Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Local Obsessions
Soccer
Many Berliners live and die by the fortunes of the local soccer team, Hertha BSC, which has
seen its shares of ups and downs in recent years. After a brief stint in
2. Fussball-Bundesliga
(Second Soccer League), the team returned to the top-level Bundesliga in the 2013-14 sea-
son - much to the relief of locals. Still, true fans don't quit the team when it's down and, dur-
ing the season, many will inevitably don their blue-and-white fan gear to make the trek out
to the
Olympic Stadium
for home games.
Berlin's other major team, 1. FC Union, plays in the second league and has an especially
passionate following in the eastern parts of the city.
The Weather
Many locals are hobby meteorologists who will never pass up a chance to express their
opinion on tomorrow's weather or on whether it's been a good summer so far, whether the
last winter was mild or brutal, what to expect from the next one, and so on… So if you run
out of things to say to a local, get the conversation going again by mentioning the weather.
Other popular topics are rising rents, the perceived ineptitude of the local government or the
much delayed opening of the Berlin Brandenburg Airport.
