pleasure, and take advantage of it in order to reach a deeper mutual understanding and sexual pleasure.

And you don’t need to adopt the entire tantric philosophy to practise this – but personally, it seems that when there is love between the couple, sex is definitely one of the paths to happiness, in the sense that exercises like this are an opportunity to share something with the person you love.

Miruton

Find apartments in Berlin and enjoy some intensity in your sex life in a city with much to offer – especially to couples in search of pleasure.

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Translated by: Poppy
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The Gay Pride parade in Berlin, also known as Christopher Street Day will be celebrated on the 25^th of June. It is worth mentioning the importance that this celebration has gained in recent years and the strong symbolic character that has internationally. This is not only a simple celebration of the LGBT community, this is an important bonding time for the Berlin community to dialogue. The gay pride parades cause a great impact worldwide, because this celebration is a sign of the continue LGBT community search for better rights, as well as more tolerance to sexual diversity in the world.

The Gay Pride tradition began in New York, back in the late 60′s at Christopher Street in Greenwich Village, during a protest against the police assaults to homosexual citizens that took place in June 1969, also known as the Stonewall Riots. Thus, the first parade was held in June 1970 and since then has been held every year. Despite all oppressive powers, the contrasts between societies and repressive policies, the Christopher Street Day has spread across the world. Let us put it straight to the heart: for you to get dressed up to enjoy the party and flirt with new guys and girls, many have struggled politically, for the LGBT rights to be respected in all parts of the globe. Stifling intolerance still exists against sexual diversity, however the progress continues and to be part of the LGBT community is probably one of the clearest attitudes against the Western neoliberal system both economic and political. Resistance continues!

In Germany, the first Christopher Street Day celebrations occurred in 1979, in the cities of Bremen and Berlin of course. The name alluding to the events in NYC is only used in Germany and Switzerland. Most other countries use the term Gay Pride only and the activities are performed during the same dates. The Berlin parade theme this year will be sports, under the slogan “Fair play for diversity”. As you understand, this union of people is also an important political trigger. The parade offers a wide range of events, for more information and to register to be part of one of the floats, you can visit the following website: http://www.csd-berlin.de/

SISTER RAY

So, you should get apartments in Berlin and support the vibrant LGBT community. Being part of this celebration, concerns us all, no matter our sexual preferences. The success of these celebrations is the largest participation of all, in order to understand the sexual diversity and transmitting knowledge to future generations.

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Translated by: Hans
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Jazz is a tradition that is as ingrained as beer drinking in Berlin, which is why between the 24th and 26th of  June Berlin moves to the old downtown of Bergmannstrasse Kreuzberg to attend the incomparable Kreuzberg Jazzt festival, held since 1994.

For three days and on three stages you can watch the best jazz bands in the world, the notorious soloist,s gospel music groups and a few new players in the musical scene. Around  50 bands will cheer up summer in Berlin.

The history of this festival is part of the 1989 events that led to the downfall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany as the city opened to ethnic, cultural and religious activities to bring together the gathering  and the recognitions of all cultures.

Berlin has always been captivated by the rhythmic sounds of jazz. Leo Sarkisian, Radio Speaker of the Voice of America said “The Berlin Jazz Festival  was inaugurated in 1964 by the American leader Martin Luther King, who recalled the origins and the role that music was freedom from all oppressions and concluded: “Jazz speaks for life. “

Many Jazz superstars have been on the stages of the Berlin Kreuzberg Jazzt festival. A few historical moments: Ella Fitzgerald’s  concert at the Berlin Jazz Festival in 1968 was memorable, Paco de Lucia made his debut with jazz in Berlin when he was invited by Joachim Behren to participate in the Berlin Jazz Festival in 1967 and played with Miles Davis and Thelonius Monk, which awoke his interest to record with jazz saxophonist Pedro Iturralde

However, history reminds us that the interpreters and jazz musicians were also persecuted during the Nazi era. Ideologists of the regime attacked this form of music with racist principals condemning atonal music, the creators and performers. This very popular musical style in the 20′s was prosecuted and could only be heard in clandestinity, while scores and records were burned in the fires of the regime

These and other stories make Berlin the ideal place to hear jazz for three days at the Kreuzberg Jazzt! Festival  in Bergmannstrasse in Kreuzberg, an area surrounded by great restaurants, cafes and antiques shops, where you can listen for free to the sounds of trumpeter Paul Brody, a concert to be held on June 26th  at the Jewish Museum in Berlin located in Kreuzberg

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More info:

http://www.bergmannstrassenfest-kreuzbergjazzt.de/start.htm

Nancy Guzman

While jazz is a derivation of African music carried by slaves to the United States today it’s essentially an urban sound. If you like the atonal sounds of jazz and get touched by the songs that speak of passion, you have three days to wander around Kreuzberg Bergmannstrasse and listen the sensual sounds of the saxophone if you are in apartments in Berlin

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Translated by: Marc
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Since its inception, market research fed the totalitarian fantasies of businessmen, from the famous subliminal advertising to recent existing studies based on surveys. Market studies have grown in their attempt to reach  the primitive brain, the subconscious, the emotions and instincts, and discover the heart of true human desire.

Currently, technology, a contemporary associate to science, is responsible for carrying out the primitive attempt to reveal this mystery, using computer applications and mobile phones

The traditional market surveys based on questionnaires, which takes a group to find out what you think of a product, brand or a concept, is not enough to have eighty percent of products fail in the market, therefore marketing firms are in constant search of new methods.

Traditional techniques often fail, among other things, because people usually do not say exactly what they think and respond according to the experience of the test and not to the product itself, or claim to have noticed such a product, but when you dig deeper they do not remember its characteristics.

The English company Bunnifoot uses its team to detect the clues that the human facial expressions reveal and  identify those  emotions that correspond to facial coding which seeks to reveal the inner emotions. This is a technique that dates from the time of Darwin’s studies of human behavior. They also use eye-tracking technology to observe where the subject looks to or at while testing a product. A frown or a movement of the pupils may reveal information about a person’s desire

Despite the immensity of material accumulated, these manual techniques have been quite useful, but more importantly they are the substratum with which they are creating the latest marketing techniques that incorporate technologic tools with which the problem of finding relevant information in lengthy videos is about to disappear as computers simplify this task.

Dr. Roberto Valenti, professor at the University of Amsterdam states that “facial expressions can be read by a computer: they are just moving pixels on a piece of video” He created the company ThirdSight to exploit the technique of ” computerized emotional recognition. ” “A researcher gets tired, must have a salary, has to be trained. Our program never gets tired and can analyze thousands of faces at the same time, “ says the professor. The latest software from  ThirdSight is a facial decoding program that uses cell phone cameras to record the subtle facial expressions of product testers. The program still needs human researchers to review the material but it is expected that in future, everything will done by computer.

Businessmen are expecting a new nirvana where the day human mind is no longer a mystery and no product in the market is rejected by consumers.

Laura Aurelia

If you want to know more about the subconscious and hidden desires, rent apartments in Berlin and visit the Historical Museum of Medicine which has a wing specialized in the relationship between medicine and industry, the German Museum of Technology, with its collection of historical technical artifacts and Berlin’s Jewish Museum with its exhibition on Sigmund Freud, who knew how to decode the human mind better than any technology

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Translated by: Marc
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This time, U.S. researchers did not  create new organisms from stem cells, and conjectured what the cure for AIDS was, what they investigated was how sex would be in future years and their results are very interesting.

We know that sexual traditions are changing and are adapting to the different eras and societies. A few years ago, women married virgins and adolescents did not start their sex life until they were past 18.

Today everything has changed and sexual practices that were previously unthinkable of, such as sex with multiple partners or in groups, sharing couples (swinger), the integration of sex toys and sex via web cam or cell phone are common practices. But if this is happening today … What will happen tomorrow?

According to researchers at the University of Indiana, what  is expected in the coming years is the expansion of sexual practices and to diversify them to further and newer experiences. Technology will have much to do with this new way of enjoying sex.

In the coming years it is expected that various gadgets will serve to have a more realistic experiences in the virtual sex or cybersex context. New exciting sex toys will be available. Technology experts are already working on this to ensure that all sexual experiences known up until now will vanish far into the distant past.

There will also be a boom in robot production which will imitate human behavior, take part in any role they are programmed to, including sexual practices and even flirting and seducing to create a almost real human interaction experience.

Everything is based on that with the aid of technology sensations will become stronger and more pleasant and so people that chose these other forms of sexual enjoyment, will escape from conventionalities to submerges themselves into fantasies thought of many times but due to technological limitations cannot occur… Can you imagine being seduced by a famous Hollywood star robot?  Interesting sex times await us in the future!

d.b

Meanwhile do not waste your time. Rent apartments in Berlin invite your partner to spend a few days there and enjoy this city that offers you a huge variety of sex options

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Translated by: Marc
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