PlanetEye

It can be tough to work out where the party scene is when you're in a new city, so I thought I'd help you out a bit by pointing you in the direction of the Twice party this Friday in Prenzlauer Berg.

Hosted by three local DJs, the Twice party aims to simply let everyone have a good time in a city where there are almost more DJs than audience and clubs are mindlessly interchangeable. A good party has to be twice as good as what's on offer, and that's what these guys are offering: twice the funk, twice the music and twice the fun. To go with the name, the party is also happening twice. Although you missed the first already, the second is this Friday night in the Mauersegler - the bar/beergarden right next to the Mauerpark and at the entrance to the flea market.

The DJs are experienced and cool: Mixed Moods plays an unsual blend of Latin, Soul, Jazz, Hip Hop und House, while Sergej Braun puts to work golden hands that are also being used by Universal Music. And Snake Barton, also know as Dr MoneyMuscle, is a multitalent who's alterego plays guitar in the band Tiger HiFi.

For free entry to the party either grab one of the flyers that are around Prenzlauer Berg or turn up on the day with the ultra-top-secret- cross-your-heart-and-hope-to-die- this-will-self-destruct-in-five-seconds- password: Don't Think Twice.

Until a few days ago, the eldest record of the city of Cölln dated to 1237 from records concerning the Petrikirche (church), but excavations at the site of the Petrikirche have now uncovered a wooden beam which dates to 1192. The church was apparently built around 1230, was rebuilt several times going from Roman to Gothic to a dreischiffige ("three ships" - a central nave with aisles on either side) brick church. It suffered destruction several times - the earth couldn't support the tower, a lightning strike, a fire - until it's final form in neo-gothic was finished in 1853. World War II, however, destroyed it once again and the remains were demolished by the GDR in 1960.

For the last year, lanes of Leipziger Str. have been closed as the excavation on Petriplatz (which you can see here) has been underway. They've located the town hall of Cölln, uncovered the foundations of the Petrikirche and 2000 bodies. These came from the original cemetaries surrounding the church and are now to be excavated and examined. For those with a more morbid curiosity, a picture of the excavation can be seen here.

You can see photos of the Petrikirche and platz before it's final destruction, as well as photos from some of the excavations here.

The B-girlz have organised an intense festival, which is about to hit it's high point as the final week of August comes up. Various workshops are running. Check it out here. There are still available places in a number of the workshops, so just turn up with 20€ on the day. Some of them are even free - in Mellowpark  there are skateboard and bmx courses for beginners, so what better excuse do you need?

Throughout this week Tacheles hosts a retrospective of one of the B-girlz, photo journalist Matha Cooper. The New Yorker has been documenting the development of hip hop culture since the seventies and this exhibition looks back at over 300 over her best works. Also, on the 28th of August, the walls at the back of Tacheles will play host to a grafitti artist battle. In knockout rounds female writers will be pitting their skillz against rivals in tag, alphabet, throw up and blind writing. Entry is free and it will all start around 3pm.

The week will end with a big concert at Cassiopeia  on the 29th of August where, over three floors, thirty international female hip hoppers will be performing. Finally a dance off is happening on the 30th of August in Universall Hall. Doors open at 2pm with the dance off starting at 3pm. Entry costs 10€ and if you want to actually take part in the dance off, you can try sticking your name on the waiting list.

Well today is an exciting day if you're an American in Berlin and want to catch a glimpse of the presidential hopeful Barack Obama. He flew in this morning, met the german Chancellor for a quick tete-a-tete and will be giving a public speech this evening at the Victory Column.

All around the Große Stern, the giant roundabout where the Siegesäule is located, has been blocked off for two days as they prepare Obama's personal fan mile instead of the ones normally set up for football games. You can expect bratwurst stands and Obama balloons and, I imagine, quite a bit of security.

The area opens at 4pm and Obama is due to speak at 7pm. One hundred thousand spectators are expected, so it may pay to get there earlier rather than later, although there are big screens set up for those who can't get close. I'd recommend using bike to get there - there are buses going through that area, but they have also had to be rerouted, so check it out before jumping on one.

If you don't feel like going along in person, you can see the speech live here. It should be an interesting speech and the Germans are hopeful it will display a presidential candidate with a finer sense of foreign politics than they've experienced previously.

If you're a high-flying fashionista, this is the moment to be in Berlin for this week is the Berlin Fashion Week.

Silks and wools! Cotton and lace! Hot models and haute couture! Forget trying to visit Bebelplatz, the location of the famous Nazi burning of books. No, this week the entire platz is filled with a big white tent, security guards and amazingly well dressed people. This is the Mercedes-Benz tent and one of the primary venues for models to be strutting their stuff and designers to launch their current masterpieces to the world.

Among the big names showing here this year are Vivienne Westwood who's Anglomania line is apparently taking a Greek inspiration this season and the colour fuschia seems to be heavily involved.  Joop! will be presenting for the first time the Women and Men Joop!Jeans collections and Hugo will be displaying the second collection of their art director Bruno Pieters.

A large number of the designers, though, are local talent. Pureberlin, Smeilinener, Kai Kühne, Lala Berlin. Some of the fashion schools (Kunsthochschule Weisensee and Universität der Künste Berlin) will be showing off their best new up-and-comers.

Although it most of the venues are difficult to get into without an invitation or media pass, the Fashion Week has brought in the ShowroomMile along Unter den Linden. The idea is that various companies will host designers - fashion, art, product - and these events are open to the public. A detailed list of the ShowroomMile can be found here.  

You know, when you're in this city it is really easy to put all the war history in that little drawer marked "A long, long time ago.." It's an incredible story, an unbelievable amount of horror and terror, but it feels like ancient history. Especially when you're sitting in a bar somewhere listening to the best of Berlin electronica.

Yesterday, though, it was again brought much more into the present when an excavater working on a garden in Wilmersdorf uncovered a 500kg WWII bomb buried only a meter below the surface.

These crop up every now and then. A few times a year one will be uncovered and diffused. Yesterday's was apparently more dangerous, with a time-delayed chemical detonator that couldn't be diffused with the normal techniques.

So 5000 people were evacuated to spend the night in highschools and gym halls, U-bahn and S-bahn stopped and the city ring autobahn blocked. The detonator was blown up this morning successfully, and the bomb removed safely. Thankfully.

But it's just one more of those events that makes you realise how recent this history actually is. And how it still impacts us today.

It truly is an amazing place that can hammer that home so effectively. 

This Saturday is the 30th Christopher Street Day celebration in Berlin. The gay pride festival started last weekend with the Motzstrassenfest at Nollendorfplatz and ends this weekend with a parade through the city.

The parade starts at 12.30  on Unter den Linden and will snake it's way through the city, past Potsdamer Platz and Nollendorfplatz before ending at the Siegessäule. This indirect route is partly due to the football Fan Mile which starts at the Brandenburg Gate and blocks off a large chunk of the Strasse der 17. Juni. The full route can be found here, and with sixty-three groups and forty-nine trucks currently taking part it's going to be loud, bright, rather naked and full of fun.

Once they all reach the Siegessäule the partying will continue, with live bands such as Boss Hoss,  The Honeybees and Übermutter and plenty of food and drink. in addition, the CSD will be awarding six civil courage prizes, one of which is going to the entire country of Switzerland for their equality in recognising and supporting gay rights.    

If all that isn't enough festivities, an official afterparty will start at 10pm in the GMF-Tower near Alexanderplatz. Oh yes, this weekend Berlin is going to be shrill.