Here’s how the Gay, Lesbian and Queer Community make the most of Berlin in the Spring!

Annabelle Georgen, Culture and Gastronomy editor of Berlin's big queer city magazine SIEGESSÄULE, looks forward to spring every year. This is the time when life begins again outside and the city blossoms - and with it the lesbian, gay, and queer community. On Place2be.Berlin, Annabelle reveals her favourite places to spend spring.

Making out in the blooming Britzer Garten

Fancy a romantic outing? With its hills and lush meadows full of flowers and blossoms, Neukölln's 'Britzer Garten' provides the perfect backdrop for a chilled-out date, complete with cool photos for your Instagram channel! The large, landscaped park always celebrates the return of spring in April and May with the truly breathtaking 'Tulipan' tulip show. More than 150,000 flowers of almost every colour adorn the park at this time of year. If you fancy, bring some food with you to enjoy the scenery from the comfort of your picnic blanket. For the rest of us, Café Seestern is not only a treat for the palate, but also easy on the eye, thanks to the view of the lake. Please take note - you will need to buy a ticket for 3 Euros to visit the garden, but it's worth every cent.

Britzer Garten
Sangerhauser Weg 1, 12349 Berlin-Neukölln
Bushaltestelle Sangerhauser Weg
Website of Britzer Garten

Ice cream again at last!

The name of this small Italian gelateria, a reference to Werner Herzog's film "Heart of Glass", refers to its glass ice cream workshop. You can watch the ice cream being made through the glass window. Everything is homemade here, right down to the caramel and biscuit crumbs that add the finishing touches to some creations. The wide selection of chocolate ice cream flavours is particularly tempting: from Milky and Bacio (with crunchy hazelnuts) to Dark Chocolate and even sorbet flavours. Not to be forgotten during a visit: a hint of freshly whipped pana on the top!

Cuore di Vetro
Max-Beer Str. 33, 10119 Berlin
U Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz
Instagram Channel Cuore di Vetro

Pedaloing on the Spree

If you want to explore the river Spree, you don't have to be packed like sardines on a big excursion boat. How about renting a pedalo, rowing boat, or kayak instead? There are several operators based around the Insel der Jugend (Island of Youth) in Treptow, right next to the large and equally beautiful Treptower Park. Among them, for example, are 'Kanuliebe' and 'Rent-A-Boat'. 'Kanuliebe' is situated on the 'Insel der Jugend' itself and occasionally organises night tours on illuminated SUPs (stand-up paddleboards). The small boat rental company, 'Rent-a-Boat', rents out its boats on the opposite shore. Seeing the trees draped in delicate spring green from the water is a sight I look forward to every year!

Kanuliebe
Alt-Treptow 6, 12435 Berlin-Treptow
S Plänterwald
Website of Kanuliebe

Rent-a-Boat
An der Abteibrücke, 12435 Berlin-Treptow
S Plänterwald
Website of Rent-a-Boat

Browsing at the Neukölln Flea Market

At the beginning of May, the popular Neukölln Flea Market awakens from hibernation. Every second Sunday during the day, you can stroll between numerous stalls along the Landwehrkanal in Neukölln. Skilled shoppers often get lucky here: from vintage clothes and GDR tableware to records, wacky sunglasses and even creations by local designers, there's a lot on offer relatively cheaply. Who knows, maybe you'll find a little piece of Berlin to take back home with you? It goes without saying that if you're hungry, there's also delicious street food on offer.

Nowkoelln Flowmarkt
Maybachufer zwischen Hobrechtbrücke und Thielenbrücke, 12047 Berlin-Neukölln
U Schönleinstraße
Website of Nowkoelln Flowmarkt

Dancing on roller skates at Tempelhofer Feld

There really isn't anything like it in most cities: the grounds of the inner-city Tempelhof Airport were transformed into a huge park in 2010. The former runways, landing strips, and runways are now accessible to everyone as 'Tempelhofer Feld' and it’s a very popular venue for kite-surfers, cyclists, and roller-skaters. A special tip for the latter: at the Allmende-Kontor community garden, you’ll find the start of an asphalt track that is far better suited to delicate roller-skates than the coarser surface of the former runways. On sunny days and especially at weekends, the so-called 'Roller Dance Spot' attracts many roller-skating enthusiasts who dance there to music. With a bit of luck, even Oumi Janta, Berlin's most famous roller-skater, might skate past! The spot is directly opposite the community garden.

Tempelhofer Feld
Zum „Roller Dance Spot“ vom Eingang Oderstraße III, Berlin-Neukölln
Location of the Roller Dance Spots at Google Maps
U Leinestraße
Website of Tempelhofer Feld
Instagram account of Oumi Janta